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Your income will probably change after the death of your partner.

If you get extra money from pensions, annuities, benefits or an inheritance, you may need to pay more tax. You may be on a lower income and need to pay less tax.

Your tax allowances - the income you do not pay tax on - may also change.

Income you must report

Tell HMRC if you get:

• interest from a bank, building society or a National Savings and Investment product, for example pensioner income, capital bonds
• income from letting out property
• income from Purchased Life Annuities
• Widowed Parent鈥檚 Allowance or Bereavement Allowance
• Carer鈥檚 Allowance
• foreign pension payments
• other income that should have been taxed but has not been

You do not need to tell HMRC about:

• income your employer pays tax on through PAYE
• income from a private pension
• income which does not get taxed, for example from an Individual Savings Account (ISA)
• any income if you鈥檒l reach State Pension age within 4 months
• getting Jobseeker鈥檚 Allowance (JSA), Incapacity Benefit, Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or Bereavement Support Payment

How to tell HMRC

Tell HMRC about a change in your income:

• in your next Self Assessment tax return, if you鈥檙e registered for Self Assessment
• by phone

Tax allowances

If you pay Income Tax, you鈥檒l have a Personal Allowance - income you do not pay tax on. Your allowance may change if your income changes.

HMRC will automatically adjust your Personal Allowance when you tell them about your change of income.

Married Couple鈥檚 Allowance

If you or your husband, wife or civil partner were born before 6 April 1935, you may have been claiming Married Couple鈥檚 Allowance. You鈥檒l still get the allowance for the current tax year (up to 5 April) but HMRC will automatically stop it after that and you鈥檒l get just your Personal Allowance.

Blind Person鈥檚 Allowance

If your husband, wife or civil partner was claiming Blind Person鈥檚 Allowance, ask HMRC to transfer what鈥檚 left of their Blind Person鈥檚 Allowance for the current tax year (up to 5 April) to you.

Reduced rate National Insurance

If you鈥檙e a widow and you were married before April 1977, you might be paying a reduced rate of National Insurance (sometimes called the 鈥榮mall stamp鈥�).

You may be able to keep paying the reduced rate. Contact HMRC to find out what you should do.

You鈥檒l have to make new claims for some benefits that your partner was claiming for your family.

You may also be able to claim other benefits to help with your bereavement or if you鈥檙e on a lower income because of the death.

Bereavement benefits

You may be able to get:

• Funeral Expenses Payment - to help towards the cost of a funeral if you鈥檙e on a low income
• Bereavement Support Payment - if your husband, wife or civil partner died in the last 21 months, or if your partner you were living with as though married died after 6 April 2017
• Widowed Parent鈥檚 Allowance - if your partner died before 6 April 2017 and you have at least one dependent child

Phone the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Bereavement Service to check if:

• you can get bereavement benefits
• the death will affect any other benefits you鈥檙e already claiming

You鈥檒l have to make new claims for Child Benefit and tax credits if your partner was claiming them.

Child Benefit

You鈥檒l need to make a new claim for Child Benefit if you were not the person named as the claimant on the original claim form.

Tax credits

You should tell the Tax Credit Office about the death within one month if you have not already heard from them. Phone the Tax Credit Helpline to report the death.

If your income is lower

You may be able to get benefits if you鈥檙e on a lower income following the death of your partner. Use a benefits calculator to work out what benefits you can get and find out how to claim.

You may also be able to apply for:

• Winter Fuel Payment - if you were born on or before 5 July 1952
• Cold Weather Payment - if you鈥檙e on a low income
• Warm Home Discount Scheme

You may be able to get extra pension payments from your husband, wife or civil partner鈥檚 pension or National Insurance contributions.

State Pension

You need to be over State Pension age to claim extra payments from your husband, wife or civil partner鈥檚 State Pension.

What you get and how you claim will depend on whether you reached State Pension age before or after 6 April 2016.

Contact the Pension Service to check what you can claim.

If you reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016

You鈥檒l get any State Pension based on your husband, wife or civil partner鈥檚 National Insurance contribution when you claim your own pension.

You will not get it if you remarry or form a new civil partnership before you reach State Pension age.

If you reached State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016

You鈥檒l receive the 鈥榥ew State Pension鈥� and you may be able to inherit an extra payment on top of your pension.

Private pensions

You may get payments from your husband, wife or civil partner鈥檚 workplace, personal or stakeholder pension - it will depend on the pension scheme. Contact the pension scheme to find out.

You鈥檒l have to pay tax on those payments if the pension provider does not pay it for you.

War Widow鈥檚 or Widower鈥檚 Pension

You may be able to get War Widow鈥檚 or Widower Pension - if your husband, wife or civil partner died because of their service in the Armed Forces or because of a war.