188体育

Widowed Parent鈥檚 Allowance (WPA) has been replaced by Bereavement Support Payment. If you already get WPA, your payments will continue until you are no longer eligible.

You can only make a new claim for WPA if your partner died before 6 April 2017. When they died, you and your partner must have either been:

• married or in a civil partnership
• living together as though you were married or in a civil partnership

If you were married or in a civil partnership, your partner must also have only recently been declared dead. You鈥檒l need to confirm the cause of death.

All the following must also apply:

• you鈥檙e under State Pension age
• your partner paid National Insurance contributions, or they died because of an accident at work or a disease caused by work
• you鈥檙e entitled to Child Benefit for at least one child

You may also claim WPA if you were pregnant when your partner died, or you were pregnant after fertility treatment when your partner died.

When you cannot claim WPA

You cannot claim WPA if you:

• were divorced or had ended your civil partnership when your partner died
• were no longer living with your partner when they died
• have remarried or formed a new civil partnership
• are living with another person as if you鈥檙e married or in a civil partnership with them
• were over State Pension age when your partner died 鈥� you may be able to get extra State Pension
• are in prison

The amount you get is based on how much your partner paid in National Insurance contributions.

The maximum Widowed Parent鈥檚 Allowance (WPA) is 拢148.40 a week.

You鈥檒l continue to get WPA until you either:

• stop being entitled to Child Benefit
• reach State Pension age

How WPA is paid

WPA is usually paid into your bank, building society or credit union account.

Report changes that affect other benefits

Other benefit payments you get may change when you start claiming WPA.

Once you get WPA, you must report it if you鈥檙e getting any of the following:

• Income Support
• Incapacity Benefit
• Jobseeker鈥檚 Allowance
• Carer鈥檚 Allowance
• Employment and Support Allowance
• Universal Credit

If you do not report changes straight away, you could be paid the wrong amount and have to pay it back. You might also have to pay a fine.

The benefit cap

The benefit cap limits the total amount of benefit you can get. It applies to most people aged 16 or over who have not reached State Pension age.

Some individual benefits are not affected, but it may affect the total amount of benefit you get.

If you live in England, Scotland or Wales

You need to either:

• download and fill in form BB1, if you and your partner were married or in a civil partnership when they died
• download and fill in form BB2, if you and your partner were living together as though you were married or in a civil partnership when they died

Send your completed form to:

Other ways to apply

Call the Bereavement Service helpline to ask for alternative formats of the application pack, such as braille, large print or audio CD.

If you live in Northern Ireland

Call the and choose option 3.

You can also download and fill in a . Send it to the address on the claim form.

If you live abroad

Contact the International Pension Centre to find out if you can claim if you鈥檝e moved abroad.

You must include your:

• full name
• date of birth
• National Insurance number (if you know it)

If you disagree with a decision

You can challenge a decision about your claim. This is called asking for 鈥榤andatory reconsideration鈥�.

You must tell Dover Benefit Centre if you:

• stop being entitled to Child Benefit
• remarry or form a civil partnership
• start to live with a partner as husband or wife, or as if you had formed a civil partnership

If you鈥檝e been paid too much

You may have to repay the money if you:

• did not report a change straight away
• gave wrong information
• were overpaid by mistake

Find out how to repay the money you owe from benefit overpayment.