Losing someone you love is difficult enough without the added worry of how you’ll pay for their funeral. If you’re on a low income or receiving certain benefits, you may be entitled to government help through Funeral Expenses Payment eligibility, but understanding whether you qualify can feel confusing when you’re already dealing with grief.
At Go Direct Cremations, we regularly speak with families who are navigating tight budgets while trying to arrange a dignified send-off for their loved one. Many don’t realise that financial support exists, or they assume they won’t qualify. The truth is, thousands of people successfully claim this payment each year, and knowing the rules before you apply can make a real difference.
This guide breaks down exactly who can claim Funeral Expenses Payment, which benefits make you eligible, and how your relationship to the person who died affects your application. We’ll also cover what the payment actually covers and common reasons claims get rejected, so you can approach the process with clarity and confidence.
What eligibility for Funeral Expenses Payment means
Funeral Expenses Payment eligibility refers to whether you meet the government’s specific criteria to receive financial help towards funeral costs. This isn’t about whether you need the money or whether you deserve it; it’s about fitting into a strict set of rules that determine if the Department for Work and Pensions will contribute towards the funeral expenses.
The payment itself is designed to help people on qualifying benefits who are responsible for arranging a funeral. You can’t claim it simply because you’re struggling financially or because you attended the funeral. Instead, you must prove that you have both the legal responsibility to arrange the service and that you’re receiving one of several specific benefits at the time of the claim.
The three tests you must pass
Your funeral expenses payment eligibility depends on passing three separate tests before your claim will succeed. If you fail any single one, the entire application gets rejected, regardless of your financial situation.
First, you need to be receiving a qualifying benefit on the date of the claim or the date of the funeral (whichever is later). These include Universal Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, or the disability or pensioner element of Working Tax Credit. Simply being on a low income without one of these specific benefits doesn’t qualify you for help.
Second, you must have a close enough relationship to the person who died. This usually means you’re their partner, parent, child, or another close relative. The rules become stricter if there are other relatives who could reasonably be expected to pay, even if they choose not to.
If someone closer to the deceased could pay for the funeral, your claim will likely be rejected, even if you’re the one who actually arranged everything.
Third, the funeral must take place in the United Kingdom (or, in limited cases, another European Economic Area country if the death happened there). You also need to meet the timing requirements by claiming within the deadline, which is typically within six months of the funeral date, though this can be extended in some circumstances.
Understanding these three tests helps you assess your chances before you invest time in a full application. Many people assume they qualify based on financial need alone, but the reality involves proving multiple specific criteria that have nothing to do with how much money you have in the bank.
Why the rules feel strict
When you’re arranging a funeral and hoping for financial help, the funeral expenses payment eligibility criteria can feel unnecessarily harsh. The application process seems designed to exclude people rather than help them, particularly when you’re already overwhelmed by grief and facing unexpected bills that you can’t afford.
The government’s concern about limited resources
The Department for Work and Pensions operates the scheme with tight budget constraints, and they receive far more applications than they can approve. Every year, thousands of claims get rejected because the rules aim to target help only at those with absolutely no alternative way to pay. The government worries that if they relaxed the criteria, the scheme would become unaffordable.
Officials also want to prevent situations where multiple family members claim for the same funeral or where someone arranges an expensive service expecting the taxpayer to cover it. The strict relationship rules exist because the government believes that close relatives should contribute before public funds step in, even when those relatives choose not to help.
The system assumes that if someone closer to the deceased exists, they should pay, regardless of whether they actually will.
Why certain relatives get priority
You might be the person who organised everything and paid the funeral director, yet your claim still gets rejected because a sibling or parent theoretically could have paid instead. The rules don’t consider family disputes, estrangement, or the fact that some relatives simply refuse to help. They focus purely on legal relationships and financial capability on paper.
This approach protects public spending but creates genuine hardship for people who step up when others won’t. Understanding this helps you see why having the right benefit at the right time, plus being the "closest" responsible relative, matters so much to your application’s success.
Eligibility rules: benefits, relationship, timing
Your funeral expenses payment eligibility hinges on meeting three specific requirements at the same time, and failing any single one means your entire claim gets rejected. Understanding each rule before you apply helps you avoid wasting time on an application that won’t succeed.
The benefits you must receive
You need to be receiving a qualifying benefit on the date you claim or on the date of the funeral, whichever comes later. The list includes Universal Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, or the disability or pensioner element of Working Tax Credit.
If you’re on Child Tax Credit alone or receiving standard Working Tax Credit without the disability or pensioner element, you won’t qualify. The benefit must be in payment at the relevant date, so claims made after your benefit has stopped will fail unless the funeral occurred while you were still eligible.
You can’t qualify based on low income alone; you must be receiving one of these specific benefits when you claim.
Your relationship to the deceased
The government prioritises claims from partners, parents, and children of the person who died. If you’re a more distant relative, such as a sibling, grandparent, or in-law, your claim faces stricter scrutiny and may be rejected if someone closer could reasonably have paid instead.
Officials assess whether other relatives exist who were in closer contact with the deceased or who have the financial means to cover the costs. Even if those relatives refuse to help, their mere existence can disqualify your application.
The timing deadline
You must claim within six months of the funeral date, though extensions apply in certain circumstances. Missing this deadline means losing your right to claim, regardless of how eligible you were when the funeral took place.
Where the funeral happens and tricky cases
Geographic location matters significantly when determining your funeral expenses payment eligibility, and several complicated circumstances can affect whether your claim succeeds. The rules become particularly strict when the funeral takes place outside the United Kingdom or when unusual family situations create confusion about who should pay.
Geographic restrictions on where funerals take place
The funeral must occur in the United Kingdom for you to qualify for payment. This covers England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, but excludes Crown Dependencies like the Isle of Man, Jersey, and Guernsey, which operate separate social security systems.
Limited exceptions exist if the deceased died in another European Economic Area country or Switzerland and the funeral takes place there. You might qualify if you or the deceased lived in the UK and received a qualifying benefit, but you must prove the death happened abroad and explain why bringing the body back wasn’t practical or affordable.
Funerals held in Crown Dependencies or outside the EEA won’t qualify, even if you’re receiving UK benefits and arranged everything yourself.
Complicated situations that affect your claim
Estrangement creates particular problems because officials don’t consider whether you actually had contact with the person who died. If you’re a child who hasn’t seen your parent for decades, you might still be expected to contribute, which can disqualify siblings or other relatives who were closer to the deceased but technically less responsible.
Claims also fail when multiple people apply for the same funeral or when someone closer to the deceased exists but refuses to help. The Department for Work and Pensions won’t chase reluctant relatives for contributions; they simply reject your application instead, leaving you to cover costs alone despite being the only person willing to arrange the service.
How much you can get and how you apply
Understanding the payment amount and application process helps you plan ahead before the funeral takes place and ensures you submit everything correctly. The Funeral Expenses Payment won’t cover the entire cost of most funerals, but it can make a significant difference to families struggling with the immediate financial burden of saying goodbye to someone they love.
What the payment covers
The Department for Work and Pensions calculates your payment based on two main elements: necessary travel costs and either burial or cremation fees. You’ll receive up to £1,000 towards other funeral expenses like the funeral director’s services, the coffin, flowers, and other essential costs that vary depending on what you arrange.
Burial and cremation fees receive separate consideration, and officials pay the full amount charged by the burial authority or crematorium without a cap. Travel costs for you and immediate family members to attend the funeral also qualify, provided the distances involved make transport genuinely necessary rather than just convenient.
The payment amount depends on what the funeral actually cost, not what you hoped to spend, so keeping receipts for everything matters.
How to submit your application
You apply using form SF200, which you can download from the government website or request by telephone from the Bereavement Service helpline. Complete every section carefully, attach itemised invoices from the funeral director and any other providers, and include proof of your benefit entitlement if your funeral expenses payment eligibility isn’t already confirmed by existing records.
Submit your completed form within six months of the funeral date, though officials may accept late applications if you have a good reason for the delay. Processing typically takes between eight and twelve weeks, though complex cases involving disputed relationships or unclear costs take longer to resolve.
What to do next
Your funeral expenses payment eligibility depends on meeting strict criteria around benefits, relationships, and timing, but understanding these rules before you apply saves you from rejected claims and wasted effort. Review your benefit status first, confirm your relationship to the deceased, and gather all receipts and documentation before submitting form SF200 within the six-month deadline.
Regardless of whether you qualify for government support, keeping funeral costs manageable from the start gives you more financial breathing room when you’re grieving. Many families discover that direct cremation offers a dignified alternative to traditional funerals, removing the pressure of expensive ceremonies while still treating your loved one with complete respect.
Go Direct Cremations provides unattended cremation services from £995, handling all necessary arrangements without the emotional and financial burden of a traditional funeral. This approach lets you focus on saying goodbye in your own way, at your own pace, while significantly reducing the costs that make Funeral Expenses Payment applications necessary in the first place.