# Help with funeral costs: every scheme in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

> Family & care · Last updated 25 September 2026

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## Quick answer

If you get a qualifying benefit such as Universal Credit, you may get Funeral Expenses Payment in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or Funeral Support Payment in Scotland. Both pay burial or cremation fees plus a sum for other costs. Children's funerals get separate help, whatever your income, in every nation. Most claims are due within six months.

## Who should skip this

Skip this if nobody in your household gets a means-tested benefit and the person who died was an adult: the main funeral grants won't apply, although [Bereavement Support Payment](/family-life/bereavement-support-payment-explained/) might, and the estate can still pay (see [how to pay for a funeral](/family-life/how-to-pay-for-a-funeral/)).

Help with funeral costs depends on where you live, which benefits you get and, for a child, where the funeral takes place. This guide puts every government scheme side by side with the amounts for 2026/27, shows how money in the estate affects what you get and explains what happens if nobody can pay. Our [Funeral Expenses Payment guide](/family-life/funeral-expenses-payment/) has the full eligibility and claim detail.

## Key facts

- Funeral Expenses Payment pays burial or cremation fees plus up to £1,000 for other costs, or up to £120 in England and Wales if there was a prepaid funeral plan
- Scotland's Funeral Support Payment pays a flat £1,327.75 for other costs from 1 April 2026, or £162.05 if the person had a prepaid plan
- England's Children's Funeral Fund pays burial or cremation fees and up to £300 for a coffin, whatever your income
- Northern Ireland's Child Funeral Fund pays a £3,441 lump sum for funerals on or after 1 December 2025
- Wales waives council burial and cremation fees for under-18s and offers £500 when a child's death is registered
- Scottish councils don't charge burial or cremation fees for anyone under 18, including stillborn babies

## Which scheme applies to you?

For an adult's funeral, the main help is a grant for people on low-income benefits. England and Wales share DWP's Funeral Expenses Payment, Northern Ireland has its own version run by the Department for Communities, and Scotland has Social Security Scotland's Funeral Support Payment. Scotland's scheme depends on you living in Scotland; the funeral can be anywhere in the UK, and in some cases abroad.

In every nation you also need to meet rules on your relationship to the person who died: usually their partner, or a close relative or friend where it's reasonable for you to take responsibility. If a close relative isn't on a qualifying benefit, or is working, you might not get a Funeral Expenses Payment. You can [check whether you're eligible](/eligible-for/funeral-expenses-payment/).

*Funeral grants for adults on low incomes, 2026/27*

| Detail | Funeral Expenses Payment (England and Wales) | Funeral Expenses Payment (Northern Ireland) | Funeral Support Payment (Scotland) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Run by | DWP | Department for Communities | Social Security Scotland |
| Qualifying benefits | Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, income-related ESA, or a Support for Mortgage Interest loan | The same as England and Wales | Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, income-related ESA, income-based JSA or Income Support |
| Burial or cremation fees | Paid | Paid | Paid, usually covering the council's charge |
| Other funeral costs | Up to £1,000 | Up to £1,000 | Flat £1,327.75 |
| If there was a prepaid funeral plan | Up to £120 for items the plan doesn't cover | Help only with items the plan doesn't cover | £162.05 |
| Travel and moving the body | Travel to arrange or attend; moving the body more than 50 miles within the UK | Travel; the part of the body's journey over 50 miles | One return journey; moving the body more than 49.7 miles |
| Deadline | Within 6 months of the funeral | Within 6 months of the funeral | Up to 6 months after the funeral |
| How to claim | Bereavement Service 0800 151 2012 or form SF200 | Bereavement Service or claim form (nidirect) | Online, 0800 182 2222 or by post |

## How much could you get? Worked examples

Scotland's figures are the easiest to work through, because Social Security Scotland publishes the burial and cremation amounts it pays in each council area for funerals from 1 April 2026. It lists £947 for a cremation in Edinburgh and £2,805.90 for a burial with a new plot in Falkirk. Money the person left that the family can access, such as a bank balance, insurance or a pension lump sum, is deducted. Travel is left out of these examples.

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the same logic applies, but the other-costs element is up to £1,000 rather than £1,327.75, a difference of £327.75. None of these grants usually covers the whole bill: GOV.UK says the payment will not usually cover all the costs of the funeral.

*Funeral Support Payment examples for an adult's funeral on or after 1 April 2026*

| Situation | Burial or cremation | Other costs | Deduction | Total |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cremation in Edinburgh; £300 in the person's bank account | £947 | £1,327.75 | −£300 | £1,974.75 |
| Burial in a new plot in Falkirk; no money left | £2,805.90 | £1,327.75 | £0 | £4,133.65 |
| Cremation in Edinburgh; a prepaid plan paid the cremation fee | £0 | £162.05 | £0 | £162.05 |

## What help is there for a child's funeral?

Every nation has help for the funeral of a child under 18 or a baby stillborn after 24 weeks of pregnancy, and none of it depends on your income, but each works differently. In England and Wales you may also get a Funeral Expenses Payment for other costs if you're on a qualifying benefit, and in Scotland a Funeral Support Payment (£1,327.75 for other costs) can be claimed on top of the fee waiver.

Parents who are employees in England, Scotland and Wales can also take 2 weeks' Parental Bereavement Leave within 56 weeks of the death, and may get [Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay](https://www.gov.uk/parental-bereavement-pay-leave) of £194.32 a week or 90% of average weekly earnings, whichever is lower. Northern Ireland has its own scheme, explained on nidirect.

*Help with a child's funeral by nation (under 18, or stillborn after 24 weeks)*

| Nation | What you can get | How it's paid |
| --- | --- | --- |
| England | Children's Funeral Fund: burial or cremation fees, plus up to £300 for a coffin, shroud or casket. The burial or cremation must be in England | The burial or cremation provider and funeral director claim directly; without a funeral director you claim online. Claims within 6 months of the funeral |
| Wales | Council and community council burial and cremation fees are waived, and the Welsh Government offers £500 towards funeral and related costs if the family home is in Wales | The registrar offers the £500 when the death is registered, usually paid within 14 working days; you have 12 months from registration |
| Scotland | Local councils don't charge burial or cremation fees for under-18s, including stillborn babies | Automatic: contact the council |
| Northern Ireland | Child Funeral Fund: a £3,441 lump sum for funerals on or after 1 December 2025 (£3,056 before then), where the service is held in Northern Ireland | Claim through the Bereavement Service within 6 months; paid to the funeral director, to you, or split. Not available if another government scheme, including a Trust-organised cremation, already paid |

## How does the estate affect what you get?

Money the person left counts first. Social Security Scotland reduces the payment by money that's available and accessible, including funds belonging to the person who died, insurance policies, funeral plans and lump sums from pensions or burial clubs. nidirect says Northern Ireland's payment ignores benefit arrears, Bereavement Support Payment and contributions from charities, friends or relatives.

The grant is also recovered from the estate afterwards. GOV.UK says a Funeral Expenses Payment is deducted from anything you receive from the estate, which doesn't include a house or personal things left to a widow, widower or surviving civil partner. Social Security Scotland takes its payment back from the estate directly and won't ask you to repay it. Reasonable funeral costs are also deductible for Inheritance Tax, and in England and Wales they're paid ahead of other debts: [how to pay for a funeral](/family-life/how-to-pay-for-a-funeral/) explains both.

## How do you claim, and what if you're refused?

For a Funeral Expenses Payment, you can claim before the funeral if you have an invoice or signed contract from the funeral director (not an estimate). If the bill hasn't been paid, the money goes straight to the funeral director. If you get Universal Credit, you won't get a decision until after your next payment. In Scotland you can apply online, by phone or by post, and you can give your funeral director consent to talk to Social Security Scotland about your application.

If you disagree with a decision, GOV.UK says you can appeal to the Social Security and Child Support Tribunal. nidirect says Northern Ireland claimants must usually ask for a mandatory reconsideration first.

## What other bereavement payments are there?

Bereavement Support Payment isn't means-tested and isn't restricted to funeral costs. If your husband, wife, civil partner or (in some cases) cohabiting partner died, GOV.UK says the higher rate is a £3,500 lump sum plus 18 monthly payments of £350, and the lower rate is £2,500 plus 18 payments of £100. You must claim within 3 months of the death to get the full amount. [Bereavement Support Payment explained](/family-life/bereavement-support-payment-explained/) covers who qualifies.

If you don't qualify for a grant, mygov.scot points people in Scotland to Quaker Social Action and Caledonia Funeral Aid for advice on paying for a funeral.

## What if nobody can pay for the funeral?

If nobody else makes suitable arrangements, the council must arrange a burial or cremation: under section 46 of the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 in England and Wales, section 87 of the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016 in Scotland, and section 25 of the Welfare Services Act (Northern Ireland) 1971 in Northern Ireland. The council can recover its costs from the estate, and in Northern Ireland also from anyone who was legally liable to maintain the person. If you're thinking of signing a funeral director's contract without the money to pay it, talk to the council first. You can read about [how council-arranged funerals work](https://funeralfinder.org/uk/guides/public-health-funerals/).

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I get a Funeral Expenses Payment if I work?

Yes, if you or your partner get a qualifying benefit such as Universal Credit, which many working people receive. But if a close relative of the person who died is in work or isn't on a qualifying benefit, you might not get it.

### Does England's Children's Funeral Fund depend on income?

No. It isn't means-tested, so your earnings and savings don't affect it. It pays burial or cremation fees and up to £300 for a coffin, shroud or casket when the burial or cremation takes place in England.

### Will a funeral grant pay for the whole funeral?

Usually not. Funeral Expenses Payment and Funeral Support Payment pay burial or cremation fees and a set sum for other costs, less any money available from the estate. Compare itemised quotes so you know the gap before you sign.

### I live in Scotland but the funeral is in England. Which scheme do I use?

Funeral Support Payment, because it depends on where you live. The person who died must have lived in the UK and the funeral must usually be in the UK. You can't get it if you've already had other government funeral support, such as a Funeral Expenses Payment.

### Do I have to pay a funeral grant back?

Not from your own money. It's recovered from the estate of the person who died if there is one. A house or personal things left to a surviving spouse or civil partner don't count.

## Primary source

https://www.gov.uk/funeral-payments, https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2019/292/regulation/13, https://www.gov.uk/child-funeral-costs, https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/3061/regulation/9, https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/funeral-payments, https://www.mygov.scot/funeral-support-payment/who-can-apply-and-when, https://www.mygov.scot/funeral-support-payment/person-who-died-18-or-over, https://www.mygov.scot/funeral-support-payment/person-who-died-17-or-under, https://www.mygov.scot/funeral-support-payment/how-to-apply, https://www.mygov.scot/burial-cremation-costs-scotland, https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2026/170/regulation/5/made, https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2019/1064/regulation/3, https://www.gov.wales/child-funeral-and-other-related-costs-information-html, https://www.gov.wales/written-statement-extending-financial-support-families-when-child-dies, https://www.mygov.scot/arrange-funeral/funeral-costs, https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/child-funeral-fund, https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/2025/169/regulation/2/made, https://www.gov.uk/parental-bereavement-pay-leave, https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/parental-bereavement-leave-and-pay, https://www.gov.uk/bereavement-support-payment, https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1984/22/section/46, https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2016/20/section/87, https://www.legislation.gov.uk/apni/1971/2/section/25

## Related

- [Funeral Expenses Payment: eligibility and claims](https://moneyguide.org.uk/family-life/funeral-expenses-payment/)
- [Am I eligible for Funeral Expenses Payment?](https://moneyguide.org.uk/eligible-for/funeral-expenses-payment/)
- [Bereavement Support Payment explained](https://moneyguide.org.uk/family-life/bereavement-support-payment-explained/)
- [How to pay for a funeral](https://moneyguide.org.uk/family-life/how-to-pay-for-a-funeral/)
- [Funeral help eligibility checker](https://funeralfinder.org/uk/tools/help-with-funeral-costs/)
- [Bereavement helplines and support services](https://funeralfinder.org/uk/guides/bereavement-support/)

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Independent UK money guidance from [Money Guide](https://moneyguide.org.uk). Information only — not regulated financial advice.