DWP · Official form

BSP1: Bereavement Support Payment claim form

Form BSP1 is the claim form for Bereavement Support Payment, the benefit paid after the death of a spouse, civil partner or cohabiting partner. Fill in the official PDF below and download it.

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This is the genuine DWP PDF, unmodified. Source: DWP official page.

What is BSP1?

Bereavement Support Payment is made up of a first larger payment followed by monthly payments. It is not affected by other income in the way means tested benefits are, and it is claimed from the Department for Work and Pensions. BSP1 collects the details DWP needs about you, about the person who died, and about your circumstances at the date of death.

You can normally claim if your spouse, civil partner or cohabiting partner died within the last 21 months. Cohabiting partners can qualify where the death was on or after 6 April 2017. Late claims may still be considered where the death took longer than 21 months to be confirmed. Where the death was before 6 April 2017, Widowed Parent’s Allowance may apply instead, and Northern Ireland runs a separate process by phone or post.

Who files BSP1?

Widows, widowers and surviving civil partners claiming after a partner’s death
Surviving cohabiting partners where the death was on or after 6 April 2017
People claiming within 21 months of the death, or later where confirmation of the death was delayed
Someone helping a bereaved person complete and send the claim

How to fill out BSP1

Fill in your own details, including your National Insurance number and contact details.
Give the details of the person who died, including the date of death and your relationship to them.
Answer the questions about your circumstances at the date of death, including whether you were living together and whether you have children.
Complete the bank or building society details so DWP can pay the award, then sign and date the declaration.
Send the form to Bereavement Support Payment, Mail Handling Site A, Wolverhampton, WV98 2BS, or hand it in at your nearest Jobcentre Plus office. The Bereavement Service helpline is 0800 151 2012.

Worth knowing: Different rules apply in Northern Ireland, where the claim is made by phone or post through the local office. Claim as soon as you can, because the 21 month window limits how far a claim can reach back.

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These are the form's own fields, in the order they appear on the pages. Fill in what you know; anything left blank stays a fillable field in the PDF, so you can finish it in any PDF reader. Nothing you type here is sent to DWP.

Page 2 18 fields

Your first name

Your last name

Your National Insurance (NI) number

Your mobile phone number

Your date of birth. D D / M M / Y Y Y Y

First line of your home address where you normally live

Second line of your home address

Third line of your home address

Your home address postcode

Can we contact you by email?

Please tell us your email address

First line of the address where you normally lived when your late partner died. If it was different to your address now.

Second line of the address

Third line of the address

The postcode

Were you married to or in a civil partnership with the person who died, at the time of their death?

What was your surname immediately prior to your marriage or civil partnership?

Are you sending us your marriage or civil partnership certificate?

Page 3 15 fields

What was the date of your marriage or civil partnership? D D / M M / Y Y Y Y

In what country did your marriage or civil partnership take place?

Please tell us which country

What religion was the ceremony conducted under?

At the time of their death, were you living with the person who died as if you were married to them?

Your late partner's first name

Your late partner's last name

Your late partner's National Insurance (NI) number

First line of your late partner's address

Second line of your late partner's address

Third line of your late partner's address

Your late partner's postcode

What date did they die? D D / M M / Y Y Y Y

Did they pay National Insurance contributions before they died?

Please tell us if they were

Page 4 14 fields

Do you think your late partner died because of an accident at work, or because of a disease or illness connected with their work?

May we get medical reports from their doctor and any hospital, if we need them?

Did your late partner ever live or work outside the UK?

Which country did they live or work in? Country 1.

When did they live there from? D D / M M / Y Y Y Y

When did they live there to? D D / M M / Y Y Y Y

Did they pay into the social security scheme of the country they lived in?

If you have answered Yes what was their social security reference number?

Which country did they live or work in? Country 2.

When did they live there from? D D / M M / Y Y Y Y

When did they live there to? D D / M M / Y Y Y Y

Did they pay into the social security scheme of the country they lived in?

If you have answered Yes what was their social security reference number?

If they have lived in more than 2 countries, tell us the same information as above for these countries too.

Page 5 5 fields

Did you have any dependent children at the time your late partner died?

Are you or were you entitled to Child Benefit?

If entitlement has ended, what date did the entitlement stop? D D / M M / Y Y Y Y

Are you waiting to hear if you can get Child Benefit?

Were you expecting a child at the time your late partner died?

Page 7 8 fields

Name of the account holder

Name of the bank or building society

First and second number of your sort code

Third and fourth number of your sort code

Fifth and sixth number of your sort code

Account number

Building society roll or reference number

You may get other benefits and entitlements we do not pay into an account. If you want us to pay them into the account above, please tick

Page 8 1 fields

Please read the notes that came with this form. Use this space to tell us anything else you think we might need to know.

Page 9 1 fields

Date of signature. D D / M M / Y Y Y Y

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Frequently asked questions

How long do I have to claim?

The claim is normally made within 21 months of the death. A later claim may still be accepted where it took more than 21 months for the death to be confirmed, so it is worth applying and explaining the delay rather than assuming you are out of time.

What if my partner died before 6 April 2017?

Bereavement Support Payment does not apply to deaths before that date. Widowed Parent’s Allowance may be the relevant benefit instead, so check the guidance on gov.uk or call the Bereavement Service.

Does Bereavement Support Payment affect my other benefits?

It is treated differently from most income, but it can interact with other support depending on your circumstances. Check the current guidance on gov.uk, and tell DWP about the change in circumstances if you already claim other benefits.

BSP1: Bereavement Support Payment claim form

What is BSP1?

Who files BSP1?

How to fill out BSP1

Quick fill BSP1 on this page

Frequently asked questions

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