A little-known benefit paid out £3,500 when my partner died – it’s not means tested and takes minutes to apply

WHEN Isabella Day's spouse Ford unexpectedly died successful August, she was forced to navigate moving a tiny concern and a household fund unsocial portion grieving.

The 51-year-old goldsmith, from Devon, had worked with Ford Hallam selling hand-made golden jewellery astatine a store successful Dartmouth and done website isabelladay.co.uk for years.

Ford was also a skilled craftsman and could reconstruct items specified arsenic swords, and helium was the lone non-native creator to person been adopted into Japan’s past decorative metalworking tradition.

He was 61 erstwhile helium died owed to complications arising from an car immune disease, leaving Isabella stunned and heartbroken.

She told The Sun: "It was a monolithic daze erstwhile helium died. We were engaged, owed to beryllium joined successful October but alternatively of readying a wedding, I had to program a funeral."

The brace had lived unneurotic arsenic a blended household with Isabella's 2 sons 16 and 25 and 1 of Ford's sons, 22.

Ford had nary beingness insurance oregon pension erstwhile helium died, truthful the driblet successful income near Isabella's finances and business nether immense pressure, too.

Two of their sons are successful full-time acquisition and truthful aren't capable to lend to the household budget, and this period the 25-year-old has conscionable moved into his ain flat.

"I was struggling emotionally and grieving but I was present besides solely liable for the concern that I had with Ford," Isabella said.

"You can't just scale up a skilled trade concern erstwhile idiosyncratic else's output is nary longer there."

Feeling hopeless for help, Isabella went to Citizen's Advice successful September to spot if determination was immoderate fiscal enactment she could access.

The organisation told her astir the Bereavement Support Allowance.

The benefit gives lump sum payments of up to £3,500 aft a spouse has died, arsenic good arsenic ongoing payments up to £350 for 18 months.

Within days of applying, she received the payment.

"I was truly amazed to find retired astir it, but the full happening has been astonishing - it was truthful casual to apply, I did it successful astir 20 minutes," she said.

"And it was facts that you tin negociate portion you are grieving, I didn't request to spell into the details of the decease oregon thing traumatic."

The Bereavement Support Allowance is not mean-tested and it's disposable adjacent if you are not joined to your spouse - though you volition person had to person been surviving together.

You volition request to beryllium nether state pension property and your partner's National Insurance contributions volition request to beryllium up to day for you to qualify.

Isabella added: "I conscionable privation I had known astir it sooner. In infirmary they springiness you a booklet erstwhile your spouse dies, but determination was nary notation of this benefit.

"It’s a batch of wealth and made a important quality to us.

"I deliberation a batch of women could payment from knowing astir this support, particularly small business owners. There needs to beryllium greater consciousness of it."

What is the Bereavement Support Allowance?

If your spouse dies erstwhile you are nether State Pension property you could assertion for the Bereavement Support Payment.

The payment isn't means-tested truthful it doesn’t substance what your income is, if you person immoderate savings oregon if you’re working.

The payment is disposable if you were married, but you tin besides assertion if you and your spouse were surviving together, and you look aft a kid which you get Child Benefit for.

If you person children nether the oregon you're pregnant, you tin get a lump sum outgo of £3,500, arsenic good arsenic monthly payments of £350 for up to 18 months.

If you don’t person children and are married, you tin inactive get support. You'll beryllium entitled to a lump sum outgo of £2,500, positive monthly payments of £100 for up to 18 months.

You'll beryllium asked for your National Insurance fig arsenic good arsenic your partners arsenic portion of the application.

You usually request to marque a assertion wrong 21 months of your partner’s decease - and successful astir situations you'll request to assertion wrong 3 months of decease to get the afloat magnitude of payments.

You tin use for the Bereavement Support Payment by filling successful a signifier from the gov website oregon calling the Bereavement Service helpline connected 0800 151 2012.

If you request much help, you tin interaction Citizens Advice successful England connected 0800 144 8848. You tin besides speech online oregon find your nearest Citizens Advice astatine citizensadvice.org.uk.