Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council ceased to exist on April 1st 2009 when its services
and responsibilities transferred to
Cheshire East Council. This website is available for information only.
Paying for a Funeral
Introduction
If you arrange a funeral, you
are responsible for paying the bill, so check to see if you will be
able to pay the bill.
Help in Paying
If you think it will be difficult to
pay for a funeral you have to arrange, you may be able to obtain
help from the DSS Benefits Agency, providing you or your partner
receive one of the following:
- Income Support
- Housing Benefit
- Council Tax Benefit
- Income-related Job Seekers Allowance (income based)
- Disabled Persons Tax Credit
- Working Families Tax Credit
- Asylum Seekers
If you do receive any of these
benefits, you can claim help with the funeral through the Social
Fund of the DSS Benefits Agency (claim pack SF200). Please remember
that the financial help you get is limited.
What's included?
If you are entitled to claim help with the cost of the funeral, the
payment is made up of two types. Certain costs can be claimed as
individual items, all other costs are covered by a payment of up to
£600.00.
You may be able to claim the following
items in addition to the £600.00:
- Cost of documentation needed, (for example to release funds,
which will result in a deduction from the funeral payment).
- Transportation to and from the place of rest or funeral
directors premises for any part of the journey, which is more than
50 miles.
- Travel costs for one return journey within the UK for the
person responsible for the funeral, to enable them to make the
arrangements or attend the funeral.
- Cremation - the crematorium fee, cost of doctor's certificates,
medical references.
- Burial - purchase of a Right of Burial and interment.
What is covered
by the £600.00?
The items listed previously are the only items that can be claimed
according to their cost. All other expenses are covered by the
grant of £600.00 even if the funeral is more expensive.
The coffin; the hearse; care of the
deceased and the funeral directors expenses; transportation costs
less than 50 miles; cars for the mourners; flowers; organist and
ministers fees and any costs in relation to specific religious
requirements.
Recovering the costs from the
deceased person's estate
As the funeral costs are the first
claim against someone's estate when they die, the DSS are allowed
to recover the funeral expenses if they had any assets, savings or
insurance policies. Where the deceased had a surviving partner, the
value of the home in which they lived is ignored and the personal
possessions left to relatives do not normally count.
Taking
responsibility for the Funeral
The partner of the person who has died, close relatives or close
friends can apply for a funeral payment. However, when making a
payment, the DSS will consider who is the most appropriate person
to take responsibility for the funeral.
They can refuse to make a payment
where they feel there is a closer friend or relative.
They will also refuse payment where
there are two relatives equally close and the person who has not
taken responsibility would not have been entitled to payment from
the Social Fund or would have received less help than the person
who did take responsibility for the funeral. If you are refused a
payment on these grounds, the decision can be appealed and so you
should get advice.