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When your partner dies, your joint Universal Credit claim ends automatically. You will need to make a new single claim as soon as possible — usually within one month — to avoid a gap in your payments. DWP may pay a 'bereavement run-on' at the joint rate for approximately two months while your single claim is assessed.
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Losing a partner is devastating, and navigating the benefits system in the immediate aftermath adds a significant practical burden. Universal Credit claims change significantly when a partner dies. Understanding what happens — and acting quickly to protect your income — is essential. This guide explains the key changes and what you need to do.
Universal Credit is claimed by individuals or, where a couple live together, as a joint claim. When one partner on a joint claim dies, that joint claim ends automatically. DWP will be notified of the death — either through Tell Us Once, by you calling the UC helpline, or through the UC online journal — and will close the joint claim.
The surviving partner must make a completely new single UC claim. This is not an amendment to the existing claim — it is a new application with a new assessment period. The key points:
Tell Us Once:
The Tell Us Once service (available through the register office when you register the death) notifies multiple government departments of the death simultaneously, including DWP. This will trigger DWP to update their records. However, Tell Us Once does not automatically start a new UC claim — you must do that yourself.
To cushion the transition from joint to single claim rates, Universal Credit includes a bereavement run-on. Under this provision:
The exact duration and calculation of the run-on can depend on where you are in your assessment period at the time of the death. If you are concerned about the timing, contact the UC helpline and ask for a specific explanation of how the run-on will work in your case.
You must notify DWP of your partner's death. You can do this through:
You will need:
The housing and childcare elements of Universal Credit are reassessed when your claim moves from joint to single. The impact depends on your individual circumstances:
Housing costs element:
Childcare element:
Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) is a benefit specifically for people whose spouse, civil partner, or cohabiting partner dies. It is a separate benefit from Universal Credit, but the two interact in an important way:
Further support:
Citizens Advice (citizensadvice.org.uk) and Turn2Us (turn2us.org.uk) can help you understand your full benefit entitlements after bereavement. Turn2Us also operates a benefits calculator that can give you an estimate of what you should be receiving as a single person.
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