Widowed Parent’s Allowance

You can only make a new claim for Widowed Parent’s Allowance if the person you used to live with as if you were married to them, or in a civil partnership with them, died between 9 April 2001 and 5 April 2017. Also when they died you were responsible for at least one child or you were pregnant (this includes being pregnant through fertility treatment).

And all the following apply:

• You were under state pension age on 30 August 2018
  
  
• Your partner paid National Insurance contributions, or they died because of an accident at work or a disease caused by work
  
  
• You were getting Child Benefit for a child who lived with you both when your partner died and on 30 August 2018 (or you weren’t entitled to Child Benefit between when your partner died and when you make your claim for Widowed Parent’s Allowance only because your household income was too much to qualify for child benefit), or you were expecting a child when your partner died

National insurance contributions paid by your late partner in the UK and in certain other countries can be counted for this purpose.

You may also be eligible for a backdated payment of WPA, possibly as far back as 30 August 2018.

If you are already getting Widowed Parent’s Allowance your payments will continue until you are no longer eligible (see the section headed ‘Payments of Widowed Parent’s Allowance’ below).

If your late partner died after 5 April 2017

Widowed Parent’s Allowance has been replaced by Bereavement Support Payment in relation to deaths occurring after 5 April 2017.

Making a claim

Send your completed claim form to us as soon as you can.

You can download a claim form (WPA1) from this page or ask us to send you one. Our contact details are shown above.

You must make your claim for Widowed Parent’s Allowance before 1 February 2025 to get a backdated payment.

If you are not sure whether you are entitled to Widowed Parent’s Allowance contact the Pensions Team at Social Security (see contact details above).

When you cannot get Widowed Parent's Allowance

You cannot get Widowed Parent’s Allowance if you:

• Are married, are in a civil partnership  or are living with another person as if you’re married to them or as if you’ve formed a civil partnership
  
  
• Reached state pension age before 30 August 2018, or
  
  
• Are in prison

What you'll get

The maximum amount of Widowed Parent’s Allowance is £148.40 a week (2024-25 rate).

The amount you’ll get is based on how much your partner paid in National Insurance contributions and whether they died because of an accident at work or a disease caused by work. It may be lower than the maximum amount shown above.

The amount you get may also be affected if you are, or have been, getting any other social security benefits.

Payments of Widowed Parent's Allowance

Payments of Widowed Parent’s Allowance can be made:

• Weekly or every 4 weeks into your bank account, or
  
  
• You can collect them from a post office each week using a Micard.

Payment of Widowed Parent’s Allowance may affect any other benefits you get (other than child benefit). You must tell Social Security if you are awarded Widowed Parent’s Allowance and you are getting another social security benefit.

Any lump-sum payment of Widowed Parent’s Allowance paid in respect of a period before 1 February 2024 won’t affect any benefits you get. But if you don’t spend it within 12 months of it being paid to you it will be treated as your savings and could affect any future entitlement to income support, employed person’s allowance or jobseeker’s allowance.

If you are entitled to ongoing payments of Widowed Parent’s Allowance after 1 February 2024 this will most likely affect any income support, employed person’s allowance or income-based jobseeker’s allowance you or your partner get.

You’ll continue to get Widowed Parent’s Allowance until you either:

• Stop being treated as responsible for a child (this is usually when you stop getting child benefit after your child leaves school), or
  
  
• Reach state pension age

Whichever happens first.

But payments of Widowed Parent’s Allowance will stop if you marry, form a civil partnership or start to co-habit with another person as if you’re married or are civil partners.

Widowed Parent’s Allowance is taxable.