Bereavement Support Payment is not means-tested, and NHS and PPF widow's pensions are a share of the member's; Pension Credit does count pensions as income.

When a husband, wife or partner has died, money questions can feel like one more weight to carry. Most of the answer turns on one distinction: whether a payment is cut because of your own means, or whether it is counted when you claim help that is means-tested. Should you want your own payments gone through with someone, this page's short form takes a minute, and there is no charge when an FCA-authorised adviser phones you back to talk it through.

Is a widow's or survivor's pension means-tested?

Bereavement Support Payment, the DWP payment that replaced the old Widow's Pension, is not means-tested. A pension from the workplace or personal scheme of the partner who died works differently: GOV.UK says what you may get "will depend on the pension scheme", and to contact the scheme to find out.

Two scheme guides show what that means in practice. NHS Pensions' Survivors guide (V12A - 04.2024) says the amount of a dependant's pension depends on the member's length of pensionable membership; for the 1995 Section, when a member already drawing their pension dies, its table shows an ongoing adult dependant's pension worth 50% of the pension the member was being paid. The Pension Protection Fund's survivors booklet (PPF02 JANUARY26) gives an eligible spouse, civil partner or relevant partner of a retired member half the compensation the member was receiving, with eligibility set by the former scheme's rules. In both, the figure comes from the member's pension and record, and neither formula takes in the survivor's own earnings or savings. Other schemes have their own rules.

A separate question is what happens when you claim help that is means-tested, such as Pension Credit. There, a survivor's pension is one of the things counted. The sections below take the payments in turn, and each has its own page if you want the detail:

Bereavement Support Payment: no means test, and its conditions

GOV.UK's Bereavement Support Payment guide (updated 9 November 2024) says plainly: "Bereavement Support Payment is not means-tested. This means what you earn or how much you have in savings will not affect what you get."

The same guide sets conditions. When your partner died you must have been:

  • "under State Pension age"
  • "living in the UK or a country that pays bereavement benefits"
  • "married to your partner, in a civil partnership with them, or living with them as if you were married"

Your partner must also have either "paid a certain amount of Class 1 or Class 2 National Insurance contributions in any one tax year since 6 April 1975" or "died because of an accident at work or a disease caused by work". On timing, GOV.UK says "You usually need to make a claim within 21 months of your partner's death", and within 3 months to get the full amount of payments. If you were living together as if married, extra conditions about Child Benefit or pregnancy apply unless the claim is for a backdated payment, and the guide sets them out.

Not knowing whether your partner paid enough National Insurance need not stop you: GOV.UK says you can still claim, and the Bereavement Service will let you know. Its helpline is 0800 151 2012, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. How to claim is in claiming a widow's pension.

One more reassurance: GOV.UK says the payment "will not affect your benefits for a year after your first payment". After that, money left over from it "could affect the amount you get if you renew or make a claim for another benefit".

How a survivor's pension counts for Pension Credit, Universal Credit and Housing Benefit

Here the answer changes, because these are means-tested benefits and they look at your income. Your pension is not reduced by them; instead, it can reduce what they pay.

Pension Credit

For Pension Credit, GOV.UK says "your income is calculated" when you claim, and for a couple it is calculated together. The list of what counts includes "other pensions". The law behind it, section 16 of the State Pension Credit Act 2002, treats income from occupational and personal pension schemes as retirement pension income, so a pension paid to you from the scheme of the partner who died is the kind of income it describes. Savings matter too: up to £10,000 does not affect Pension Credit, and above that every £500 counts as £1 of weekly income.

GOV.UK is clear that having other income, savings or your own home does not rule you out. If a war widow's pension is involved, that is listed as income in section 15 of the same Act, and the war widow's pension page explains how it is treated. The Pension Credit page covers amounts, and what happens to Pension Credit when a partner dies covers telling DWP.

Universal Credit and Housing Benefit

To claim Universal Credit you must, among other conditions, be under State Pension age and have £16,000 or less in money, savings and investments. Regulation 66 of the Universal Credit Regulations 2013 counts "retirement pension income" as unearned income, and regulation 67 gives that phrase the meaning it has in the Pension Credit Act, so a scheme survivor's pension is included. The State benefits Widowed Parent's Allowance and the old Widow's Pension are listed separately as unearned income too. For Housing Benefit, GOV.UK says what you get depends on "your household income - including benefits, pensions and savings (over £6,000)" for council and social housing rent. GOV.UK also says Housing Benefit is "being replaced by Universal Credit", with new claims limited to people who have reached State Pension age or live in supported, sheltered or temporary housing.

A claim turns on your own mix of pensions, savings, rent and household, and the rules differ between the benefits, so a figure from a general page rarely matches a real case. If you would like your survivor's pension set beside your other income by someone who does this daily, an FCA-authorised adviser will talk it over on a call that costs nothing, and booking takes a minute in the form on this page.

Scheme pensions, the State Pension and other payments

What a final salary scheme pays a spouse or dependant is covered in final salary pension death benefits. If the scheme failed and the Pension Protection Fund took over, see Pension Protection Fund death benefits. An extra amount of State Pension from a spouse who has died is covered in inheriting additional State Pension. For the wider picture, start from pension death benefits.

If you are working, widow's pension and work explains the effect, and if you might remarry or move in with someone, widow's pension and remarriage does the same.

Questions people ask about means tests and widow's pensions

Who can I call about benefits after a death?

GOV.UK suggests phoning the DWP Bereavement Service on 0800 151 2012 to check whether you can get bereavement benefits and whether the death will affect any other benefits you already claim.

Do I have to report a survivor's pension to DWP?

If you get Pension Credit, yes: GOV.UK lists changes to "occupational or personal pensions - including if you start to get a new pension" among those you must report. You must also tell your benefits office, such as your local Jobcentre Plus, when Bereavement Support Payment starts.

Which pension is means-tested?

Pension Credit, which tops up a low income once you are over State Pension age, calculates your income, with savings over £10,000 counted as income. Universal Credit and Housing Benefit also look at income and savings.

Will my savings reduce Bereavement Support Payment?

No. GOV.UK says neither your earnings nor your savings change the amount. Money left from it could affect another benefit claim after a year.

Does a survivor's pension stop my Pension Credit?

Not automatically. It counts as income, but other income does not rule you out, so the result depends on the amounts. You can ask the Pension Service or an adviser.

When you are ready for a conversation

There is no deadline for feeling ready, and the free routes above are always open to you. Whenever it would help to have pensions, benefits and savings looked at side by side, request a call-back through the short form here; it is free, and the person who rings is an FCA-authorised adviser.

Sources: GOV.UK, Bereavement Support Payment; Pension Credit; Housing Benefit; Universal Credit; Your benefits, tax and pension after the death of a partner; NHS Pensions, Survivors guide V12A; Pension Protection Fund, Payments for spouses, partners and children (PPF02); State Pension Credit Act 2002 ss15-16 and Universal Credit Regulations 2013 regs 66-67 (legislation.gov.uk). Read 21 October 2026.