UK Government Releases Details of Benefits Available to Parents After a Child Dies, Lists Conditions
- The UK government allowed parents to continue receiving Child Benefit for up to 8 weeks after a child died, even if no claim had been made before the death
- Parents who had never claimed Child Benefit before their child passed away could still submit a claim by post within 3 months
- Those who had opted out of Child Benefit due to the High Income Child Benefit Charge were also affected by specific rules around reporting a child's death
Grieving parents in the United Kingdom may have been entitled to financial support they did not know about, as government guidance outlined exactly how Child Benefit worked in the weeks following a child's death.
According to the UK Government, parents who were already receiving Child Benefit when a child died generally continued to receive payments for eight weeks after the death.
Source: UGC
If the child would have turned 20 before those eight weeks were up, payments stopped on the Monday after that birthday.
What happened if a newborn died
The rules extended to the most painful of circumstances. Parents who lost a newborn baby were entitled to up to eight weeks of Child Benefit, provided they submitted a claim within three months of the death.
Where the baby died before the end of the week in which they were born, the eight-week period began from the Monday that followed the death, UK Government explained via their official website.
Parents who had not yet claimed Child Benefit could still do so after a child's death, unless the child was stillborn.
Claims could not be made online in this situation and had to be submitted by post, with a note that included the date of the child's death, the parent's contact details, and their National Insurance number.
A birth registration number or adoption certificate needed to accompany the form, though a death certificate was not required.
Child Benefit could be backdated by up to three months, so the guidance encouraged parents to claim as soon as possible.
Rules for parents who had opted out
Parents who had previously opted out of receiving Child Benefit, often to avoid the High Income Child Benefit Charge, were not exempt from reporting requirements.
The government stated that these parents still had to notify the Child Benefit Office as soon as possible following a child's death.
Importantly, no High Income Child Benefit Charge applied to any payments received after the child had died.
In all cases, the Child Benefit Office had to be informed promptly. The guidance also pointed parents towards related support, including Guardian's Allowance and Widowed Parent's Allowance, for those facing further loss.
Nigerian mum in UK becomes British citizen
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a Nigerian mum in the United Kingdom who had lamented over her life abroad shared a new update about her stay abroad.
The mother of 3 celebrated as she finally became a UK citizen and posted the British passport she recently received.
Source: Legit.ng
