Your benefits, tax and pension after the death of a partner

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1. Tax and National Insurance

Your income will probably change after the death of your partner.

If you get extra money from pensions, annuities, benefits or an inheritance, you may need to pay more tax. You may be on a lower income and need to pay less tax.

Your tax allowances - the income you do not pay tax on - may also change.

Income you must report

Tell HMRC if you get:

  • interest from a bank, building society or a National Savings and Investment product, for example pensioner income, capital bonds
  • income from letting out property
  • income from Purchased Life Annuities
  • Widowed Parent바카라 사이트檚 Allowance or Bereavement Allowance
  • Carer바카라 사이트檚 Allowance
  • foreign pension payments
  • other income that should have been taxed but has not been

You do not need to tell HMRC about:

  • income your employer pays tax on through PAYE
  • income from a private pension
  • income which does not get taxed, for example from an Individual Savings Account (ISA)
  • any income if you바카라 사이트檒l reach State Pension age within 4 months
  • getting Jobseeker바카라 사이트檚 Allowance (JSA), Incapacity Benefit, Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or Bereavement Support Payment

How to tell HMRC

Tell HMRC about a change in your income:

Tax allowances

If you pay Income Tax, you바카라 사이트檒l have a Personal Allowance - income you do not pay tax on. Your allowance may change if your income changes.

HMRC will automatically adjust your Personal Allowance when you tell them about your change of income.

Married Couple바카라 사이트檚 Allowance

If you or your husband, wife or civil partner were born before 6 April 1935, you may have been claiming Married Couple바카라 사이트檚 Allowance. You바카라 사이트檒l still get the allowance for the current tax year (up to 5 April) but HMRC will automatically stop it after that and you바카라 사이트檒l get just your Personal Allowance.

Blind Person바카라 사이트檚 Allowance

If your husband, wife or civil partner was claiming Blind Person바카라 사이트檚 Allowance, ask HMRC to transfer what바카라 사이트檚 left of their Blind Person바카라 사이트檚 Allowance for the current tax year (up to 5 April) to you.

HMRC Blind Person바카라 사이트檚 Allowance enquiries
Telephone: 0300 200 3301
Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm
Saturday, 8am to 4pm
Find out about call charges

Reduced rate National Insurance

If you바카라 사이트檙e a widow and you were married before April 1977, you might be paying a reduced rate of National Insurance (sometimes called the 바카라 사이트榮mall stamp바카라 사이트�).

You may be able to keep paying the reduced rate. Contact HMRC to find out what you should do.

2. Benefits

You바카라 사이트檒l have to make new claims for some benefits that your partner was claiming for your family.

You may also be able to claim other benefits to help with your bereavement or if you바카라 사이트檙e on a lower income because of the death.

Bereavement benefits

You may be able to get:

Phone the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Bereavement Service to check if:

  • you can get bereavement benefits
  • the death will affect any other benefits you바카라 사이트檙e already claiming

DWP Bereavement Service
Telephone: 0800 151 2012
Textphone: 0800 731 0464
(if you cannot hear or speak on the phone): 18001 then 0800 151 2012
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
Find out about call charges

You바카라 사이트檒l have to make new claims for Child Benefit and tax credits if your partner was claiming them.

Child Benefit

You바카라 사이트檒l need to make a new claim for Child Benefit if you were not the person named as the claimant on the original claim form.

Tax credits

You should tell the Tax Credit Office about the death within one month if you have not already heard from them. Phone the Tax Credit Helpline to report the death.

If your income is lower

You may be able to get benefits if you바카라 사이트檙e on a lower income following the death of your partner. Use a benefits calculator to work out what benefits you can get and find out how to claim.

You may also be able to apply for:

You may have to pay Income Tax on some benefits you claim.

3. Pensions

You may be able to get extra pension payments from your husband, wife or civil partner바카라 사이트檚 pension or National Insurance contributions.

State Pension

You need to be over State Pension age to claim extra payments from your husband, wife or civil partner바카라 사이트檚 State Pension.

What you get and how you claim will depend on whether you reached State Pension age before or after 6 April 2016.

Contact the Pension Service to check what you can claim.

If you reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016

You바카라 사이트檒l get any State Pension based on your husband, wife or civil partner바카라 사이트檚 National Insurance contribution when you claim your own pension.

You will not get it if you remarry or form a new civil partnership before you reach State Pension age.

If you reached State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016

You바카라 사이트檒l receive the 바카라 사이트榥ew State Pension바카라 사이트� and you may be able to inherit an extra payment on top of your pension.

Private pensions

You may get payments from your husband, wife or civil partner바카라 사이트檚 workplace, personal or stakeholder pension - it will depend on the pension scheme. Contact the pension scheme to find out.

You바카라 사이트檒l have to pay tax on those payments if the pension provider does not pay it for you.

War Widow바카라 사이트檚 or Widower바카라 사이트檚 Pension

You may be able to get War Widow바카라 사이트檚 or Widower Pension - if your husband, wife or civil partner died because of their service in the Armed Forces or because of a war.