No financial support: ex partner death and child.

[oberst]

I am curious if parents get any form of financial assistance when their ex partner dies but they have a child?

It seems that you only get payments if you were cohabiting.

My BIL suddenly passed away, leaving his 3 year old child. His ex, who we all still have a close relationship with, (he did too, I think they were going to try and get back together), is now struggling with the stop of his child maintenance he was paying.

When he was alive he paid for her bills and half of her rent. She is working around her child and we are helping her with childcare too.

It just seems a bit unfair she isn't entitled to anything?

@Runningbird43 well I guess if she had life insurance it wouldn't have mattered would it? As she isn't the one who died?

I have no idea, I have joint life insurance with my partner.

I think she might have been able to insure him but not sure if im 100% right on that.

Edit, yes she could have done. If she had his permission and could prove she was financially dependent on him.

@Dacadactyl ah, I see. I am hoping she will sort out life insurance herself now but I don't know if she will even be able to afford it? I'm unsure as my partner deals with all of that!

I just feel sorry for her. Despite her partner's finances when he was alive, she's obviously struggling with grief and also financial pressure while she seeks out alternative work.

@oberst yes it must be very difficult for her and the little one.

@Runningbird43

if I was dependent on an ex partners income I’d make sure I took out life insurance to continue that income should they die.

Can you do this ? Take out life insurance on someone else ?

She can't claim for the bereavement payment as it would be fraudulent but god I don't know how to help her. We aren't in a financial position to help her in that way but we are having our niece when she works evenings, she lives 45 minutes away which doesn't make it easier but trying to help as much as we can.

To insure someone's life you need an insurable interest, basically be able to show financial loss on their death. She could probably shos this with the loss of child maintenance so may well have been able to insure him.
Not something most people think about at the time.

Yes according to this www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/can-you-take-out-life-insurance-on-ex-spouse/

Where are you expecting this money to come from, if he didn't have anything?

OP do you know whether she is in a union or anything via her work?

Unison for example can offer financial support and I'm sure other unions will have their own funds.

Bereavement Payment; that people who lived together can claim. She would have been entitled to £3500 as a lump sum and then £350 a month for 18 months if he didn't move out and back into his parents while they were having a break.

No, sadly. She is a chef in her local pub. She's still fairly young, early 20s too. She just hasn't had the opportunity or parental guidance to help her with these things if I am honest.

He didn't have assets, no. But neither do my partner and I!

Well I never @Dacadactyl Learn something new every day

Tho have to have their permission and sure many wouid say no for the hell lf it if an ex

To claim bereavement support payments I believe they would need to be living together at the time of his death. She can obviously claim the normal benefits like Universal credit for help with rent and living costs as a lot of single parents do.

Perhaps a nasty ex would say no, but hopefully for the benefit of their child they'd see sense.

I note that the money is quoted in dollars in the Experian blog post above so perhaps its not the same in the UK. I'd be surprised tho, as long as the insurer is getting the money every month (and is all above board consent wise with the ex) I reckon they'd take the money from you.

Yes.

in fact I’ve said before I would make it a condition on divorce/of CMS payments that a life insurance policy for both parents is included in the payments, specifically with the child as beneficiary. I’d also go as far as critical illness and even redundancy/inability to work. As not many even think about it, let alone know you can do it. Especially if money is tight and you’d be left in the shit.

my dad died when I was 11 so I’ve seen first hand the shit you can get dropped in when you don’t think about this.

Sorry to hear about your dad @Runningbird43 💐💐

Dh died but thankfully we had life insurance and paid off the mortgage

I have my own life insurance esp as have mini blondes and god forbid ......

SSon took his own life leaving DD2 and poor expartner was entitled to nothing for her.
We claimed a couple of months tax back for the months he had worked and obviously gave it to the mum and that was it for ever more. It was one of the things that made us more angry that he had destined his DD to a harder upbringing financial wise.

Being married makes no difference. I have 3 children to raise. My husband left and then lived with the woman he had an affair with, she’s been granted his private pension as a dependent. Apparently, she’s more dependent than me even though we still shared a house and 3 children, which are now all my responsibility. I’m on a diminished wage due to stopping work to have his family and have no pension of my own for the same reason. If we had got to divorce the pension would have been shared - just as the other woman has received a share of her own husband’s pension when they divorced. So she has 2 pensions, grown up children and can downsize. It beggars belief.

Did you apply to his pension provider for your children to receive a share of his pension? Pensions are outside of the Will and the Trustees have discretion to pay out based on need. If your children were still in full time education they'd have had a strong case.

Thanks for replying. The children have received a 1/3 shared between them while they are in full time education, but it was given to the children, not for the children so I don’t feel I could use it on day to day household outgoings. I’ve set up savings for them all for uni or cars or driving lessons.