Financial help when a parent dies

[user9513574682]

My daughter's friend gave up work to become a carer for her mother, who's has now passed after a long battle with cancer.
She lived in her mother's privately rented accomodation, and as far as I know she was surviving on Universal Credit and Carers Allowance.
Basically I'm trying to find out what financial assistance is likely to be available to her in terms of funeral costs, living expenses (rent etc.) until such times that she can get back into employment.
Her mother was below state pension age (64?), but apparently may have had a good work pension from previous employment, which probably won't pass any benefits to the daughter. Her father is seperated/divorced? and not in a good position financially to help.
TIA for any advice

How lovely of you to be looking out for your daughters friend and trying to help her

I'm sorry I can't be any help myself other than to suggest maybe ringing citizens advice and seeing what they say?

Hope she gets sorted

The funeral costs should come out of her mother's estate, in theory

In practice I think we had to pay for dad's coffin upfront but it might depend who she chooses to do the funeral

Banks will release her mother's cash to cover funeral costs

She should contact her mother's pension provider but I don't know what happens to the lump sum behind the pension tbh. There might be a life insurance policy attached to the pension?

In terms of anything else, when she makes UC aware of her situation they should tell her what else else she is entitled to.

I do wonder if you might get better advice if you post in general chat? I don't think this bit of MN gets a lot of traffic.

for your friend and also for you for being there for her.

In the first instance, your friend should forget about any notion of getting into debt or otherwise paying for her DMs funeral if the DM didn't have any money and the daughter doesn't either.

Sadly I've heard about well meaning relatives saying things like 'we 'had' to take out a loan we couldn't afford/go without other essentials in order to afford a funeral'. While people might want to give people a good send off, there's no requirement to pay for other people's funeral even if it's a parent or other close relative.

The liability stops with the estate of the deceased person and if there is no money available, then the local authority is legally required to provide a basic funeral. A silver lining in this particular cloud is that COVID restrictions mean that no-one is expecting a 'proper' funeral, catered wake etc, so this will release the pressure somewhat.

Do you know if your friend was on the tenancy? If so, she might be liable for the rent from the date of death, so she probably needs to update her benefits claim to see if she is entitled to some/more HB.

You say it's a private rental, not LA/HA type, but in any case, it's probably worth her writing to the landlord to say that her DM has passed away and ask for a short period of 3 months to get everything sorted so they don't think they've just stopped paying the rent and start aggressive eviction tactics. Another thing for her to think about is whether she wants to stay in the property or move somewhere else.

She needs to review her DMs affairs to see if there is any inheritence due - if there's little or no assets and no complicating factors, she won't need to apply for probate, but if she has no income, she needs to see if there will be any money due that may affect her benefits claim. She will also need to update her benefits claim as she will no longer be entitled to carers allowance. I don't know if there is any sort of berevment support, which will allow it to continue for a short period, before she is treated as a standard unemployed person.

Moneysavingexpert has a 'what to do when someone dies' guide, which will provide her with a useful checklist to work through.

www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/what-to-do-when-someone-dies/

The council will pay if you or your mothers estate can't. Not sure how you go about arranging it though.

Sorry, I appreciate the advice was for your friend, not you. I shouldn't use mumsnet first thing on a Monday, sorry OP.

Ensure that your friend pays single person council tax & she may be eligible for a further discount if she is not working. Contact the council tax department

Sorry for your friends loss

Hi OP.

Your friend can get help from the DWP for funeral costs if she's eligible.

//www.gov.uk/funeral-payments//

The only financial support for your friend towards living costs is UC which she is already claiming.

In relation to private pensions she will need to contact them as some die with the person and some are paid out after death but at a reduced rate. It will totally depend on what type of pension her mum signed up for.

Sorry for your loss.

In terms of paying the rent, apply for housing benefit (this comes under UC now, most of the time) though she will only get single person's which likely won't cover the cost of the property they're in.
She should speak to the local council's homelessness prevention team. They could try and prevent an eviction if there is any scope for that (money coming from elsewhere to make up the shortfall between HB and rent). If she wants to stay. They probably wouldn't have a duty to house her if she does lose the property. Or it will be minimal, like a room in a shared house. So it's worth her trying to get something suitable sorted herself.

And the council can do a very basic funeral that they cover. It's minimal but it's not as though much can be done anyway at the moment.

Poor thing. It must be so hard for her. Main thing, don't get in to any debt. That's the last thing she needs.

If she is responsible for the funeral and her mum's estate cannot pay for the funeral and she has no close siblings who can help with the cost of the funeral then she can make an application for a DWP funeral grant to cover some of the costs. It will only cover very basic costs though.

Thanks for all the replies. I will pass on the relevant info, when I've had a quiet moment to assimilate.