help with funeral costs

[OfCourseImAlwaysRight]

i all, a family member of dh has died. His dms brother, her and the other siblings need to apply for help for the funeral costs, on the form it states that if any siblings are not in receipt of x y & z benefits then help cannot be given.

What happens if one of the siblings is not in receipt of these benefits but also has no income- is a kept housewife in other words.

Does this mean that the help will not be given? As although she is not in receipt of benefits she also is in receipt of no income.

Can anybody please advise

Thank you

I have no knowledge or experience, but I would imagine that the theory would be that anyone able to live without recourse to any benefits (whether by being kept or any other reason) is better able to scrape together the necessary funds for a basic no-frills cremation than those who are needing benefits to survive. So I think the application probably won't be successful.

But I don't know. Maybe the system is kinder than that.

That's what I was thinking, but the rest of the siblings are in receipt of benefits so if the application is turned down then they are going to have to pay part- that they will not be able to afford, as is the aunt who isn't receiving anything therefore making it her dh who will have to pay her portion.
Will advise them to call citizens advice I think.

Thanks for your input fish :)

if the application is turned down then they are going to have to pay part

That doesn't necessarily follow. They can't pay what they don't have. An only-child not in receipt of benefits would be expected to deal with it.

Is there no assets at all from the deceased?

Was the deceased a member of a union or any kind of other group that might be applied to for assistance?

No union or anything, he was a bit of a "drifter"

Has a few hundred pounds in his account I think.

The other siblings are all in receipt of one of the benefits listed,could the sibling that's not in receipt of anything be put down as estranged?
Surely they can't expect an estranged sibling to pay anything..
He has a son but he's another "drifter" so he doesn't have anything he can put towards the cost

could the sibling that's not in receipt of anything be put down as estranged? Surely they can't expect an estranged sibling to pay anything.

that would be lying on a form in order to get a benefit to which one wasn't entitled. Such activities are normally frowned upon.

I just wanted to say that there is a big risk that whoever is applying will be refused, but there is still help available.

The larger energy companies all have decent trust funds available that can bemused to clear gas and electricity arrears, but also some other debts. Funeral costs is something that I have never known them to refuse, but they always want evidence that the DWP have refused first.

The job that I do means that I see the trust fund applications daily. Try British Gas Energy Trust.

It used to be as you have outlined I don't think there has been a change. If there is one person not in receipt of benefits then there is no help from the benefits agency.

The logic is that tax-payers shouldn't have to pick up the bill if there is someone who, theoretically, "can pay".

This caused a big spilt in the family of a child I used to teach which caused problems at school. The family in work paid for the funeral but expected the other family to make a contribution and they refused.

I hope you are able to find a way to resolve this. Undertakers won't conduct a funeral without someone signing on the dotted line.

Tha ks everyone, I understand the " if all siblings aren't in receipt of benefits" part, but the one that isn't receieving benefits also receives no income whatsoever, it's not as if she has a huge wage coming in- she has nothing coming in.

I will try the British gas trust- thankyou :)

If someone is receiving no income whatsoever because their spouse or partner is keeping them so comfortably they have no need to earn a penny does not put them in the same category as the people who qualify for this taxpayer-funded benefit. There will be a large number of extremely wealthy families where one member of the couple has no income in their own name. Maybe your relative isn't in this category but it's obvious that having no income of your own is insufficient proof of poverty. I'm glad that someone came along with an actual practical suggestion - well done Gerty - but if that doesn't work out then whoever is paying for food heat clothing and shelter for this non-benefits-receiving relative needs to accept that paying for a basic no-frills dignified disposal of a body is an unavoidable, albeit thankfully very rare, cost which just has to be paid if you are lucky enough to be able to live without claiming benefits. It's not an optional luxury like holidays or treats, and needs to come out of the same source as all the other less unpleasant costs of being on this planet.