SAIF welcomes Government announcement on Funeral Expenses

We welcome today’s announcement by Will Quince, Minister for Family Support, Housing and Child Maintenance, on speeding up Funeral Expenses Payments claims.

From today, families are able to make a claim with an estimated funeral date, providing other key information is supplied.

As SAIF members will be well aware, previously a claim could not be made without a confirmed date for the funeral to take place, which could lead to longer waiting times for payments to be processed.

This new move to speed up the Funeral Expenses Payment process is in addition to a recent change in the evidence required to process a claim. Recent improvements mean that instead of a final invoice – which is usually received after the funeral – families can instead supply a funeral director contract as an indication of funeral cost.

This evidence can be submitted to the Bereavement Support team in advance of a funeral, therefore ensuring earlier access to financial support.

More information is available here.

Whilst we reiterate our calls upon the Government to review the value of the payment – £700 remains inadequate – we feel the latest reforms are a very positive step in the right direction.