WAY first became involved with this campaign back in 2011, when Georgia Elms had just become Chair of WAY and was asked to contribute to a Government consultation on changes to the bereavement support system.
Following the success of this campaign, changes to the eligibility criteria were made meaning that cohabiting parents and carers whose partner dies from 9 February 2023 will be able to make a claim for Bereavement Support Payment if they meet the other eligibility criteria.
The Government will also make retrospective payments back to August 2018 for those who had missed out because they were not married or in a civil partnership. Some of these families will have been bereaved as long ago as 2001. You will have 12 months (until 9 February 2024) to put in a retrospective claim and get the full amount you are entitled to.
Find out more about the campaign in detail here...
Hear from WAY members and campaign supporters about what the Cohabiting Couples Campaign means to them. Read their stories...
*Please note, you will have 12 months (until 9 February 2024) to put in a retrospective claim and get the full amount you are entitled to.
Make sure you have the advice and information you need about how a retrospective payment might affect previous and future tax, tax credits and benefits before you put in a claim.
If you are in any doubt about the implications a retrospective payment will have on your wider finances, seek independent advice before you put in a claim. WAY is not able to give individual advice. You can find an adviser here.
Get peer-to-peer support from WAY
When you become a WAY member, there will always be someone to talk to – whether online through our members only website or closed Facebook groups, or in person at local and national meet-ups. We have over 4,500 members across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
We offer an extensive range of support services designed to help you navigate your grief and talk to others who understand your pain.
Annual membership costs £25 and helps us to maintain the peer-to-peer service and website.