Financial Support & Funeral Poverty Services
Organisations and initiatives working to reduce funeral poverty and support families facing financial difficulty — offering practical help, guidance, and advocacy.
Turn2us
Turn2us is a national charity providing practical help to people who are struggling financially.
To check what benefits you might be entitled to quickly and easily, you can use the Turn2us Benefits Calculator, or you can also read more about the benefits available for people who are recently bereaved.
Quaker Social Action
The only UK-wide practical service for people struggling with funeral costs.
If you're on a low income and finding it difficult to pay for a funeral that hasn't yet taken place, their Down to Earth helpline offers free, confidential advice, wherever you are in the UK. They also publish a free guide, Ten Steps to an Affordable Funeral.
Government Support
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, you may be able to get a Funeral Expenses Payment if you're receiving a qualifying benefit, including Universal Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Pension Credit, or Housing Benefit.
This payment can cover necessary costs in full, such as burial or cremation fees, the coffin, and transport of the body, plus up to £1,000 towards other expenses like flowers or a headstone. It's paid by the Department for Work and Pensions, but it's usually paid after the funeral, so you may still need to cover costs upfront or borrow the money at first. You must apply within 6 months of the funeral.
Worth knowing: the £1,000 capped portion hasn't risen in line with funeral costs, and organisations like Quaker Social Action have been campaigning for an increase. In practice, this payment often won't close the full gap, it's worth going in with that expectation rather than assuming it will cover everything.
You might also be able to claim Bereavement Support Payment. This isn't specifically for funeral costs, but it can ease the financial strain if you've lost a spouse or civil partner. To qualify, the person who died must have paid National Insurance for a certain period, the death must have happened within the past 21 months, and you need to be under State Pension age when you apply.
This support includes a one-off payment (£3,500 if you're getting Child Benefit, £2,500 if not), followed by up to 18 monthly payments (£350 a month with Child Benefit, £100 without).
If the Funeral Expenses Payment doesn't cover everything, a Budgeting Loan or Advance may help with the rest, an interest-free loan repaid gradually through your benefits.
If there's genuinely no money and no one able to pay, the local council (or the hospital, if the person died there) can arrange a public health funeral, contact your council directly, as this is handled locally rather than nationally.
Before you assume there's nothing available
Check for a pre-paid funeral plan, life insurance, a pension, or a death-in-service benefit through an employer, these are easy to overlook in the days after a death. If you do need to borrow to cover a shortfall, check the terms and interest rate carefully, and avoid illegal money lenders.
Other helplines
The Bereavement Advice Centre offers free, practical advice on registering a death, bereavement, and probate.
The National Bereavement Service covers similar practical and legal ground, plus signposting to local emotional support.
Even with this support, there's often still a gap to fill. Some families borrow from friends or relatives, use a credit card, or reach out to charities. Others choose a direct cremation which is often much more affordable than a traditional funeral but can also be hard for families who would have wished to have an attended funeral. Tackling funeral poverty is a hugely important area of work for which charities like those listed above need a lot more support.