Widowed Parent's Allowance
Who can get Widowed Parent's Allowance?A man or a woman can get Widowed Parent's Allowance if their late spouse or civil partner met the National Insurance contribution conditions and:
- he or she has a child for whom they are entitled to, or can be treated as entitled to, Child Benefit; or
- where a widow or a surviving civil partner is expecting a child:
- by her late husband; or
- by her late civil partner; or
- as a result of certain cases of artificial insemination.
A person cannot get Widowed Parent's Allowance:
- if the couple were divorced; or
- if the couple's civil partnership was dissolved; or
- while living with a person of the opposite sex as husband, wife or civil partner; or
- while in prison or held in legal custody; or
- if over state pension age (currently 60 for a womanand 65 for a man). However the state pension age is changing; for women it will rise gradually from age 60 to 65, from 2010 to 2020, making it equal to that of men. So from 6 April 2020 the state pension age for both men and women will be 65. The state pension age for both men and women is then set to increase from 65 to 68 between 2024 and 2046, with each change phased in over two consecutive years in each decade. The first increase, from 65 to 66, will be phased in between April 2024 and April 20026; the second, from 66 to 67, will be phased in between April 2034 and April 2036; and the third, from 67 to 68, between April 2044 and April 2046
Widowed Parent's Allowance is made up of:
- a basic allowance; and
- an allowance for each child; and
- a variable earnings-related additional state pension which is based on the late spouse's contribution record.
Rates of Widowed Parent's AllowanceEffective from 5 April 2010
| Weekly Amount |
Criteria |
| £97.62 |
Basic allowance |
| £ 8.10 |
Increase for eldest/only dependent child |
| £11.35 |
For subsequent dependent children |
Widowed Parent's Allowance is paid by direct payment into an account 4 weekly, 13 weekly or fortnightly.
Effect of capital and other incomeWidowed Parent's Allowance is payable regardless of capital and whether the customer does any work.
These benefits are reduced by the amount of Widowed Parent's Allowance:
Widowed Parent's Allowance is taken into account in assessing the following:
These benefits do not affect the payment of Widowed Parent's Allowance:
Child Benefit (Lone Parent) cannot be paid where an increase for a child is payable with Widowed Parent's Allowance. Child Benefit will be paid at the ordinary rate for the eldest child instead.
If a customer does not understand or disagrees with a decision, they can ask for an explanation and / or for the decision to be looked at again. They also have the right of appeal.
|
