AFTER a bereavement you may need financial support. The Department of Social Protection (DSP) provides certain once-off payments to help out families during this difficult time.
Your local community welfare officer deals with some of these payments.
You must have made a certain number of PRSI contributions to be eligible for some social welfare payments.
You may be eligible for other payments, if you pass a means test or if you are in urgent need.
Time limits apply for many payments, so apply as early as is possible.
You can get help with the cost of the funeral in some specific situations.
These are as follows:
The Widowed or Surviving Civil Partner Grant is a once-off payment to widows/widowers/surviving civil partners with dependent children.
For the purpose of this grant, a dependent child is a child up to age 18, who is normally resident in the State and who is living with you.
A child aged between 18 and 22 who is normally resident in the State continues to be a qualified child if they are in full-time education at a recognised school or college. This grant is a once-off payment of €8,000.
If someone dies from an accident at work, a Funeral Grant of €850 is available. To be eligible for this grant, the death must have resulted from:
•An accident at work,
• An accident while travelling directly to or from work
• An occupational disease.
• The person must have paid a minimum of one week’s PRSI.
Whether you qualify or not for one of the above grants you may be eligible for an Additional Needs Payment to help with funeral costs if you are on a low income.
Each case is decided on its merits. The Community Welfare Service prefers if you apply before the funeral takes place, but in practice, most people apply afterwards.
In many cases a payment or a grant cannot be paid until all the necessary documentation is received.
If you are claiming the grant, you are responsible for the production of certificates, documents and any information required, for example:
• Death/birth certificate
•Marriage or Civil Partnership certificate (to prove your relationship to the deceased)
• Funeral receipts
• The deceased person’s Personal Public Service (PPS) number
• Your PPS number may also be required
