Martin Lewis fan ‘woke up with £35,000 in her bank’ after advice on little-known

Martin Lewis has shared a moving story from a fan who managed to get £35,000 after losing her partner following a change to eligibility criteria for a little-known payment.

Last month, the money expert alerted households to a deadline for anyone who was unmarried with children and had lost their partner since 2001. A Supreme Court ruling last year found that these couples were due bereavement support, the same as married and civil partnered couples, if their partner died – meaning that tens of thousands of people were entitled to up to £40,000 in backdated payments.

Bereavement support offers financial help to people after the death of their partner if they are below State Pension age. And after Martin issued an urgent “don’t delay” plea for affected families to claim before February 8, he took to social media this week to share a success story from someone who had managed to get a staggering 17 years’ worth of backdated payments.

The fan’s story read: “I’m emailing on behalf of my sister. Her partner died back in 2007 and had two boys aged 2 and 9 at that time. She saw your show and applied before Christmas – today she woke up with £35,000 in her bank. From her and her boys, thank you. This has changed her life.”

Martin also shared similar story posted in response, where another fan told him: “After my wife died in 2018, the 18 monthly payments really kept the wolf from the door as I took time off work to look after our young son.”

Other fans asked for more information on bereavement support payments and whether they or members of their family could be eligible. Although the deadline for unmarried couples to claim up to tens of thousands in backdated payments has now passed, bereavement support is still available and you may still be able to get up to seven years of backdated payments. Here’s what you need to know:

Who is eligible for bereavement support?

Bereavement support payments are not means-tested, so your financial situation is irrelevant. However, to be eligible for backdated support, unmarried couples will need to meet the following criteria:

• Under State Pension age on August 30, 2018, meaning those born after August 30, 1953
• Living ‘as married’ at the time your partner died, in other words a cohabiting couple
• Had a child eligible for Child Benefit at the time your partner died, i.e., under 16, or under 20 in full-time education. If they were eligible but you weren’t claiming, or you were pregnant, that still counts

You usually need to make a claim within 21 months of your partner’s death. However, if your partner died before February 9, 2023, you may be able to get backdated payments of bereavement support if you meet the above criteria and they died after April 5, 2017.

How much could you get?

The amount you will receive in bereavement support depends on your relationship to the person who died, when you make your claim, and when you reach State Pension age. The most you can get is a one-off payment of £3,500, or 18 monthly payments of £350 – more information is available on the GOV.UK website.