Funeral Grants

When a person passes away while in receipt of a social welfare payment, the payment will usually continue to be paid to the surviving next-of-kin for six weeks after the date of death if they are a named dependent. In the case of carer’s allowance, it will continue on for an extra 12 weeks.

Contact your local social welfare office for more information or look up https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/c58b3-income-supports-following-a-bereavement/. For OAP enquiries, send an e-mail to State.Con@welfare.ie if a contributory pension or State.NonCon@welfare.ie if a non-contributory pension.

This funeral grant is means tested and is at the discretion of the community welfare officer.

Application forms are available online at https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/c58b3-income-supports-following-a-bereavement/. Select ‘Supplementary Welfare Allowance Application for assistance towards Funeral Expenses – SWA5’ which is assistance towards the funeral invoice and ‘Supplementary Welfare Allowance – SWA1’ which assesses the applicant’s household net income. The status and means of the applicant and the deceased will then be considered by the community welfare officer.

The funeral invoice must be in the name of the applicant and all relevant details provided. The payment, if issued, will then be made payable to the funeral undertaker directly.

If at the date when a parent is widowed there are children left in the family under 18 years or 22 years and in full time education, then the widowed parent may receive a €8,000 widow’s/widower’s grant.

The application form is available online at https://www.gov.ie/en/service/a5a053-widowed-or-surviving-civil-partner-grant/ and select ‘Widowed or Surviving Civil Partner Grant Application Form’ (or the WPG1 form).