How much Widowed Parent's Allowance will I get?
Widowed Parent's Allowance is made up of a basic allowance which depends on your late husband, wife or civil partner's national insurance contributions (unless they died because of an industrial injury or disease). In some cases, an additional payment based on your late husband, wife or civil partner's earnings is made.
The maximum basic allowance rate of Widowed Parent's Allowance is £119.90 a week.
If you receive Widowed Parent's Allowance you also qualify for a £10 Christmas Bonus each year. You do not need to make a claim for the bonus it is paid automatically. It does not affect any other benefits you might get.
Benefit Cap
Widowed Parent's Allowance is included in the Benefit Cap which limits the total amount in some benefits that working-age people can receive. See our Benefit Cap information page for more details.
How will I be paid Widowed Parent's Allowance?
Widowed Parent's Allowance will be paid directly into your Bank, Building Society or Post Office account or by Simple Payment if you are unable to open or manage one of these or a similar account.
Widowed Parent's Allowance is normally paid every 2 weeks, though you can choose to be paid every 4 or 13 weeks.
Widowed Parent's Allowance and other benefits
Widowed Parent's Allowance (after tax) counts in full as income when calculating your entitlement to other means-tested benefits.
In some cases, you may meet the conditions for both Widowed Parent's Allowance and another overlapping benefit. If this happens your Widowed Parent's Allowance may be reduced or you may not receive a payment - even though you would if it weren't for the other overlapping benefit you receive. The rules about overlapping benefits are complicated and you may need to get advice about this from an expert benefits adviser.
Updated: April 2019