How to apply

Before applying for Funeral Support Payment, you should:

register the death of the person who died
check that you're eligible for Funeral Support Payment
consider giving your funeral director consent to speak with Social Security Scotland about your application

To complete this form, you'll need:

your National Insurance number
details of the funeral director
any travel receipts or funeral bills you have so far
your bank account details, if you'd like Social Security Scotland to pay you and not your funeral director

To complete the form, you'll need details of funds belonging to the person who died.

This could be:

up to date bank statements for any private bank accounts belonging to the person who died
details of any cash left by the person who died
details of any money due from life insurance policies
details of any money due from pensions or burial clubs

Apply online

Most people take around 25-35 minutes to complete the form.

You cannot apply online if you:

do not have a permanent address
do not have a bank account and have agreed a way for the Department for Work and Pensions to pay you
are applying for someone who cannot manage their own affairs

You'll need to apply by phone or post if any of these apply to you.

Start now

Apply by phone

Call Social Security Scotland on 0800 182 2222 to make your application over the phone. An advisor can help you make your application at your own pace.

If you're a British Sign Language user, you can use the contactSCOTLAND app to contact Social Security Scotland by video relay.

The call centre opening times are Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.

We've changed our phone service

You can still call us between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday, but you'll not be able to speak to someone straight away. Instead, you can leave a message and we'll call you back.

If we do not reach you the first time we call back, we'll try again another 2 times before we stop.

If you haven't heard from us after 2 working days, please call again and leave another message.

Apply by post

You can apply by filling in a paper form. Social Security Scotland has different forms to apply for the funeral of a:

This is because they do not need as much information when you apply for the funeral of a baby, child or young person who was 17 or under.

You and your data

If you want to know more about how Social Security Scotland use your data, you can read the privacy notice.

If you need any extra help

If you'd like someone else to help you fill in your application, call or visit your local citizen's advice bureaux.

If you'd like support or want someone to talk to, find out more about support services available for bereaved parents.

If you'd like more information you can read advice about what to do when someone dies.

If the person who died was 17 or under