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If the person who died was 17 or under

You can use the payment towards funeral costs for a baby, child or young person aged 17 or under. This includes babies who were stillborn.

A stillbirth is when a baby is born after 24 completed weeks of pregnancy showing no signs of life. You'll have gotten a stillbirth certificate if your baby was stillborn.

If your baby was born alive before 24 completed weeks of pregnancy and later died, you can also get Funeral Support Payment.

A miscarriage is a pregnancy loss that happens before 24 completed weeks.  Funeral Support Payment cannot help pay funeral costs for a miscarriage.

Funeral Support Payment usually will not cover the full cost of a funeral. The expected average total payment is £2,065 In Scotland, it usually does not cost anything to bury or cremate a baby, child or young person aged 17 or under. This means your payment might be lower.

It can help pay towards:

  • Burial, cremation or alkaline hydrolysis costs
  • funeral costs
  • your travel costs
  • transport costs to move the baby, child or young person
  • document costs
  • medical costs

Costs you'll be able to get help with

Burial, cremation or alkaline hydrolysis costs

Most local councils in Scotland do not charge to bury or cremate a baby, child or young person aged 17 or under.

In some locations in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the local council will charge for the burial or cremation.

In these cases, the payment will usually cover the cost of the burial or cremation.

Funeral costs

You can get a payment of £1,257.75 to put towards any other funeral costs you need to pay for, such as the funeral service or funeral car.

Your travel costs

You can get help towards travel costs for one return journey to either the:

  • place where you're arranging the funeral
  • funeral location

This includes travel by bus, train and car. You can sometimes get money towards travel by taxi, boat and plane. 

Other costs you might be able to get help with

Transport costs to move the baby, child or young person

If you need to move the baby, child or young person more than 49.7 miles, you can get help towards the cost of this.

You'll have to pay for the first 49.7 miles of any return journey. Social Security Scotland can only help pay for the travel over 49.7 miles, as long as the travel is within the UK. Make sure the funeral director puts the full travel distance onto your bill. This includes the distance of any return journeys.

Document costs

You can get money towards medical certificates needed to bury or cremate someone. For example, a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death.

Medical costs

You can get money for the cost of certain medical procedures needed before the funeral can go ahead.

Example of how much you could get

The child who died was 5 years old and lived and died in Fife. The person responsible for the funeral would be able to get a total payment of £1,269.75.

Example of how much you could get
Payment Amount
Cremation costs

There is no local council fee for cremation of a five year old child in Fife.
£0
Funeral costs

This is a fixed amount of £1,257.75 if the funeral is for a child or young person who was 17 or under.
£1,257.75
Travel costs

The person responsible for the funeral lived in Edinburgh and needed to travel from Edinburgh to Fife for the funeral.
£12
Transport costs

There were no costs to move the child over 49.7 miles to the funeral location.
£0
Document costs

The person responsible for the funeral did not need to pay for any medical certificates.
£0
Other costs

There were no costs for any medical procedures.
£0
Total £1,269.75
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