When someone dies, the grief arrives first and the bills arrive shortly afterwards. Government help exists, but it rarely covers everything: among families who receive a Funeral Expenses Payment, it meets roughly 48% of the total cost on average. The funds below exist to close that gap, and many of them are barely known outside the trades and communities they serve.
- Check what the state provides first, because Bereavement Support Payment and Funeral Expenses Payment are separate things with separate rules.
- A Funeral Expenses Payment covers burial or cremation fees, plus up to £1,000 for everything else.
- That leaves a real gap, which is what the charitable funds on this page are for.
- If your loved one worked in farming, nursing, the armed forces, transport, retail, groceries, drinks, electrical trades or fishing, there is very likely a fund for them.
- Most funds help with more than money: counselling, paperwork, home visits and befriending.
- You can usually apply even if the person died some time ago. It is worth asking.
of total funeral costs covered on average by a Funeral Expenses Payment
SunLife Cost of Dying 2026
average shortfall families have to find themselves
SunLife Cost of Dying 2026
of families face notable financial concerns paying for a funeral
SunLife Cost of Dying 2026
of those families report an impact on their mental health
SunLife Cost of Dying 2026
Figures are from the SunLife Cost of Dying Report 2026 and GOV.UK. Sources are listed in full at the end of this page. Charity amounts and eligibility rules change, so please confirm current details with the fund directly.
Why these funds exist
The gap between what the state pays and what a funeral costs is the reason benevolent funds still matter. GOV.UK is straightforward about the limits of the main funeral benefit.
You can also get up to £1,000 for any other funeral expenses, such as funeral director’s fees, flowers or the coffin. The payment will not usually cover all of the costs of the funeral.
GOV.UK, Funeral Expenses Payment, what you will get. Burial or cremation fees are covered separately, but everything else is capped.
Set that £1,000 cap against the cost of an average simple attended funeral in the UK, which the SunLife Cost of Dying Report 2026 puts at £3,828, and the shape of the problem becomes clear. SunLife found that among families who do receive a Funeral Expenses Payment, it covers approximately 48% of the total funeral costs on average.
For the families who feel that gap most sharply, the effects reach well beyond the bank balance.
15% of families experience notable financial concerns when paying for a funeral. On average, they have to find £2,365 to cover the costs. Of those who experience notable financial difficulties when covering the costs, 70% report an impact to their mental health. And 58% see an impact to their physical health.
SunLife, Cost of Dying Report 2026. The figure is down from 18% in 2024 and 20% in 2023.
Start with the state support
These two are often confused. They are separate, and you may be entitled to both.
| Bereavement Support Payment | Funeral Expenses Payment | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is for | Helping with the wider costs of losing a partner | Helping specifically with funeral costs |
| Higher rate | £3,500 one off, then 18 monthly payments of £350 | Not applicable |
| Standard rate | £2,500 one off, then 18 monthly payments of £100 | Not applicable |
| What it covers | Nothing specific, it is yours to use | Burial or cremation fees, plus up to £1,000 for other funeral expenses |
| If there was a funeral plan | Unaffected | Up to £120 only, for items the plan did not cover |
| Who can claim | Bereaved spouses and civil partners, subject to conditions | Those on certain qualifying benefits who are responsible for the funeral |
Full eligibility rules and how to claim are on the GOV.UK Funeral Expenses Payment pages. Scotland has its own scheme, Funeral Support Payment, administered by Social Security Scotland.
General bereavement support
These charities are open to anyone, whatever the circumstances of the death and whenever it happened.
1. Cruse Bereavement Support
Who it is for: anyone who is grieving, of any age and background. The UK’s leading bereavement charity offers free one to one support, group sessions and a national helpline. There is no charge and no requirement that the death was recent.
2. Sue Ryder
Who it is for: bereaved adults aged 18 and over. Sue Ryder runs a free Online Bereavement Community and Grief Kind Spaces around the country, with peer support groups, online forums and access to bereavement specialists. Working with Winston’s Wish, it now offers a continuous path of support from childhood into adulthood.
3. The Good Grief Trust
Who it is for: anyone who does not know where to start. Rather than providing counselling itself, the Trust is a gateway, matching people to local and national services by the type of loss, whether that is a partner, a parent, a sibling, a child or a friend. If you find the number of options overwhelming, begin here.
Support for children and families
4. Winston’s Wish
Who it is for: anyone aged 25 or under, anywhere in the UK, no matter who died or how long ago. The UK’s first childhood bereavement charity, founded in 1992, reaches more than 90,000 bereaved children and young people a year. Support comes by telephone, online chat, email and WhatsApp, from trained bereavement specialists.
5. Child Bereavement UK
Who it is for: families where a child is grieving, and families where a child has died. Alongside direct support, the charity trains the professionals who work with bereaved families and produces resources for explaining death to children in language they can hold on to.
Funds linked to a trade or profession
This is the part most families do not know about. If your loved one spent their working life in a particular industry, there is a reasonable chance a benevolent fund exists for it, and that it will help with more than money. Many also cover retired workers and dependants.
6. The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI)
Who it is for: the farming community in England and Wales, with RSABI covering Scotland. RABI says it awards around £3 million a year in direct financial assistance to farming families, ranging from emergency grants towards funeral costs to longer term help with energy bills and essential equipment.
7. The Junius S. Morgan Benevolent Fund
Who it is for: registered nurses and healthcare assistants who have practised in the UK for at least five years. Established in 1890, the fund offers individual assistance of up to £1,000 where hardship follows the death of the family’s main earner.
8. The Electrical Industries Charity
Who it is for: families of workers in the electrical, electronic and energy industries. Support includes telephone counselling, legal advice, respite breaks for carers, help with will writing and, in some cases, grants towards funeral costs.
9. ABF, The Soldiers’ Charity
Who it is for: soldiers, veterans and their families. The British Army’s national charity makes grants to around 4,500 people a year. Each case is assessed individually. It does not assist with medical or legal fees, non priority debts or memorial costs, and describes its approach as a hand up rather than a hand out.
10. The RAF Benevolent Fund
Who it is for: serving RAF personnel, veterans and their dependants. Help covers essential living costs, utility bills, debts and one off household expenses, with ongoing assistance for those on state pensions or disability benefits, plus support with funeral costs for eligible war pensioners.
11. The Transport Benevolent Fund
Who it is for: public transport workers and their families across England, Scotland and Wales. Where a death is unexpected, the fund says it may provide a £1,000 grant to a bereaved partner, to the parent of dependent children, or to dependent children who have lost a single parent. It also funds residential convalescence and grants of up to £250 a year towards therapies including counselling.
12. The Retail Trust
Who it is for: people who work in customer facing roles, including shops, online retailers, distribution centres, call centres, banks and property agencies. The Trust provides in house bereavement counselling by phone or up to six free face to face sessions, one off hardship grants, budgeting help and legal advice on matters such as tenancy rights after a death.
13. GroceryAid
Who it is for: anyone who works or has worked in the grocery industry. Founded in 1857, it provides respite care, counselling and hardship grants. Those in serious hardship may receive an annual support payment, paid quarterly, along with help buying essential household items. It also runs a helpline and a telephone befriending service, with home visits where needed.
14. The Benevolent
Who it is for: anyone working in the alcoholic drinks industry, from production and distribution through to pubs, bars and off licences. The charity offers one off grants and longer term assistance, and in exceptional cases financial help towards funeral costs alongside support in claiming benefits.
15. The Fishermen’s Mission
Who it is for: fishing families. Since 1881 the Mission has provided emergency grants towards rent, utility bills and essentials such as school uniforms. After a bereavement it offers home visits and hands on help with paperwork, plus a befriending service for those struggling with isolation.
How to approach a fund
Most people have never applied to a benevolent fund and are not sure what to expect. It is usually far less formal than they fear.
- Phone before you fill anything in. A short conversation will tell you whether you are eligible and save you completing a form that was never going to apply.
- Ask about more than money. Counselling, help with paperwork, befriending and respite are often available even where a grant is not.
- Do not rule yourself out on time. Many funds help long after the death, and some help with the consequences of a bereavement years later.
- Be honest about your situation. These funds exist precisely for people in difficulty. Understating the position helps nobody.
- Apply to more than one if more than one applies. They are not usually mutually exclusive, though each will ask what else you have received.
- Ask us if you are stuck. We deal with these organisations regularly and are glad to point you in the right direction.
What to have ready
- The death certificate or the interim certificate if an inquest is open.
- Evidence of the connection to the trade such as a payslip, union card, service record or pension letter.
- The funeral director’s estimate so the fund can see the actual figures.
- A simple picture of your finances, including any benefits you receive.
- Details of other applications you have made, including to the DWP.
How we can help
Our commitment does not end on the day of the funeral. Our Bereavement Care Service is provided free of charge to the families we look after, and includes one to one counselling and local support groups. You can also see the wider range of support services we offer.
If cost is a concern, tell us early. We will set out the options honestly, including the simplest and least expensive ones, and help you work out which of the funds above might apply. For those planning ahead, a pre paid funeral plan removes much of this pressure from the people you leave behind. You are welcome to visit any of our funeral homes to talk things through.
Common questions
What financial help is available after a bereavement in the UK?
There are three broad sources. Bereavement Support Payment for bereaved spouses and civil partners, worth £3,500 plus 18 monthly payments of £350 at the higher rate or £2,500 plus 18 payments of £100 at the standard rate. Funeral Expenses Payment for those on qualifying benefits, which covers burial or cremation fees plus up to £1,000 for other costs. And charitable benevolent funds, many of them linked to a trade or profession, which is what most of this page is about.
Does the Funeral Expenses Payment cover the whole funeral?
No, and GOV.UK says so plainly: the payment will not usually cover all of the costs of the funeral. Burial or cremation fees are met, but everything else is capped at £1,000. SunLife found that where families do receive it, the payment covers approximately 48% of the total cost on average.
Can I get help if my loved one had a funeral plan?
Only limited help through the Funeral Expenses Payment. If the person who died had a pre paid funeral plan, that payment is restricted to up to £120 for items the plan did not cover. Charitable funds may still be able to assist with wider costs, so it is still worth asking.
Is there a benevolent fund for every trade?
Not every one, but far more than most people realise. Farming, nursing, the armed forces, transport, retail, groceries, the drinks trade, electrical work and fishing all have long established funds, and this page covers those. Beyond them, many unions, professional bodies, regiments and individual employers run their own. One phone call is usually enough to find out.
Is it too late to apply if the death was a while ago?
For state benefits there are time limits, so apply as soon as you can. Charitable funds are generally more flexible, and many help with the longer term consequences of a bereavement rather than only the funeral itself. If you are unsure, ask rather than assume.
Do these funds only give money?
No, and for many families the non financial help matters just as much. Counselling, help with paperwork and benefit claims, home visits, befriending, respite breaks and legal advice are all commonly offered, sometimes where a cash grant is not available.
Will applying affect my benefits?
Charitable grants are usually treated differently from income, but the position depends on your circumstances and on what the grant is for. Ask the fund directly when you speak to them, and mention any means tested benefits you receive so they can advise you properly.
What if I cannot afford the funeral at all?
Tell your funeral director straight away, before anything is arranged. There are genuinely lower cost options, including simpler services and unattended cremations, and there is also a public health funeral provided by the local council where no one is able to pay. Nobody is left without a funeral, and there is no shame in asking what the least expensive route looks like.
Sources
- GOV.UK, Funeral Expenses Payment, gov.uk. Burial and cremation fees covered, up to £1,000 for other funeral expenses, up to £120 only where there was a pre paid funeral plan, and the statement that the payment will not usually cover all of the costs of the funeral.
- GOV.UK, Bereavement Support Payment, what you will get. Higher rate £3,500 plus 18 monthly payments of £350; standard rate £2,500 plus 18 monthly payments of £100.
- SunLife, Cost of Dying Report 2026. Average simple attended funeral £3,828; 15% of families report notable financial concerns, down from 18% in 2024 and 20% in 2023; average shortfall £2,365; 70% report an impact on mental health and 58% on physical health; a Funeral Expenses Payment covers approximately 48% of total funeral costs on average.
- Charity details are taken from the funds’ own published information. Amounts, eligibility and services are revised regularly, so please confirm current details with the fund before relying on them.
Talk to us about the cost
If you are worried about paying for a funeral, please say so. We will be honest with you about what things cost, what can be done more simply, and which of these funds might be able to help. There is no obligation and no awkwardness in asking.
Contact Hillier Funeral Service
Or call us at any time on 01793 522 797