Explainer: Practical supports when a loved one dies

Bereavement can be overwhelming and it can be a confusing time for people as there are a lot of things to consider.

For one, you may need financial support. The Department of Social Protection (DSP) provides certain once-off payments to help out families at this difficult time, as well as PRSI and means tested payments.

Support with Funeral Costs

Funeral costs can vary widely depending on what you choose and where you live - city funerals tend to be more expensive. If you need financial support, you may be eligible for an Additional Needs Payment, a single payment to help with essential, once-off, exceptional costs (which you could not reasonably cover with your weekly income). This is means tested, and means you will have to give information about your income, including savings and insurance policies that the deceased family member may have had. You will need to fill in forms that you can download or pick up from a CIC or social welfare office.

A Special Funeral Grant of €850 can be paid if a person dies at work. To qualify, the death must have resulted from an accident at work, or while travelling directly to or from work or an occupational disease. The person must have paid a minimum of a week’s PRSI

The Bereaved Parent Grant is a once-off payment of €8,000 to widows, widowers, surviving civil partners and surviving cohabitants with dependent children.

What do you if the deceased person was in receipt of a Social Welfare payment?

You cannot be expected to do everything right away, but if the deceased was getting a social welfare payment or you were claiming for them as a dependant, or you were getting a Carer’s Allowance to look after them, it’s important you notify the DSP within a few days.

It does not mean the payment will be taken back immediately. In many cases, the spouse, civil partner, cohabitant, parent or carer may continue to receive a payment for six weeks.

To qualify, your spouse’s, civil partner’s or cohabitant’s social welfare payment must have included a payment for you (an Increase for a Qualified Adult) or you are getting one of the payments listed above in your own right.

What happens if you are a carer and the person being cared for dies?

Payment of Carer’s Allowance (full or half-rate) continues to be made for 12 weeks after the death of the person you were caring for. Payment of Carer’s Benefit continues to be made for 6 weeks after the death of the person you were caring for. Domiciliary Care Allowance continues to be paid for three months in cases where the child being cared for has died.

Registering a Death

To register a death, you must bring a Death Notification Form stating the cause of death to a civil registration office. You get the Death Notification Form from the doctor attending the person who died. You must complete Part 2 of the Death Notification Form and take it to the registry office. You will need to bring photo ID with you. The registration is free. You will need some personal details of the person who died, including their PPS number and their parents’ full names.

You should register the death within three months. However, you have up to 12 months to do so. After this, you will need to contact the General Register Office. If you are waiting for an inquest or post-mortem to be carried out, you can get an Interim Certificate of the Fact of Death from the Coroner Service. You can use this to inform institutions like banks, insurance companies and the Department of Social Protection that the death has occurred.

Where do you get a copy of the death certificate?

You can get copies from the registration office when you are registering the death. To get a copy at a later stage, go directly to any civil registration office. You do not have to order a death certificate from a service in the area the death took place. You can also apply for one online, in person at a registry office, by phone or by emailing a completed form to GROonlinepayments@welfare.ie. Civil registration offices have different ways of handling requests for certificates. You can find details about your nearest civil registration office on the HSE website or ask at your local CIC.

Is there a fee for a death certificate?

There is no charge, but you may have to pay a small fee for a copy. You do not need to apply for a copy of a death certificate for social welfare purposes, as the DSP has access to this information once a death has been registered.

Changes to Widows/Widowers Pensions

In July, 2025, the Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partners (Contributory) Pension & Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partners (Non-Contributory) Pension were renamed to include cohabitating couple. They are now named the Bereaved Partner’s (Contributory) Pension & Bereaved Partner’s (Non-Contributory) Pension. There were also some changes to the qualifying conditions.

How does one qualify for the Bereaved Partner’s (Contributory) Pension?

You must be a spouse, civil partner or cohabitant of the deceased. A cohabitant must be cohabiting for at least five years (or two if you have dependent children together). Either you or your partner must have enough social insurance contributions (PRSI).

All PRSI requirements must be met on one person’s record - you may not combine the couple’s contributions. All contributions must have been made before the death. Virtually all PRSI contributions count towards this pension, including those paid by public servants and the self-employed.

Does it make a difference if my partner was getting a State Pension (Contributory)?

You may automatically qualify for a Bereaved Partner’s (Contributory) Pension if your late partner was getting a State Pension (Contributory) which included an increase for you as their adult dependent (or would have included an increase but for the fact you were getting a State Pension (Non-Contributory), Blind Pension or Carer’s Allowance).

There is no automatic qualification if your late partner was getting a mixed insurance pro-rata, EU/Bilateral Agreement pro-rata or Pre-53 pension. In all such cases you should apply in the normal way.

How long is the Bereaved Partner’s (Contributory) Pension paid?

If you re-marry or start to cohabit, the Bereaved Partner’s (Contributory) Pension is no longer payable and you must notify the DSP in writing. If you have dependent children, you can get Child Support Payments with your pension - these remain payable while the child is aged under 18 and they may continue to be paid until age 22 if the child is in full-time education.

As this is a contributory pension, you may earn any amount of money from any other source and remain entitled to it. It is taxable but if it is your only source of income, you are unlikely to have to pay tax.