Petition · past parliament
Extend the time widowed parents claim Bereavement Support Payment up to 10 years
Rejected
10 signatures
What the petition asks
Changes to bereavement benefits mean widowed parents with children can now only receive payments for up to 18 months, compared to WPA that was paid until a child left full-time education. The payment period should be extended to up to 10 years to provide financial security to bereaved families.
Under Bereavement Support Payment, widowed parents will receive a larger first payment, but then only be able to receive the benefit for 18 months after a partner's death. This is a significant change from Widowed Parents’ Allowance, which allowed parents to claim until a child turned 20 or left full-time education.
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
Timeline
| 12 Apr 2017 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 20 Apr 2017 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
10
Status
Rejected
Rejected
20 Apr 2017
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.