Financial assistance after death occurs 099-01020000

Depending on the circumstances of the deceased and their surviving partner or carer, the types of assistance that may be available following the death of a customer, include:

• Payment of a lump sum bereavement payment (LBP) to the surviving partner
• Payment of Partner Bereavement Payment (PBV) to the surviving partner who receives JobSeeker Payment (JSP) or Youth Allowance (YA)
• Payment of a Pension Bonus Bereavement Payment (PBBP) to the surviving partner
• Partner's entitlement to keep income support payments paid to the deceased during the bereavement period
• Survivor's income support payment will be reassessed to the single rate
• Bereavement payment when a dependent child dies. See Initial contact after the death of a dependent child
• Exemptions from mutual obligation, activity test or participation requirements during the bereavement period - for JSP, YA, Parenting Payment (PP) and Special Benefit (SpB) customers
• Exemptions from some waiting periods - for JSP and YA claimants
• Continued entitlement to income support payments for the survivor during the bereavement period
• Where a customer is single, payment of pension up until the end of the entitlement period in which the person died

Assistance may also be available to a non-customer following the death of their partner, once the death has been confirmed and an appropriate payment is claimed. For example, JSP, YA or Pension Bonus Bereavement Payment (PBBP).

Where a family assistance payment customer dies, the person now caring for the deceased's children may be entitled to any payments the deceased has not been paid and any ongoing payments.

Services Australia can also offer the services of the Financial Information Service (FIS) Officer free of charge to people who need financial help after a death. This service does not provide advice on specific investments.

Any amount of a pension or allowance which has accrued and is unpaid at the date of death, or which would have been payable if the person had not died, may, upon application, be paid to an appropriate third party (for example, the executor of the estate, solicitor or next-of-kin). It is preferable to pay any amounts owing to the deceased to the executor, as this is the person that the deceased has appointed to handle their affairs. See Replacing payment made to a deceased customer where payment was returned from financial institution for information on how to issue the payment to the appropriate third party.

Funeral assistance is offered by various commonwealth and state departments. For contact details and information refer to Funeral Assistance. Note: the contact details are for assistance with funeral expenses only, and not for other expenses such as grocery costs and mortgage payments.