Bereavement Allowance (BVA) 099-03000000

This file is for historical assessments/information only.

This document outlines information on Bereavement Allowance (BVA) eligibility. BVA was a short term payment made during the bereavement period, to help a person whose partner has died. BVA closed to new claimants from 20 March 2020.

Qualification and payability

A customer was eligible for BVA if all of the following criteria was satisfied:

• partnered to the deceased at the time of their death
• had not since become a member of a couple
• satisfied the residence requirements for BVA
• a Claim for Bereavement Allowance (SA366) was lodged within the time limit for a BVA claim
• in Australia when they claimed BVA (or have an exemption from this requirement)

BVA then became payable if the customer met the Income Test and Assets Test limits. The amount payable was calculated at the single pension rate.

BVA was not payable if the customer:

• received a social security pension or benefit, Service Pension or Veteran Payment (although customers may have transferred to BVA)
• received Income Support Supplement (ISS)
• was eligible for a comparable foreign payment but did not seek that payment, see Foreign pensions, or
• received ABSTUDY payments as a full-time student that included a living allowance. BVA was not payable for any period the customer was paid those ABSTUDY payments

Generally, BVA was payable for 14 weeks from the date of the partner's death. A person who was pregnant when their partner died may have been paid BVA for the duration of their pregnancy.

Claims had to be lodged within four weeks of the partner's death and could be backdated to that date. Under some circumstances claims lodged after the death of a customer would also be assessed.

If a customer was on BVA on 20 March 2020, they continued to receive BVA until the end of their bereavement period.

While on JSP/YA they will have a bereavement exemption from the activity test requirements for 14 weeks (or if pregnant, to the end of their pregnancy - whichever is longer).

BVA customers may also be eligible for:

• Rent Assistance (RA)
• Pensioner Concession Card (PCC)
• Remote Area Allowance (RAA)
• Crisis Payment (CrP)
• Pension Supplement
• Energy Supplement
• Working Credits
• Work Bonus

Customers who transferred to BVA from an income support payment:

• may have also received a Lump Sum Bereavement Payment (LBP). This was based on the difference between their previous combined member of a couple rate and their new rate that was payable on their previous payment
• were not subject to mutual obligation requirements
• had a higher rate of payment
• were paid subject to the Pensions Income Test and Asset Test
• received a Pensioner Concession Card

The Resources page contains links to the legislative basis for suspending payment, forms and the Services Australia website. It also contains a list of files that were expired due to Bereavement Allowance (BVA) ceasing.