Martin Lewis has issued a clarion call for people to apply for backdated Bereavement Support Payment as people have only two weeks to claim the help.

The deadline to apply for the funds is February 8, and people can get up to £40,000 through the potentially “life-changing” scheme.

Mr Lewis wrote about the scheme in the latest edition of the MoneySavingExpert Money Tips Email.

The support applies to an unmarried couple with children where one partner has died, as the law changed in February 2023 so that unmarried couples became eligible for bereavement support, as well as people who are married or in a civil partnership.

He urged people to apply for the money as “the amounts can be life-changing” with many receiving thousands of pounds.

A person will need to meet these criteria to be eligible:

• Under state pension age on August 30, 2018
• Living ‘as married’ at the time your partner died, which means you were classed as cohabiting
• Had a child eligible for Child Benefit at the time the partner died. If they were eligible but you weren’t claiming, you can still get the support.

What you can claim depends on when your partner died:

• Died between April 9, 2001 and April 5, 2017 – You may be eligible for backdated Widowed Parent’s Allowance
• Died between April 6, 2017 and February 8, 2023 – You may be able to claim backdated Bereavement Support Payment
• Died after February 9, 2023 – You may be able to get Bereavement Support Payment, worth up to £9,800

A woman named Charlene shared her story on the ITV Martin Lewis Money Show last year, after she received over £39,000 in backdated Widowed Parent’s Allowance.

The Bereavement Support Payment is not means-tested but you will usually need to apply within 21 months of your partner’s death.

If it has been longer than 21 months, you may be able to still claim the support if the cause of their death was only recently confirmed.

For the latest personal finance news, follow us on Twitter at @ExpressMoney_.