Death Grant

Part One - General Information

Death Grant

Death Grant is usually paid on the death of a person who has contributed to the Social Security Scheme. However under certain circumstances a non-contributory grant can be paid. Please refer to Part 5 for further information.

For a grant to be paid, certain conditions have to be met. These are set out in Part 3 of this leaflet.

Death Grant may also be paid on the death of a person who was under 21, and was in full-time education or training, or was disabled. Here it is paid on the contribution record of a parent, or another person who was wholly or mainly maintaining them at the time of their death.

Amount of the grant

The amount is reviewed every year on 1st October and is published in the leaflet entitled, Contribution Levels Benefit Rates

People who can be paid a Death Grant

· If the person who has died left a Will, or if letters of administration are being taken out, the grant is usually paid to the    executors or administrators.

· If there is no executor or administrator, payment is made to the person responsible for the funeral expenses.

·  If the person who is responsible for funeral expenses receives a Death Grant, he or she is entitled to recover from the deceased person’s estate only those funeral expenses not covered by the Death Grant.

·  If there is no funeral or where, for example, the cost is met by one of the Services or a burial society, the grant can be paid to the next of kin.

Part Two - Claiming and paying Death Grant

Back to Top

How and when to claim

You must claim within six months of the date of death. Delay in claiming could mean that the grant will be lost.

If you think you may be entitled to claim, call into the Department bringing the following documents if possible.

·  the death certificate;

·  the deceased ’s Social Security registration card;

·  the deceased’s marriage certificate, if the person was married;

·  any pension order books or cheques from the Department, or any other Social Security authority, which relate to the deceased;

·  the undertaker’s account or estimate if your claim is based on, or will be based on funeral expenses.

Please do not delay in claiming, even if you do not have these documents.  Our staff will be glad to help you to fill in the claim form.

If you cannot call into the Department, write to the Department asking for a claim form. Give as much of the following information as you can:

·  your full name;

·  your address;

·  your Social Security number;

·  your relationship to the deceased

We will also require similar information about the deceased:

·  full name;

·  last address;

·  Social Security number;

·  date of death

The decision on your claim

If you are not satisfied with the decision, you may be able to challenge it. We will explain your rights when we give you our decision.

How Death Grant is paid

The usual method is directly paid into the claimant's bank account or by a crossed cheque which must be passed through a bank account.

Part Three - The contribution conditions

Back to Top

Claims

Claims can be based on the contributions of the person who has died. However it is also possible for the claim to be based on the contributions of a spouse.

In the case of a person who was over 16 but under 21, and in fulltime education or training, we could use the parent’s contributions. This would apply to a person who was wholly or mainly maintaining the deceased person when they died.

If the claim is based on the contributions of the person who has died, the relevant quarter is:

a) Two quarters before the quarter in which the person died; or


b) Two quarters before the quarter in which they reached pension age, if this is earlier than (a)

If the claim is based on the contributions of some other person, the ‘relevant quarter’ is:

a) Two quarters before the quarter in which the death occurred; or


b) Two quarters before the quarter in which the person whose contributions are being used reached pension age or died, if this is earlier than (a).

We appreciate that these conditions are complex, please ask the Department for assistance if you are at all unsure.

It may be helpful to explain how Social Security set the contribution conditions.

Each year is split into four quarters:

Before a Death Grant can be paid, one of the following two contribution conditions must be met.

Either:

·  Condition One - A contribution was payable in the month the death occurred;

or

·  Condition Two - Contributions have been paid for at least one year before the end of the ‘relevant quarter’.

To meet the second condition, the contributions must normally have been based on earnings which were above the lower threshold level for a particular month. The leaflet called Contribution Levels Benefit Rates will explain further.

·  The relevant quarter mentioned in the second condition depends on the person whose contribution record is being used.

Contributions paid in some other countries with whom we have a reciprocal agreement can sometimes be used to meet the conditions.

Death of a child

To satisfy the contribution conditions under the Death Grant rules a ‘child’ usually means a boy or girl who was under 16 when they died.

The grant will normally be paid on the contributions of the child’s mother or father. The contributions of some other person (whether alive or dead) may be used if the child was in that person’s family at the time of his own or that person’s death.

If the child was over 16, the child’s own contributions’ record can be used, if necessary.

A Death Grant cannot be paid in respect of a still-born baby.

Deaths outside Jersey

A Death Grant may be paid if the person who died:

·  was receiving a Jersey Social Security benefit at the full rate; or

·  normally lived in Jersey and died within six months of going abroad.

You can get more information about these rules from the Department.

Part Four - Other Social Security matters following a death

Back to Top

Benefit for widows and widowers

When someone paying into the Scheme dies, a widow or widower not in receipt of a pension may be entitled to:

• Survivor's Benefit

If in receipt of a pension a widow may be entitled to an increase in the rate of her Old Age Pension. (Pensions)

You may be entitled to one of these benefits even if you cannot be paid the Death Grant. If you think you are entitled to one of these benefits and are not able to call into the Department, please write to us asking for a claim form.

Benefits owing to the deceased

If you think you are entitled to any benefits owing to the deceased, please get in touch with us straight away. If the deceased had not claimed benefit, or the claim had not been decided, the Department can appoint someone to continue with the claim and any arrears due would be paid to the executor of the deceased's estate.

Returning order books and cheques

If you find an order book or cheque we have sent to the deceased, please send it back to us straight away. Attach a note giving the date of death. Any money due will be paid to the person entitled to receive it.

Any benefit overpaid must be, repaid. We can do this by adjusting the Death Grant or a benefit paid to a surviving spouse. Or you can make a refund.

Registration cards and pensioners’ identity cards

If you find the deceased’s Social Security registration card or pensioner’s identity card, please send it to the Department giving the date of death.

Part Five - Non Contributory Death Grant

Back to Top

The conditions

A non-contributory Death Grant may be paid if:

·  there is no entitlement to a contributory Death Grant under the Scheme or the Scheme of any other country;

and

·  the deceased person: - was 55 years old before 10 September 1951; or - first came to live in Jersey after the age of 65; or -    had an Attendance Allowance or an Adult Disablement Allowance being paid at the time of his death; and

·  the deceased person was: - Jersey born and had lived in the Island for the 12 months before the date of his death;
    or - not Jersey born, but had lived in the Island for at least 12 years before his death.

The Non-Contributory Death Grant is paid at the same rate as the Contributory Grant.

How to claim

If you are unclear about the contribution conditions or you would like further information about this grant please contact the Pensions Zone of the Department.

Part Six - Further Information

Back to Top

This leaflet gives general information only. It does not try to go into detail on any specific matter. It cannot be treated as a statement of the Law.

Please quote your Social Security Number when you write to us. If you do not know it please give your full name and date of birth. If you are claiming on your husband’s contribution record please also give his Social Security Number or full name and date of birth. This information will help us deal with your enquiry.

Our staff are here to help you, so please telephone us on 445505 or call into our La Motte Street office.

The Social Security Department is covered by the current Jersey Data Protection (Jersey) Law.

Please contact us if you are in doubt or have any questions or suggestions about the information contained in this leaflet.