How to apply for Funeral Grant provided by the New Zealand government?

The death of a husband, wife or spouse is an extremely painful and difficult experience in itself. But the financial impact of funeral expenses and other costs on pensioners can add a lot of pressure. Did you know that the New Zealand government provides funeral grants? Check out the guide to claiming:

Funeral Grant

A Funeral Grant can help with some of the funeral costs of someone who has died.

A Funeral Grant can only be used towards essential funeral expenses, which are:

professional services for preparing the body for cremation or burial (for example, embalming)

the cost of a casket

newspaper notice costs

hearse fees

compulsory fees for buying a burial plot

cremation fees.

Who can get it

You may be able to get a Funeral Grant if the person who's died is:

your parent or guardian

your child (if they're under 18), or

someone over 18 and single (with or without children) who you're arranging a funeral for.

In all cases, the person who died must have normally lived in New Zealand.

If the person who's died is your partner or child, it will also depend on your income.

We'll also make sure the essential funeral expenses cannot be met by:

the assets of the deceased person, and

your assets, if the person who died was your partner or child.

How much can you get?

You can get up to $2,559.20.

How to apply for a funeral grant

People applying for a funeral grant must be able to provide details of the estate or other information about the deceased (including details of any children they were responsible for).

You will need to fill in an application form and provide:

Proof of death, such as a death certificate, newspaper notice of death. If you do not have this, please tell us as we may be able to obtain this information

Details of funeral expenses - a breakdown of funeral expenses, if paid, original receipts and proof of the bank account number of the person who paid

Proof of who you are.

You may also need to provide details about your assets and income.

Send these documents to one of our service centres, or post them to us.