Northern Ireland lifts bereavement damages to £19,700
From 1 December 2025, the fixed bereavement award in Northern Ireland will be £19,700. The Department of Justice has confirmed the change by statutory rule so families and schools can plan with clarity. We’ll explain what this payment is, who can receive it, and how the date rule works, with examples you can test in class.
Bereavement damages are a set amount paid to certain relatives when a death is caused by negligence, such as a crash or an avoidable error. It is not a calculation of the person’s life or earnings; it is a statutory recognition of grief. The legal basis is Article 3A of the Fatal Accidents (Northern Ireland) Order 1977, which creates the award and sets out who can benefit.
Who can claim in Northern Ireland is tightly defined. The award can go to a wife, husband or civil partner of the person who died. It can also go to the parents when the person who died was under 18 and had never married or entered a civil partnership. If the child’s parents were not married, only the mother qualifies under the current wording. Unmarried partners who were living together are not eligible in Northern Ireland.
There is only one bereavement award for each death. Where both parents qualify, the single sum is shared equally between them. The amount is not multiplied by the number of eligible relatives, and it sits alongside (not instead of) any separate claims for financial dependency or funeral costs.
The new amount applies only to “causes of action” that accrue on or after 1 December 2025. For classroom purposes, treat that as the legal start date linked to the death. A death on or after 1 December 2025 engages the £19,700 figure; earlier deaths will usually stay on the previous amount. This phrasing comes directly from the order so that everyone uses the same boundary date.
A quick comparison helps with context. In England and Wales, the award is £15,120 and a cohabiting partner who lived with the deceased for at least two years can be eligible. In Scotland there is no fixed sum; courts assess the closeness of the relationship and decide an amount case by case. These differences are useful discussion starters about how laws reflect social choices.
Worked example one you can use with students: a married spouse dies in a proven negligence case on 2 December 2025 in Belfast. The spouse may claim the bereavement award of £19,700, and any dependency or funeral claims would be considered separately under other parts of the law. This shows how the new amount applies after the start date.
Worked example two: two partners have lived together for three years but are not married or in a civil partnership. One partner dies on 2 December 2025 due to proven negligence. In Northern Ireland, the surviving partner cannot claim the bereavement award, though other civil claims may still be possible. In England or Wales, a cohabiting partner could be eligible under the two‑year rule.
Worked example three: a 17‑year‑old dies on 30 November 2025. The parents are eligible for the bereavement award at the earlier rate of £17,200, and if both parents qualify the single award is divided equally. The date places this example before the new amount takes effect.
It helps to separate similar‑sounding terms. Bereavement damages are a civil court award for certain relatives after a wrongful death. Bereavement Support Payment is a social security benefit administered by the Department for Communities for eligible partners in specific circumstances. People can explore both; one does not cancel the other.
Why the number moved: Northern Ireland reviews the figure from time to time. It rose to £15,100 in 2019, then to £17,200 in 2022, and now to £19,700 from 1 December 2025. Using the official wording (“applies to causes of action accruing on or after…”) keeps disputes about which rate applies to a minimum and is a good line to highlight when teaching statutory interpretation.
For learners and families, the takeaway is simple. Check the date of death against 1 December 2025, check the relationship against the eligibility list, and remember there is one fixed award per death, sometimes shared. If you are dealing with a real case, speak to a qualified solicitor; this explainer is for learning, not legal advice.