From 6935028e88415d588a98d93dab6f5d1e02440572 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Vahid Ahmadi Date: Wed, 27 May 2026 12:34:29 +0200 Subject: [PATCH 1/5] Add bereavement support plan covering BSP and WPA (#466 #465) #466 asks for a rule-based Bereavement Support Payment formula (current bsp.py is just adds = ["bsp_reported"], no derived eligibility). #465 asks for historical Widowed Parent's Allowance for back-cast analysis. These are the same pair of questions ("model bereavement benefits beyond the reported amount") so persist them in a single combined plan. The page covers: - the current reported-only state and what it can't do (reform analysis, post-FRS-reference bereavement, historical WPA), - BSP rule structure: lump sum + 18 monthly instalments at higher (with dependent child) or standard rate; cohabiting-partner extension from 9 Feb 2023 via SI 2023/134, - Phase 1: BSP rule-based formula with three new input variables (is_bereaved_recently, bsp_higher_rate_eligible, bsp_months_remaining), - Phase 2: WPA (historical) with the same formula shape but per-year uprated rate and the 2001-04 to 2017-04 bereavement-date window, - Phase 3: data-side bereavement flag imputation in policyengine-uk-data from FRS marital-status transitions and DWP bereavement statistics, - open questions on BSP uprating (currently flat since 2017), a reform-side "treat WPA as BSP" toggle, and the cohabiting-partner effective-date logic. --- changelog.d/466.md | 1 + .../gov/dwp/bereavement-support-plan.md | 139 ++++++++++++++++++ 2 files changed, 140 insertions(+) create mode 100644 changelog.d/466.md create mode 100644 docs/book/programs/gov/dwp/bereavement-support-plan.md diff --git a/changelog.d/466.md b/changelog.d/466.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..a112260a63 --- /dev/null +++ b/changelog.d/466.md @@ -0,0 +1 @@ +- Add a bereavement support planning docs page at `docs/book/programs/gov/dwp/bereavement-support-plan.md` covering the proposed rule-based BSP formula (Pensions Act 2014 Part 5, SI 2017/410, 18-month payment window from SI 2023/134) and a Phase 2 extension covering historical Widowed Parent's Allowance under SSCBA 1992 s.39A; combined plan closes #466 and #465. diff --git a/docs/book/programs/gov/dwp/bereavement-support-plan.md b/docs/book/programs/gov/dwp/bereavement-support-plan.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..67452a1fc0 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/book/programs/gov/dwp/bereavement-support-plan.md @@ -0,0 +1,139 @@ +# Bereavement support: BSP formula and historical WPA (planned) + +```{warning} +**Currently reported-only.** PolicyEngine UK models the Bereavement +Support Payment (BSP) as `adds = ["bsp_reported"]` — i.e. the value +flows through from the dataset, with no derived eligibility or +rule-based amount. This page captures the proposed formula-based +extension covering both BSP and the legacy Widowed Parent's Allowance +(WPA) for historical analysis. Tracks +[#466](https://github.com/PolicyEngine/policyengine-uk/issues/466) and +the related historical-WPA ask in +[#465](https://github.com/PolicyEngine/policyengine-uk/issues/465). +``` + +## What's currently modelled + +Just the FRS-reported amount: + +```python +class bsp(Variable): + label = "Bereavement Support Payment" + entity = Person + definition_period = YEAR + value_type = float + unit = GBP + adds = ["bsp_reported"] +``` + +That means: + +- Reform analyses changing BSP rates have no household-level surface. +- Anyone bereaved after the FRS reference week never appears as a BSP + recipient even if eligible. +- The legacy WPA is not modelled at all — anyone reporting it in + historical FRS waves drops into the residue. + +## Proposed scope + +### Phase 1 — BSP rule-based formula + +The BSP under the [Pensions Act 2014, Part 5][pa-2014-5] and the +[Bereavement Support Payment Regulations 2017][bsp-regs] (SI 2017/410) +pays: + +- A **lump-sum** of either £2,500 (Standard Rate) or £3,500 (Higher + Rate, with a dependent child). +- A **monthly payment** of £100 (Standard) or £350 (Higher) for up to + **18 monthly instalments** after a death on or after 6 April 2017 + (extended from 12 months by the Bereavement Benefits + (Remedial) Order 2023, SI 2023/134, after the McLaughlin / Jackson + ECHR rulings). + +To model this we need: + +- `is_bereaved_recently` (Person, YEAR) — a new input flagging + whether the person has been bereaved in the last 18 months. +- `bsp_higher_rate_eligible` (Person, YEAR) — whether they have a + dependent child. +- `bsp_months_remaining` (Person, YEAR) — how many of the 18 monthly + instalments fall within the simulation year. + +The BSP formula then becomes: + +``` +bsp = ( + lump_sum_amount * is_bereaved_recently + + monthly_amount * bsp_months_remaining +) +``` + +Both `lump_sum_amount` and `monthly_amount` parameter trees split on +`bsp_higher_rate_eligible` (£3,500 / £350 vs £2,500 / £100). + +### Phase 2 — WPA (historical) under the same formula + +Widowed Parent's Allowance (under [Social Security Contributions and +Benefits Act 1992 s. 39A][sscba-39a]) was paid for deaths between +April 2001 and 5 April 2017. The benefit: + +- Continued for as long as the surviving spouse had a dependent child. +- Was uprated annually. +- Was replaced by BSP for deaths from 6 April 2017. + +For historical analyses the model should: + +- Add `wpa_eligible` (Person, YEAR) — bereavement date 2001-04 to + 2017-04 inclusive, with a dependent child. +- Add `widowed_parents_allowance` (Person, YEAR) as a derived + formula reading the WPA rate parameter (which would need + backfilling under `gov/dwp/wpa/rate.yaml`). + +WPA receipts are now a closing tail of the recipient pool (no new +awards) but still appear in current FRS waves; the present model +treats those as a generic `maintenance_income`-class residue. Closing +this gap improves the alignment of HBAI net income for the few +thousand remaining recipients. + +### Phase 3 — data-side bereavement flag + +`is_bereaved_recently` doesn't exist in the FRS as a clean field; it +would need imputing in `policyengine-uk-data` from: + +- the FRS marital-status code transitions between waves (widowed in + current wave but not in the previous wave), +- DWP BSP/WPA caseload by region by year as the calibration target. + +This is the heaviest of the three phases; without it the new +variables work for the household-calculator (which can input the flag +directly) but not for microsim aggregates. + +## Open questions + +- BSP is currently uprated discretionarily rather than by statute. The + monthly rate has been £100/£350 since 2017 with no annual uprating. + Should the parameter tree carry an explicit + `uprating: gov.economic_assumptions.indices.obr.consumer_price_index` + to mirror what other DWP rates do, or hold flat to match the + historical reality? +- WPA recipients who would have been on BSP under the new rules: do we + want a reform-side parameter "treat all WPA receipts as if they were + BSP" for counterfactual analysis? +- The McLaughlin / Jackson ECHR rulings extended BSP to cohabiting + partners with children from 9 February 2023. The current + `bsp_higher_rate_eligible` rule should encode this in its + effective-date logic. + +## References + +- [Pensions Act 2014, Part 5](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/19/part/5) — primary statute for BSP. +- [Bereavement Support Payment Regulations 2017 (SI 2017/410)][bsp-regs]. +- [Bereavement Benefits (Remedial) Order 2023 (SI 2023/134)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/134/contents) — cohabiting-parent extension and 18-month limit. +- [SSCBA 1992 s. 39A][sscba-39a] — legacy WPA basis. +- gov.uk, [Bereavement Support Payment](https://www.gov.uk/bereavement-support-payment) and [Widowed Parent's Allowance](https://www.gov.uk/widowed-parents-allowance). +- DWP, [Bereavement support statistics](https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dwp-statistical-summaries-on-bereavement-payments). +- Issues: [#466](https://github.com/PolicyEngine/policyengine-uk/issues/466) (BSP formula), [#465](https://github.com/PolicyEngine/policyengine-uk/issues/465) (historical WPA). + +[pa-2014-5]: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/19/part/5 +[bsp-regs]: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2017/410/contents +[sscba-39a]: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1992/4/section/39A From 18b66d4b21a023804127891726f1fe2260df4922 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: vahid-ahmadi Date: Thu, 8 Oct 2026 15:52:23 +0100 Subject: [PATCH 2/5] Correct the bereavement support plan BSP has always had 18 monthly payments; the 2023 Remedial Order extended it to cohabiting parents from 30 August 2018 without changing that. Describe how Microcosm fills bsp_reported from FRS codes 6 and 9, which also carry legacy widow benefits and War Widow s Pension, and replace the panel-based imputation idea (the FRS is a cross-section) with one calibrated to Stat-Xplore. Type the changelog fragment. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 --- changelog.d/466.added.md | 1 + changelog.d/466.md | 1 - .../gov/dwp/bereavement-support-plan.md | 69 +++++++++++-------- 3 files changed, 43 insertions(+), 28 deletions(-) create mode 100644 changelog.d/466.added.md delete mode 100644 changelog.d/466.md diff --git a/changelog.d/466.added.md b/changelog.d/466.added.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..5bf393a6b5 --- /dev/null +++ b/changelog.d/466.added.md @@ -0,0 +1 @@ +Added a plan for a rule-based Bereavement Support Payment and historical Widowed Parent's Allowance (#466, #465) at `docs/book/programs/gov/dwp/bereavement-support-plan.md`. diff --git a/changelog.d/466.md b/changelog.d/466.md deleted file mode 100644 index a112260a63..0000000000 --- a/changelog.d/466.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1 +0,0 @@ -- Add a bereavement support planning docs page at `docs/book/programs/gov/dwp/bereavement-support-plan.md` covering the proposed rule-based BSP formula (Pensions Act 2014 Part 5, SI 2017/410, 18-month payment window from SI 2023/134) and a Phase 2 extension covering historical Widowed Parent's Allowance under SSCBA 1992 s.39A; combined plan closes #466 and #465. diff --git a/docs/book/programs/gov/dwp/bereavement-support-plan.md b/docs/book/programs/gov/dwp/bereavement-support-plan.md index 67452a1fc0..6fe8781f1f 100644 --- a/docs/book/programs/gov/dwp/bereavement-support-plan.md +++ b/docs/book/programs/gov/dwp/bereavement-support-plan.md @@ -10,6 +10,9 @@ extension covering both BSP and the legacy Widowed Parent's Allowance [#466](https://github.com/PolicyEngine/policyengine-uk/issues/466) and the related historical-WPA ask in [#465](https://github.com/PolicyEngine/policyengine-uk/issues/465). +Updated October 2026: still reported-only; the facts below were checked +against GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk, and the data notes now describe +Microcosm UK, the current UK data pipeline. ``` ## What's currently modelled @@ -31,8 +34,12 @@ That means: - Reform analyses changing BSP rates have no household-level surface. - Anyone bereaved after the FRS reference week never appears as a BSP recipient even if eligible. -- The legacy WPA is not modelled at all — anyone reporting it in - historical FRS waves drops into the residue. +- The legacy WPA has no variable of its own. Microcosm UK fills + `bsp_reported` from FRS benefit codes 6 and 9 + ([`frs_spine.py`](https://github.com/PolicyEngine/microcosm/blob/75167a68/packages/microcosm-build/src/microcosm/build/uk_runtime/frs_spine.py#L825)), + and Microcosm's own source notes say code 6 mixes benefits and code 9 + is War Widow's Pension. So the reported "BSP" also carries legacy + widow's benefits and War Widow's Pension. ## Proposed scope @@ -44,11 +51,17 @@ pays: - A **lump-sum** of either £2,500 (Standard Rate) or £3,500 (Higher Rate, with a dependent child). -- A **monthly payment** of £100 (Standard) or £350 (Higher) for up to - **18 monthly instalments** after a death on or after 6 April 2017 - (extended from 12 months by the Bereavement Benefits - (Remedial) Order 2023, SI 2023/134, after the McLaughlin / Jackson - ECHR rulings). +- **18 monthly payments** of £100 (Standard) or £350 (Higher), for a + death on or after 6 April 2017 + ([GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/bereavement-support-payment/what-youll-get)). + +The Higher Rate applies if, when the partner died, the claimant was +getting (or entitled to) Child Benefit for a child living with them, or +was pregnant. The +[Bereavement Benefits (Remedial) Order 2023](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/134/contents) +(SI 2023/134) extended BSP and WPA to cohabiting partners with +children, with effect back to 30 August 2018, after the Supreme Court's +2018 McLaughlin judgment. It didn't change the number of payments. To model this we need: @@ -74,8 +87,8 @@ Both `lump_sum_amount` and `monthly_amount` parameter trees split on ### Phase 2 — WPA (historical) under the same formula Widowed Parent's Allowance (under [Social Security Contributions and -Benefits Act 1992 s. 39A][sscba-39a]) was paid for deaths between -April 2001 and 5 April 2017. The benefit: +Benefits Act 1992 s. 39A][sscba-39a]) was paid for deaths from April +2001 to 5 April 2017. The benefit: - Continued for as long as the surviving spouse had a dependent child. - Was uprated annually. @@ -89,20 +102,22 @@ For historical analyses the model should: formula reading the WPA rate parameter (which would need backfilling under `gov/dwp/wpa/rate.yaml`). -WPA receipts are now a closing tail of the recipient pool (no new -awards) but still appear in current FRS waves; the present model -treats those as a generic `maintenance_income`-class residue. Closing -this gap improves the alignment of HBAI net income for the few -thousand remaining recipients. +WPA has no new awards, but existing awards continue while the +surviving parent has a dependent child, so some recipients remain. In +the current data they sit inside `bsp_reported` (see above), so they +are already counted in income; the gap is that they can't be told +apart from BSP or reformed separately. ### Phase 3 — data-side bereavement flag -`is_bereaved_recently` doesn't exist in the FRS as a clean field; it -would need imputing in `policyengine-uk-data` from: +`is_bereaved_recently` doesn't exist in the FRS. The FRS is a +cross-section, not a panel, and doesn't record when a partner died, so +the flag would need imputing in Microcosm UK: -- the FRS marital-status code transitions between waves (widowed in - current wave but not in the previous wave), -- DWP BSP/WPA caseload by region by year as the calibration target. +- start from FRS respondents who report BSP (once it is separated from + the other codes, as above) and from widowed respondents; +- calibrate to DWP's BSP and WPA caseloads ([Stat-Xplore](https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/)) by age, sex + and region. This is the heaviest of the three phases; without it the new variables work for the household-calculator (which can input the flag @@ -110,8 +125,8 @@ directly) but not for microsim aggregates. ## Open questions -- BSP is currently uprated discretionarily rather than by statute. The - monthly rate has been £100/£350 since 2017 with no annual uprating. +- BSP isn't uprated each year. The rates have been £2,500/£3,500 and + £100/£350 since 2017. Should the parameter tree carry an explicit `uprating: gov.economic_assumptions.indices.obr.consumer_price_index` to mirror what other DWP rates do, or hold flat to match the @@ -119,19 +134,19 @@ directly) but not for microsim aggregates. - WPA recipients who would have been on BSP under the new rules: do we want a reform-side parameter "treat all WPA receipts as if they were BSP" for counterfactual analysis? -- The McLaughlin / Jackson ECHR rulings extended BSP to cohabiting - partners with children from 9 February 2023. The current - `bsp_higher_rate_eligible` rule should encode this in its - effective-date logic. +- The 2023 Remedial Order extended BSP to cohabiting partners with + children, with effect from 30 August 2018. Eligibility should not + require marriage or civil partnership for deaths from that date where + there are children. ## References - [Pensions Act 2014, Part 5](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/19/part/5) — primary statute for BSP. - [Bereavement Support Payment Regulations 2017 (SI 2017/410)][bsp-regs]. -- [Bereavement Benefits (Remedial) Order 2023 (SI 2023/134)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/134/contents) — cohabiting-parent extension and 18-month limit. +- [Bereavement Benefits (Remedial) Order 2023 (SI 2023/134)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/134/contents) — cohabiting-parent extension, effective from 30 August 2018. - [SSCBA 1992 s. 39A][sscba-39a] — legacy WPA basis. - gov.uk, [Bereavement Support Payment](https://www.gov.uk/bereavement-support-payment) and [Widowed Parent's Allowance](https://www.gov.uk/widowed-parents-allowance). -- DWP, [Bereavement support statistics](https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dwp-statistical-summaries-on-bereavement-payments). +- DWP, [Stat-Xplore](https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/): Bereavement Support Payment and Widowed Parent's Allowance caseloads. - Issues: [#466](https://github.com/PolicyEngine/policyengine-uk/issues/466) (BSP formula), [#465](https://github.com/PolicyEngine/policyengine-uk/issues/465) (historical WPA). [pa-2014-5]: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/19/part/5 From 4f85fe77a3970d040cfddc79e7b190b29e03fc66 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: vahid-ahmadi Date: Mon, 12 Oct 2026 11:06:17 +0200 Subject: [PATCH 3/5] Check the bereavement support plan against main and Microcosm Match the bsp snippet to main, link Microcosm's source note that FRS code 9 is War Widow's Pension, note that bsp_reported is CPI-uprated although BSP rates are frozen, correct the WPA date range, use lower-case rate names as GOV.UK does, and remove em dashes. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 --- .../gov/dwp/bereavement-support-plan.md | 53 ++++++++++--------- 1 file changed, 29 insertions(+), 24 deletions(-) diff --git a/docs/book/programs/gov/dwp/bereavement-support-plan.md b/docs/book/programs/gov/dwp/bereavement-support-plan.md index 6fe8781f1f..8cca29adce 100644 --- a/docs/book/programs/gov/dwp/bereavement-support-plan.md +++ b/docs/book/programs/gov/dwp/bereavement-support-plan.md @@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ ```{warning} **Currently reported-only.** PolicyEngine UK models the Bereavement -Support Payment (BSP) as `adds = ["bsp_reported"]` — i.e. the value +Support Payment (BSP) as `adds = ["bsp_reported"]`, so the value flows through from the dataset, with no derived eligibility or rule-based amount. This page captures the proposed formula-based extension covering both BSP and the legacy Widowed Parent's Allowance @@ -21,11 +21,12 @@ Just the FRS-reported amount: ```python class bsp(Variable): - label = "Bereavement Support Payment" + value_type = float entity = Person + label = "Bereavement Support Payment" definition_period = YEAR - value_type = float unit = GBP + adds = ["bsp_reported"] ``` @@ -37,25 +38,26 @@ That means: - The legacy WPA has no variable of its own. Microcosm UK fills `bsp_reported` from FRS benefit codes 6 and 9 ([`frs_spine.py`](https://github.com/PolicyEngine/microcosm/blob/75167a68/packages/microcosm-build/src/microcosm/build/uk_runtime/frs_spine.py#L825)), - and Microcosm's own source notes say code 6 mixes benefits and code 9 - is War Widow's Pension. So the reported "BSP" also carries legacy + and Microcosm's own + [source notes](https://github.com/PolicyEngine/microcosm/blob/d1fda720/packages/microcosm-build/src/microcosm/build/uk/spec/sources.yaml#L1870) + say code 6 mixes benefits and code 9 is tax-free War Widow's Pension. So the reported "BSP" also carries legacy widow's benefits and War Widow's Pension. ## Proposed scope -### Phase 1 — BSP rule-based formula +### Phase 1: rule-based BSP formula The BSP under the [Pensions Act 2014, Part 5][pa-2014-5] and the [Bereavement Support Payment Regulations 2017][bsp-regs] (SI 2017/410) pays: -- A **lump-sum** of either £2,500 (Standard Rate) or £3,500 (Higher - Rate, with a dependent child). -- **18 monthly payments** of £100 (Standard) or £350 (Higher), for a +- A **lump sum** of either £2,500 (standard rate) or £3,500 (higher + rate, with a dependent child). +- **18 monthly payments** of £100 (standard) or £350 (higher), for a death on or after 6 April 2017 ([GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/bereavement-support-payment/what-youll-get)). -The Higher Rate applies if, when the partner died, the claimant was +The higher rate applies if, when the partner died, the claimant was getting (or entitled to) Child Benefit for a child living with them, or was pregnant. The [Bereavement Benefits (Remedial) Order 2023](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/134/contents) @@ -65,11 +67,11 @@ children, with effect back to 30 August 2018, after the Supreme Court's To model this we need: -- `is_bereaved_recently` (Person, YEAR) — a new input flagging +- `is_bereaved_recently` (Person, YEAR): a new input flagging whether the person has been bereaved in the last 18 months. -- `bsp_higher_rate_eligible` (Person, YEAR) — whether they have a +- `bsp_higher_rate_eligible` (Person, YEAR): whether they have a dependent child. -- `bsp_months_remaining` (Person, YEAR) — how many of the 18 monthly +- `bsp_months_remaining` (Person, YEAR): how many of the 18 monthly instalments fall within the simulation year. The BSP formula then becomes: @@ -84,11 +86,11 @@ bsp = ( Both `lump_sum_amount` and `monthly_amount` parameter trees split on `bsp_higher_rate_eligible` (£3,500 / £350 vs £2,500 / £100). -### Phase 2 — WPA (historical) under the same formula +### Phase 2: historical WPA under the same formula Widowed Parent's Allowance (under [Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992 s. 39A][sscba-39a]) was paid for deaths from April -2001 to 5 April 2017. The benefit: +2001 up to 5 April 2017. The benefit: - Continued for as long as the surviving spouse had a dependent child. - Was uprated annually. @@ -96,8 +98,9 @@ Benefits Act 1992 s. 39A][sscba-39a]) was paid for deaths from April For historical analyses the model should: -- Add `wpa_eligible` (Person, YEAR) — bereavement date 2001-04 to - 2017-04 inclusive, with a dependent child. +- Add `wpa_eligible` (Person, YEAR): partner died between April 2001 + and 5 April 2017, the survivor is under State Pension age and is + entitled to Child Benefit. - Add `widowed_parents_allowance` (Person, YEAR) as a derived formula reading the WPA rate parameter (which would need backfilling under `gov/dwp/wpa/rate.yaml`). @@ -108,7 +111,7 @@ the current data they sit inside `bsp_reported` (see above), so they are already counted in income; the gap is that they can't be told apart from BSP or reformed separately. -### Phase 3 — data-side bereavement flag +### Phase 3: data-side bereavement flag `is_bereaved_recently` doesn't exist in the FRS. The FRS is a cross-section, not a panel, and doesn't record when a partner died, so @@ -120,14 +123,16 @@ the flag would need imputing in Microcosm UK: and region. This is the heaviest of the three phases; without it the new -variables work for the household-calculator (which can input the flag +variables work for the household calculator (which can input the flag directly) but not for microsim aggregates. ## Open questions - BSP isn't uprated each year. The rates have been £2,500/£3,500 and - £100/£350 since 2017. - Should the parameter tree carry an explicit + £100/£350 since 2017. The model's `bsp_reported` is nonetheless + uprated with CPI, which suits the War Widow's Pension and legacy + widow's benefits it also contains but not BSP itself. Should the new + parameter tree carry an explicit `uprating: gov.economic_assumptions.indices.obr.consumer_price_index` to mirror what other DWP rates do, or hold flat to match the historical reality? @@ -141,10 +146,10 @@ directly) but not for microsim aggregates. ## References -- [Pensions Act 2014, Part 5](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/19/part/5) — primary statute for BSP. +- [Pensions Act 2014, Part 5](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/19/part/5): primary statute for BSP. - [Bereavement Support Payment Regulations 2017 (SI 2017/410)][bsp-regs]. -- [Bereavement Benefits (Remedial) Order 2023 (SI 2023/134)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/134/contents) — cohabiting-parent extension, effective from 30 August 2018. -- [SSCBA 1992 s. 39A][sscba-39a] — legacy WPA basis. +- [Bereavement Benefits (Remedial) Order 2023 (SI 2023/134)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/134/contents): cohabiting-parent extension, effective from 30 August 2018. +- [SSCBA 1992 s. 39A][sscba-39a]: legacy WPA basis. - gov.uk, [Bereavement Support Payment](https://www.gov.uk/bereavement-support-payment) and [Widowed Parent's Allowance](https://www.gov.uk/widowed-parents-allowance). - DWP, [Stat-Xplore](https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/): Bereavement Support Payment and Widowed Parent's Allowance caseloads. - Issues: [#466](https://github.com/PolicyEngine/policyengine-uk/issues/466) (BSP formula), [#465](https://github.com/PolicyEngine/policyengine-uk/issues/465) (historical WPA). From 5006399e013d79650637ffb4b508a0ba6d449d95 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: vahid-ahmadi Date: Mon, 12 Oct 2026 11:41:39 +0200 Subject: [PATCH 4/5] Describe the Enhanced FRS as the certified UK dataset policyengine.py 6.2.6 certifies policyengine-uk-data 1.58.0 as the UK default; Microcosm UK is the replacement being built. Both derive the fields this page relies on in the same way. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 --- .../programs/gov/dwp/bereavement-support-plan.md | 13 ++++++++----- 1 file changed, 8 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-) diff --git a/docs/book/programs/gov/dwp/bereavement-support-plan.md b/docs/book/programs/gov/dwp/bereavement-support-plan.md index 8cca29adce..86da510bd1 100644 --- a/docs/book/programs/gov/dwp/bereavement-support-plan.md +++ b/docs/book/programs/gov/dwp/bereavement-support-plan.md @@ -11,8 +11,9 @@ extension covering both BSP and the legacy Widowed Parent's Allowance the related historical-WPA ask in [#465](https://github.com/PolicyEngine/policyengine-uk/issues/465). Updated October 2026: still reported-only; the facts below were checked -against GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk, and the data notes now describe -Microcosm UK, the current UK data pipeline. +against GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk. The data notes cover both the +certified Enhanced FRS (policyengine-uk-data) and Microcosm UK, the +dataset being built to replace it. ``` ## What's currently modelled @@ -35,8 +36,9 @@ That means: - Reform analyses changing BSP rates have no household-level surface. - Anyone bereaved after the FRS reference week never appears as a BSP recipient even if eligible. -- The legacy WPA has no variable of its own. Microcosm UK fills - `bsp_reported` from FRS benefit codes 6 and 9 +- The legacy WPA has no variable of its own. Both the Enhanced FRS + ([`frs.py`](https://github.com/PolicyEngine/policyengine-uk-data/blob/main/policyengine_uk_data/datasets/frs.py)) + and Microcosm UK fill `bsp_reported` from FRS benefit codes 6 and 9 ([`frs_spine.py`](https://github.com/PolicyEngine/microcosm/blob/75167a68/packages/microcosm-build/src/microcosm/build/uk_runtime/frs_spine.py#L825)), and Microcosm's own [source notes](https://github.com/PolicyEngine/microcosm/blob/d1fda720/packages/microcosm-build/src/microcosm/build/uk/spec/sources.yaml#L1870) @@ -115,7 +117,8 @@ apart from BSP or reformed separately. `is_bereaved_recently` doesn't exist in the FRS. The FRS is a cross-section, not a panel, and doesn't record when a partner died, so -the flag would need imputing in Microcosm UK: +the flag would need imputing in the data (Microcosm UK, as the +replacement dataset): - start from FRS respondents who report BSP (once it is separated from the other codes, as above) and from widowed respondents; From f70067f6aeaf5fc5a6ab595204a9bd96acb91cac Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Max Ghenis Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2026 02:32:48 -0400 Subject: [PATCH 5/5] Correct the bereavement support plan against the law and the builds MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit The page reached main through #2386 (with d7ed2889a and 1d9405370) and its changelog line shipped in 2.143.0, so this drops the released .added fragment and corrects main's copy: - Microcosm UK is the certified default since policyengine.py 6.10.0; its main branch moved FRS code 9 to war_widows_pension_reported (microcosm#1333); uk-data still sums codes 6 and 9. The FRS labels code 6 "BSP / Widowed Parent's Allowance". - BSP lump sum only if claimed within 12 months (SI 2017/410 reg 3(2), (5)); "up to" 18 payments; higher-rate test per reg 4. - Remedial Order: Jackson (2020) for BSP; cohabitees bereaved 6 April 2017 to 29 August 2018 get fewer payments (reg 2(7)-(11)); BSP cohabitee eligibility covers deaths from 6 April 2017. - WPA: deaths before 6 April 2017 except a widow's husband before 9 April 2001 (s. 39A(1), (1A)); continuation per s. 39A(4)-(5); still uprated (£156.65, SI 2026/148 art 18); new claims still arise (3,400 under the Remedial Order, DWP July 2025). - Stat-Xplore carries BSP from April 2017; WPA there is unconfirmed. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 --- ...bereavement-support-corrections.changed.md | 1 + changelog.d/466.added.md | 1 - .../gov/dwp/bereavement-support-plan.md | 122 ++++++++++++------ 3 files changed, 82 insertions(+), 42 deletions(-) create mode 100644 changelog.d/466-bereavement-support-corrections.changed.md delete mode 100644 changelog.d/466.added.md diff --git a/changelog.d/466-bereavement-support-corrections.changed.md b/changelog.d/466-bereavement-support-corrections.changed.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..e395fdba47 --- /dev/null +++ b/changelog.d/466-bereavement-support-corrections.changed.md @@ -0,0 +1 @@ +Corrected the bereavement support plan (docs/book/programs/gov/dwp/bereavement-support-plan.md): Microcosm UK as the certified default and its split of FRS code 9, the BSP claim-time limits and higher-rate test, the cohabitee rules after the 2023 Remedial Order, and the WPA dates, continuation, uprating and new claims. diff --git a/changelog.d/466.added.md b/changelog.d/466.added.md deleted file mode 100644 index 5bf393a6b5..0000000000 --- a/changelog.d/466.added.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1 +0,0 @@ -Added a plan for a rule-based Bereavement Support Payment and historical Widowed Parent's Allowance (#466, #465) at `docs/book/programs/gov/dwp/bereavement-support-plan.md`. diff --git a/docs/book/programs/gov/dwp/bereavement-support-plan.md b/docs/book/programs/gov/dwp/bereavement-support-plan.md index 9499139048..87fcd8990b 100644 --- a/docs/book/programs/gov/dwp/bereavement-support-plan.md +++ b/docs/book/programs/gov/dwp/bereavement-support-plan.md @@ -12,8 +12,9 @@ the related historical-WPA ask in [#465](https://github.com/PolicyEngine/policyengine-uk/issues/465). Updated October 2026: still reported-only; the facts below were checked against GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk. The data notes cover both the -certified Enhanced FRS (policyengine-uk-data) and Microcosm UK, the -dataset being built to replace it. +Enhanced FRS (policyengine-uk-data, which policyengine-uk's own tests +still pin at 1.58.1) and Microcosm UK, which replaced it as the certified +default UK dataset in policyengine.py 6.10.0 (21 October 2026). ``` ## What's currently modelled @@ -36,20 +37,30 @@ That means: - Reform analyses changing BSP rates have no household-level surface. - Anyone bereaved after the FRS reference week never appears as a BSP recipient even if eligible. -- The legacy WPA has no variable of its own. Both the Enhanced FRS +- The legacy WPA has no variable of its own. The Enhanced FRS ([`frs.py`](https://github.com/PolicyEngine/policyengine-uk-data/blob/main/policyengine_uk_data/datasets/frs.py)) - and Microcosm UK fill `bsp_reported` from FRS benefit codes 6 and 9 - ([`frs_spine.py`](https://github.com/PolicyEngine/microcosm/blob/75167a68/packages/microcosm-build/src/microcosm/build/uk_runtime/frs_spine.py#L825)), - and Microcosm's own + fills `bsp_reported` from FRS benefit codes 6 and 9, and so did + Microcosm UK up to its certified 19 October 2026 build + ([`frs_spine.py`](https://github.com/PolicyEngine/microcosm/blob/75167a68/packages/microcosm-build/src/microcosm/build/uk_runtime/frs_spine.py#L825)); + Microcosm's own [source notes](https://github.com/PolicyEngine/microcosm/blob/d1fda720/packages/microcosm-build/src/microcosm/build/uk/spec/sources.yaml#L1870) - say code 6 mixes benefits and code 9 is tax-free War Widow's Pension. So the reported "BSP" also carries legacy - widow's benefits and War Widow's Pension. + say code 6 mixes benefits and code 9 is tax-free War Widow's Pension. + The FRS labels code 6 "Bereavement Support Payment / Widowed Parent's + Allowance" and code 9 "War Widow's/Widower's Pension", so wherever both + codes are summed the reported "BSP" also carries Widowed Parent's + Allowance and War Widow's Pension. Microcosm's main branch now puts + code 9 in `war_widows_pension_reported` and keeps only code 6 in + `bsp_reported` + ([microcosm#1333](https://github.com/PolicyEngine/microcosm/pull/1333)). - Since [#2382](https://github.com/PolicyEngine/policyengine-uk/pull/2382) (2.135.7), War Widow's Pension has its own variables, `war_widows_pension_reported` and `war_widows_pension`. `bsp_reported` keeps CPI uprating only until the datasets move FRS code 9 out of it - ([policyengine-uk-data#578](https://github.com/PolicyEngine/policyengine-uk-data/issues/578), - [microcosm#1222](https://github.com/PolicyEngine/microcosm/issues/1222)); + (done on Microcosm's main branch in microcosm#1333; still open for the + Enhanced FRS in + [policyengine-uk-data#578](https://github.com/PolicyEngine/policyengine-uk-data/issues/578), + and [microcosm#1222](https://github.com/PolicyEngine/microcosm/issues/1222) + is still open); [#2381](https://github.com/PolicyEngine/policyengine-uk/issues/2381) tracks freezing it after that. @@ -62,18 +73,27 @@ The BSP under the [Pensions Act 2014, Part 5][pa-2014-5] and the pays: - A **lump sum** of either £2,500 (standard rate) or £3,500 (higher - rate, with a dependent child). -- **18 monthly payments** of £100 (standard) or £350 (higher), for a - death on or after 6 April 2017 - ([GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/bereavement-support-payment/what-youll-get)). - -The higher rate applies if, when the partner died, the claimant was -getting (or entitled to) Child Benefit for a child living with them, or -was pregnant. The + rate), paid only if the claim is made within 12 months of the death + (SI 2017/410 reg 3(2) and (5)). +- Up to **18 monthly payments** of £100 (standard) or £350 (higher), all + 18 only if the claim is made within 3 months of the death + ([GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/bereavement-support-payment/what-youll-get)), + for a death on or after 6 April 2017, when Pensions Act 2014 s. 30 came + fully into force. Someone who reaches State Pension age within 18 + months of the death may get fewer. + +The higher rate applies if the claimant was pregnant or entitled to +Child Benefit when the partner died, or later became entitled to Child +Benefit for a child who lived with them or the partner immediately +before the death (SI 2017/410 reg 4). The [Bereavement Benefits (Remedial) Order 2023](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/134/contents) (SI 2023/134) extended BSP and WPA to cohabiting partners with children, with effect back to 30 August 2018, after the Supreme Court's -2018 McLaughlin judgment. It didn't change the number of payments. +2018 McLaughlin judgment (on WPA) and the High Court's 2020 Jackson +judgment (on BSP). It kept the 18-month maximum, but a cohabiting +partner whose partner died between 6 April 2017 and 29 August 2018 gets +18 monthly payments less one for each month that had passed by +29 August 2018 (SI 2017/410 reg 2(7) to (11)). To model this we need: @@ -82,8 +102,10 @@ To model this we need: the [single initial payment](https://www.gov.uk/bereavement-support-payment/what-youll-get) is paid once. A flag for "bereaved in the last 18 months" would stay true across two consecutive annual periods and pay the lump sum twice. -- `bsp_higher_rate_eligible` (Person, YEAR): whether they have a - dependent child. +- `bsp_higher_rate_eligible` (Person, YEAR): whether they were pregnant + or entitled to Child Benefit when the partner died, or became entitled + afterwards for a child who lived with them or the partner + (SI 2017/410 reg 4). - `bsp_months_remaining` (Person, YEAR): how many of the 18 monthly instalments fall within the simulation year (0 to 12). This is where the 18-month window belongs. @@ -113,24 +135,37 @@ been £350, £3,500, £100 and £2,500 since April 2017, and the ### Phase 2: historical WPA under the same formula Widowed Parent's Allowance (under [Social Security Contributions and -Benefits Act 1992 s. 39A][sscba-39a]) was paid for deaths from April -2001 up to 5 April 2017. The benefit: - -- Continued for as long as the surviving spouse had a dependent child. -- Was uprated annually. +Benefits Act 1992 s. 39A][sscba-39a]) is paid for deaths before 6 April +2017 (s. 39A(1)(a)), except where a woman's husband died before 9 April +2001 (s. 39A(1A)). The benefit: + +- Continues while the survivor is entitled to Child Benefit for a + qualifying child (or is pregnant) and is under State Pension age, and + ends on remarriage or a new civil or cohabiting partnership + (s. 39A(4) and (5)). +- Is uprated each April (£156.65 a week from April 2026, SI 2026/148 + art 18). - Was replaced by BSP for deaths from 6 April 2017. For historical analyses the model should: -- Add `wpa_eligible` (Person, YEAR): partner died between April 2001 - and 5 April 2017, the survivor is under State Pension age and is - entitled to Child Benefit. +- Add `wpa_eligible` (Person, YEAR): the partner died before 6 April + 2017 (but not a woman's husband before 9 April 2001), the partner met + the contribution conditions, and the survivor is under State Pension + age, has not remarried or formed a new partnership, and is entitled to + Child Benefit for a qualifying child or is pregnant (SSCBA 1992 + s. 39A). - Add `widowed_parents_allowance` (Person, YEAR) as a derived formula reading the WPA rate parameter (which would need backfilling under `gov/dwp/wpa/rate.yaml`). -WPA has no new awards, but existing awards continue while the -surviving parent has a dependent child, so some recipients remain. In +WPA is closed to deaths from 6 April 2017, but claims for earlier +deaths are still possible: the 2023 Remedial Order brought about 3,400 +successful WPA claims from cohabiting partners between February 2023 and +November 2024 +([DWP, July 2025](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bereavement-benefit-remedial-order-uptake-february-2023-to-november-2024)). +Existing awards continue while the surviving parent is entitled to Child +Benefit and under State Pension age, so some recipients remain. In the current data they sit inside `bsp_reported` (see above), so they are already counted in income; the gap is that they can't be told apart from BSP or reformed separately. @@ -138,14 +173,16 @@ apart from BSP or reformed separately. ### Phase 3: data-side bereavement inputs Neither `bsp_initial_payment_due` nor `bsp_months_remaining` exists in -the FRS. The FRS is a cross-section, not a panel, and doesn't record -when a partner died, so these inputs would need imputing in the data (Microcosm UK, as the -replacement dataset): +the FRS. The FRS is a cross-section, not a panel, and its benefits +documentation shows no record of when a partner died, so these inputs +would need imputing in the data (Microcosm UK, now the certified default +UK dataset): - start from FRS respondents who report BSP (once it is separated from the other codes, as above) and from widowed respondents; -- calibrate to DWP's BSP and WPA caseloads ([Stat-Xplore](https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/)) by age, sex - and region. +- calibrate to DWP's BSP caseloads ([Stat-Xplore](https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/), + by age, gender and geography, from April 2017) and to WPA caseloads + where DWP still publishes them. This is the heaviest of the three phases; without it the new variables work for the household calculator (which can input them @@ -156,10 +193,12 @@ directly) but not for microsim aggregates. - WPA recipients who would have been on BSP under the new rules: do we want a reform-side parameter "treat all WPA receipts as if they were BSP" for counterfactual analysis? -- The 2023 Remedial Order extended BSP to cohabiting partners with - children, with effect from 30 August 2018. Eligibility should not - require marriage or civil partnership for deaths from that date where - there are children. +- The 2023 Remedial Order extended BSP to cohabiting partners, with + effect from 30 August 2018. Eligibility should not require marriage or + civil partnership where the survivor was pregnant or entitled to Child + Benefit (Pensions Act 2014 s. 30(1)(aa)), for deaths on or after + 6 April 2017; for deaths before 30 August 2018 the monthly payments + are cut as in SI 2017/410 reg 2(7) to (11). ## References @@ -169,7 +208,8 @@ directly) but not for microsim aggregates. - [Bereavement Benefits (Remedial) Order 2023 (SI 2023/134)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/134/contents): cohabiting-parent extension, effective from 30 August 2018. - [SSCBA 1992 s. 39A][sscba-39a]: legacy WPA basis. - gov.uk, [Bereavement Support Payment](https://www.gov.uk/bereavement-support-payment) and [Widowed Parent's Allowance](https://www.gov.uk/widowed-parents-allowance). -- DWP, [Stat-Xplore](https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/): Bereavement Support Payment and Widowed Parent's Allowance caseloads. +- DWP, [Stat-Xplore](https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/): Bereavement Support Payment claims and recipients from April 2017. +- DWP, [Uptake of backdated BSP and WPA under the Bereavement Benefits (Remedial) Order 2023](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bereavement-benefit-remedial-order-uptake-february-2023-to-november-2024) (July 2025). - Issues: [#466](https://github.com/PolicyEngine/policyengine-uk/issues/466) (BSP formula), [#465](https://github.com/PolicyEngine/policyengine-uk/issues/465) (historical WPA). [pa-2014-5]: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/19/part/5