Bereavement Services

There are several bereavement counselling services available in order to help Families, Parents, Carers and children deal with the Loss of a loved one.

Here are some of the counselling services available:

The Bereavement Councelling Service
Irish Hospice Foundation
Barnardos Bereavement Counselling for Children
Console - Living with suicide
National Association of Widows in Ireland
Irish Stillbirth and Neonatal Society
 

Bereavement Financial Assistance

The Bereavement grant is a once off payment of 850 euro for deaths which occur on or after the 6th December 2006.

The Department of Social and Family Affairs - Beravement Grants

Death Benefit Insurance

Waterford Credit Union offers the member, special Death Benefit Insurance (DBI) designed to relieve the burden of bereavement costs.

Waterford Credit Union - Death Benefit Insurance

Florists

Utopia Flowers
Directory of Florists in Waterford


 

Useful Information

Checklist of Details Required When Registering a Death:

• Full name and surname of deceased
• The deceased's PPS Number
• Sex, marital status, occupation and date of birth or age of deceased
• Date and place of death
• If the deceased was married the occupation of their spouse, or deceased spouse if widowed
• If the deceased was a child, the occupation of the father, or, if the parents were not married, the occupation of the mother
• Medical Certificate of the cause of death

Where The Death took place:

In Hospital:
The majority of deaths occur in hospital and the hospital staff arranges for the laying out of the body, provide a medical certificate of the cause of death and register the death. Most hospitals have mortuaries where the body of the deceased is held until the funeral arrangements are made. You can decide to take the body home or have the remains brought to a funeral home. Another decision is whether or not to have the body embalmed if, for example, there is a delay in organising the funeral. These are personal decisions for you and your family.

At Home:
If a death occurs at home, you need to contact the doctor (GP) who attended to the deceased during their final illness. Contact your local Funeral Director who will deal with all the necessary arrangements.

Death Abroad:
Every country has its own rules about the formalities to be followed when a person dies. An undertaker here in Ireland should be able to help you deal with these formalities and arrange for the remains to be brought home if you wish.

Citizens Information Board

The Following information is provided by the Citizens Information Board.
You can also download the Bereavement Guide

Q. Who should I inform of the death?
A. The next of kin, GP and the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages should be informed immediately. Most people die of natural causes, however if the death is sudden and unexpected, the Gardaí and the Coroner may need to be informed. At a later stage you will need to inform the Department of Social and Family Affairs, if the person who died was getting a social welfare payment, or was a dependent on another person's payment. You should also inform relevant insurance companies.

Q. Who has to register the death?
A. If the death occurred at home, the next of kin or nearest relative present at the death must register the death by bringing a Medical Certificate of cause of death to the appropriate Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages, usually within 5 days. The appropriate Registrar is determined by where the death took place, not where the deceased lived. The deceased's family doctor (GP) normally issues the medical certificate, but it can be any doctor. The hospital usually registers the death if the death happened in hospital Deaths referred to the County or City Coroner are registered when the Registrar receives a certificate of the post-mortem examination or inquest from the Coroner.

Q. Where can I get a copy of the Death Certificate?
A. The Death Certificate can be obtained from the local Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages for the district where the person died. If you are registering the death, it is useful to get several copies of the Death Certificate at the same time.

Q. What is the cost of a Death Certificate?
A. The fee for a Death Certificate is currently €6.98. If you need it for Social Welfare purposes the cost is €0.89. (As of December 2006)

Q. What is the role of the funeral director/undertaker?
A. They will deal all arrangements regarding the burial or cremation, including organising the burial plot, newspaper notices and religious services if you wish. They can also organise transport of the deceased and mourners, help with arrangements for the church service, liaising with those involved in these arrangements, e.g. florists etc. They will also assist you to obtain any documentation necessary both before and after the funeral. The Irish Association of Funeral Directors have drawn up a The Code of Cremation Practise that explains what you can expect from any one of their members.

Q. What is a post mortem?
A. A post mortem (sometimes called an autopsy) is an examination carried out by a pathologist after a death where is necessary to establish the medical cause of death. The majority of deaths do not require any post mortem because the medical cause of death can be certified by a doctor who has been treating the deceased in the months prior to the death, i.e. a GP or hospital doctor.

Q. Is there any help available towards the funeral costs?
A. You may be entitled to a Bereavement Grant (currently €635) from the Department of Social and Family Affairs where the person who died has paid the relevant social insurance contributions. If you are the insured person, it is also payable if the person who died is your spouse or dependent child. Employees, including civil and public servants, and self-employed are covered by this scheme. (For deaths which took place before the 2nd February 1999 there was a Death Grant payable up to a maximum of £100.) If the death happened because of an accident at work or while travelling to or from work or as a result of a prescribed disease, you may be entitled to a Funeral Grant of €635 under the Occupational Injuries Scheme, instead of the Bereavement Grant.

Q. How do I claim a Bereavement Grant?
A. You can get the application forms by phoning LoCall 1890 20 23 25 or LoCall 1890 500 000 or you can get one at your Social Welfare Local Office, local Post Office or Citizens Information Centre. The forms can also be downloaded from the internet at
www.welfare.ie

Q. What if I don't qualify for a Bereavement Grant?
A. If you do not qualify for a Bereavement Grant you may get assistance towards the funeral expenses under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme, which is operated by the Health Boards. No social insurance contributions are required as payment is based on the means of the person responsible for paying the funeral bill. You should apply to your local Community Welfare Officer at your local Health Centre before you pay the funeral bill, as the cheque will be issued to the undertaker/funeral director. The SWA scheme also provides for Exceptional Needs Payments in particular situations

Q. If there is money in a joint account can I draw out this money?
A. Yes, if the money is held jointly with your spouse. If the account is held jointly with a person other than your spouse (e.g. the deceased is a brother, parent or partner), talk to your bank or building society. They may need a statement from the Revenue Commissioners, Capital Taxes Office, Dublin Castle, Dublin 2, LoCall 1890 201 104. This will allow you to transfer the money while any possible tax liability, such as Capital Acquisitions Tax (CAT), is being checked out. If money in the bank/building society is in the deceased's name only, then you usually cannot get access to it until probate is taken out.

Q. The deceased had a Medical Card - what should I do with it?
A. You should return it to the Health Board which issued it - see Useful Addresses section for addresses. If you are the spouse of a medical card holder, you may be entitled to a card in your own right.

Q. Who deals with the will?
A. Generally, the person named in a will as executor has the job of dealing with the terms of the will and taking out probate. There may be more than one executor. If no executor has been appointed, or if the named executor does not wish to act, an administrator may be appointed

Q. What is the procedure if the deceased didn't make a will?
A. If there is no will the next of kin can apply to the Probate Office for a grant of representation

Q. How do I take out a Grant of Probate?
A. If you are the executor or have been appointed an administrator and the estate is not complicated, you can make a personal application to the Probate Personal Application Section in the Probate Office, First Floor, 15-24 Phoenix St. North, Smithfield, Dublin 7. Tel. (01) 888 6174, or to one of the 14 District Probate Offices. Enquire about these at your local Courthouse. If the estate is complex, you should consult a solicitor

Q. What are your rights as a spouse where there is a will?
A. If there is a will
Where there are no children, you are entitled to one half of the estate;
Where there are children, you are entitled to one third of the estate. The children are not necessarily entitled to the rest

Q. What are your rights as a spouse where there is no will?
A. If there is no will:
Where there are no children, you are entitled to the entire estate;
Where there are children, you are entitled to two thirds, one third is divided equally between the children (if a child has already died, his/her children take a share).

Q. What happens to the family home after the death of a spouse?
A. If the two of you jointly own the house, then you automatically become the owner. If your spouse was the legal owner then you may require that it be given to you as part of your share of your spouse's estate. If the family home is worth more than this share, then you may have to pay the difference. However, you may apply to the court to have the house given to you either without paying the difference or by paying an amount that the court thinks reasonable. The court may make such an order if it thinks that hardship would otherwise be caused either to you or to a dependent child

Q. Will I have to pay inheritance tax?
A. If your inheritance is from your spouse it is exempt from Inheritance Tax (Capital Acquisitions Tax). Otherwise, depending on your degree of relationship with the deceased, there are certain thresholds above which CAT is payable:

Children and grandchildren under 18: €441,198
Brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces, grandchildren: €44,120
Others: €22,060

These figures relate to the tax year 2003, in which tax is payable on the balance at 20%. The family home is exempt from CAT where the person who inherits it has lived there for at least the previous 3 years and has no other house. They must own and reside in the house for six years after inheriting it.