Bereavement grant

General

A bereavement grant is paid to parents who suffer a child loss. It is intended for parents who are in full-time studies, outside of the labour market or in less than 25% work. A parent may be entitled to a bereavement grant up to:

• 6 months from the date of a child's death when the child is under the age of 18.

• 3 months from the date of an onset of stillbirth after 22 weeks of pregnancy.

• 2 months from the date of a miscarriage after 18 weeks of pregnancy.

Parents who are in paid employment in a work percentage of more than 25 % may be entitled to bereavement leave.

Amounts

A monthly bereavement grant of ISK 97.085 is granted to a parent who is not in the labour market or in less than 25% of the work.

A monthly bereavement grant of ISK 222,494 is granted to a parent who is in full-time studies, that is, 75 - 100%.

Application

Apply

Necessary supporting data

• A medical certificate or confirmation from a hospital stating the duration of the pregnancy, and the mother and father of the child, that is, who are the parents of the child.

• If the parent has submitted an application for parental leave before the time of a miscarriage or stillbirth, a new notification may need to be submitted.

Period of bereavement grant

Parents may divide the period of payments of the bereavement grant into more than one period. The minimum period is two weeks at a time.

Payments

Payment is made afterwards for the previous month.

Example: A parent who has received a grant in January will receive the last day of the week in that month.

Loss of income remedied

Parents may be entitled to receive compensation for loss of income that payment of bereavement grant does not compensate. It is also assumed that the employer may compensate for the difference between payment of bereavement grant and average total wages in the last 2 months before the loss of a child.

Payments from the employer that are intended for a period other than the one for which the parent receives a bereavement grant are not deducted from the grant.

Supervision

Monthly, a check is carried out which consists of comparing information on payments from the Directorate of Labour with the registers of tax authorities.

Payment adjustment

Overpayments

If a parent received more payments from the Directorate of Labour than he had received under the tax authorities' levy or for other reasons, the parent shall repay the amount that was overpaid plus a 15% levy. The levy shall be cancelled if the parent would argue that it should not be blamed for the deficiencies that led to the Directorate of Labour's decision.

Important to report changes

It is important that the parent notify all the cases that can lead to excessive payments from the institution. This includes changes in income or periods of grief.

You can report by email to: faedingarorlof.vmst.is