Bereavement Checklist-
What to do after a death in the UK
The initial information to locate & also a checklist on who to contact and inform of a Bereavment
Information to gather in advance of notifying a death
We’ve put together a checklist in the table below listing the people and organisations you may need to contact.
Please also see our section covering ‘The importance of getting the right information together’. As this provides a comprehensive list of which documents you should locate in advance to make the process easier in the log-run.
When you do, it’s worth having to hand the following information about the person who has died:
- their original Death Certificate (it is worth obtaining more than one original to save you time in the long run)
- their National Insurance number
- their NHS number
- their date and place of birth
- their date of marriage or civil partnership (if applicable)
- their tax reference number (if applicable)
- their passport and driving licence number (if applicable)
If you are the the ‘executor’ or ‘administrator’ It’s also worth having to hand your ID as well as the ID of next of kin and/or beneficiaries (which will depend on whether the deceased left a will). You will need ID particularly when reporting a death to a financial institution.
Normally acceptable forms of ID for financial institutions tend to be valid and originals of one or two of the following:
- Passport
- Drivers Licence (Photocard)
- Valid full or provisional driving licence (both UK and international)
- Valid UK or international passport
Blue disabled driver pass (showing serial number) - Benefits entitlements letter or book
Child tax credit or working tax credit letter - Immigration status documents or UK residence permit
- Student ID card
- UK citizen card
- UK armed forces card
- Firearms certificate
It’s also a good idea to have the deceased’s personal representatives’ (the ‘executor’ or ‘administrator’) names and addresses, in the event that is not you.
Bereavement checklist – What to do & Who to contact after a death
The table below is a guide to ensure you have a starting checklist of the initial most important things to do and most imprtant organisations to notify for the UK.
We have also listed on our webpage, under the section ‘The importance of getting the right information together’, in greater detail the deceased’s documents that you should try and locate as soon as you can to make things easier. By knowing in advance with whom accounts (also note any reference numbers) are held you will then know exactly which people and organisations should be informed.
Please also see our webpage covering a more detailed list as a guide to help ensure you have notified every person and organisation that should update their records of someone being deceased. This detailed page also lists organisation bereavement notification webpage links as well as their direct bereavement team telephone numbers (where available).
| The first things to do after a death | Tick |
|---|---|
| Obtain a medical certificate from the hospital/doctor | |
| Register the death, find out more on gov.uk to register a death | |
| Obtain a number of copies of the death certificate, this will prove useful when you need to inform various organisations of a death | |
| If there is a will, check if there are any specific requests (for example, preference for burial, cremation, type of funeral, specifics around certain people etc.) | |
| Contact funeral director to arrange funeral. We suggest contacting a few to obtain quotes as prices can vary | |
| Check if you are entitled to any extra cash to help towards the cost. Check the Gov.uk website as well as the MoneySavingExpert Website by Martin Lewis for more detail | |
| Inform the deceased’s employer | |
| Notify the deceased’s solicitor/accountant (if required) | |
| Don’t forgot to inform the GP surgery where the deceased was registered | |
| If you are not a nominated executor then notify the executors named in the will or appoint an administrator if you are unable or not willing to be the executor | |
| Government organisations to contact only if you’re not using the online Tell Us Once service | Tick |
| HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to deal with tax and cancel benefits | |
| Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to cancel any benefits such as Income Support | |
| HM Passport Office to cancel a passport | |
| Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to cancel a driving licence (you will need to send the registration certificate V5C) | |
| The local council, to cancel housing benefit, council Tax Benefit, a Blue Badge, inform council housing services and to remove the person from the electoral register | |
| The Home | Tick |
| Their mortgage provider, landlord or local authority | |
| Royal mail to arrange a re-direction service | |
| Any private organisation/agency providing home help | |
| Electricity & Gas provider | |
| Landline, Broadband & Paid TV subscriptions | |
| Mobile phone contracts | |
| TV Licence | |
| Banks and Financial Organisations | Tick |
| Bank/building society accounts (It is a crime to login to a deceased person’s bank or any other online access, even if you had the login details) | |
| Direct Debits and standing orders (This will also provide you with a good list of where the deceased held accounts that need to be informed) | |
| Credit cards and store cards | |
| NS&I (National Savings) for Premium Bonds, Income Bonds and Natonal Savings accounts | |
| Rental, hire purchase or loan agreement providers | |
| Regular scheduled delivery providers – Newspapers, groceries etc | |
| Subscriptions to clubs, groups and magazines | |
| Insurance policies such as house, car, travel, medical etc. If the person who has died was named first on an insurance policy, make contact as early as possible to ensure you’re still insured, particularly before driving their car | |
| Pensions providers and life insurance companies | |
| Any other organisations & people to consider contacting | Tick |
| Social Media account providers | |
| Email account providers | |
| Clubs, trade unions or associations to cancel their membership and possibly secure a refund | |
| Cancel any forthcoming medical appointments | |
| Dentist and optician | |
| Church or regular place of worship |
Website comments
Contact us about your experience on using NowTheAdmin.co.uk as a guide for the death notification process
This website has been created as a practical guide to help anyone in the UK going through the difficult bereavement & death notification administrative process covering what to consider from the outset, what to do with a suggestion of who should be informed .
We hope you find it useful though it should not be considered definitive as requirements and laws change. You should keep in mind indivudual circumstances and always seek professional guidance when you are unsure.