Who do I need to notify when someone dies?

Select the services and accounts the person had. The tool will generate a personalised checklist with phone numbers, documents needed, and links to our step-by-step guides — so you can work through it at your own pace.

Step 1: select what applies

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What you need to notify and why it matters

When someone dies, dozens of organisations need to be told. Banks must freeze accounts and begin the closure process. Pension providers stop payments and assess death benefits. Utility companies issue final bills. Government departments cancel benefits to prevent overpayments. Left unchecked, these can become complications — debts to repay, accounts accumulating charges, or pension payments arriving in the deceased's name months after the death.

The good news is that this can be worked through systematically. Most notifications are straightforward phone calls or online forms — each organisation has a bereavement team and a well-worn process. The challenge is knowing who to call, what to have ready, and in what order to tackle it. This checklist is designed to help with exactly that.

How to use this tool

Go through each category and tick the services the person had. If you are not sure whether they had something — a pension with a particular provider, for instance — tick it anyway and check during the call. It is easier to make an unnecessary call than to discover later that an account was never closed.

Once you have made your selection, click "Generate my checklist". You will see a personalised list with the phone number, key documents, and process time for each organisation, plus a link to our full step-by-step guide. You can print the checklist and work through it at your own pace.

What documents you will typically need

Most organisations will ask for broadly the same things. Getting these together before you start calling will save considerable time.

  • Death certificates — order several originals. Banks, insurers, pension providers, and solicitors typically require an original or certified copy each. Photocopies are rarely accepted. Order at least five when you register the death; you can request more from the General Register Office afterwards.
  • Account numbers and policy numbers. Check recent statements, letters, and emails. Utility providers and insurers particularly need these to trace the right account quickly.
  • Your own identity documents. A passport or driving licence is usually enough at first contact. Most organisations want to know your relationship to the deceased and your authority to act.
  • Grant of probate or letters of administration, if probate is needed. Banks, investment providers, and some insurers will hold larger amounts until they see the grant. The thresholds where probate is typically required are listed on each company's checklist entry and in our individual guides.

Tell Us Once — what it covers and what it does not

Tell Us Once is a free government service available in England, Scotland, and Wales. It lets you notify multiple government departments in a single step when you register the death. The registrar will either complete it with you at the register office or give you a reference number to use online or by phone within 28 days.

Tell Us Once covers: HMRC, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), the Passport Office, the DVLA, the local council (for council tax, housing benefit, and electoral roll), and several other public-sector services. For most families, using it will save several separate phone calls. Our full Tell Us Once guide explains exactly what it covers and what to expect.

What Tell Us Once does not cover: banks, insurers, pension providers, utility companies, telecoms, retail accounts, and most private-sector services. You will need to contact these separately — which is what this checklist is for. It also does not cover DLA, PIP, or Attendance Allowance (these must be reported to DWP separately), or the state pension if the person was receiving it (though Tell Us Once does notify DWP, who will then stop the pension).

Useful guides for what comes next