How to notify Alzheimer's Society when someone dies

Last updated 15 July 2026

Reviewed by the After Loss Guide editorial team · updated 15 July 2026

Researched from primary sources. See our editorial policy.

If someone close to you supported Alzheimer’s Society – through a regular monthly gift, a fundraising walk, or simply because dementia had touched their life – that relationship doesn’t stop automatically when they die. Someone needs to tell the charity directly, both to close the supporter record and to stop the letters, emails, and calls that would otherwise keep arriving in their name.

This guide covers how to notify Alzheimer’s Society of a death, what to have ready when you call, what happens to a regular donation and any Gift Aid declaration, and how to deal with in-memory giving or a legacy gift left in the will.

For a full list of organisations to notify after a death, see what to do when someone dies.

How to notify Alzheimer’s Society

Alzheimer’s Society handles most bereavement-related contact through its donation and fundraising enquiries line, the team that manages regular donations, fundraising records, and general supporter questions.

To stop a regular donation, cancel mailings, or update a supporter’s record, contact the donations team:

If the deceased left a gift to Alzheimer’s Society in their will, this is handled separately by the dedicated Legacy Case Team rather than the donations line – see the section below on legacy gifts.

If the family wants to make a donation in the person’s memory, this is also a separate route, run through the charity’s in-memory giving service and its Forget Me Not Fund pages.

If you or a family member need support because dementia was part of the person’s life, Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Support Line is available on 0333 150 3456. This line is staffed to help with dementia-related questions and grief, and is separate from the donations team – it isn’t the right number for stopping a regular gift, but it’s worth knowing about if the death followed a dementia diagnosis and the family would welcome someone to talk to.

When you call or write to the donations team, explain that the supporter has died and give their full name and address – a supporter or donor reference number, if you have one, speeds things up but isn’t essential. It appears on any recent donation confirmation or mailing label from the charity.

Source: Alzheimer’s Society – ways to give in memory, verified July 2026.

What documents you’ll need

Alzheimer’s Society’s requirements for stopping a regular donation or supporter mailings are lighter than a bank or pension provider, because a regular gift is a charitable subscription rather than a financial account holding the deceased’s own money.

DocumentNotes
Deceased's full name and addressThe minimum needed to locate and close the supporter record
Supporter or donor reference numberSpeeds up the call but not essential – found on donation confirmations or mailing labels
Your relationship to the deceasedNeeded so the donations team can update the record appropriately
Death certificateNot published as a requirement for stopping a regular donation or mailings – this process is phone- and email-based rather than document-led

The picture is different if you’re an executor dealing with a legacy gift left to Alzheimer’s Society in the will – that process, run by the Legacy Case Team, does require specific documentation depending on the type of gift, covered below.

What happens to the regular donation and in-memory giving

Once the donations team has been notified, any regular donation set up by direct debit or standing order is cancelled and no further payments are collected. If a payment is taken after you’ve notified Alzheimer’s Society, or after the direct debit has been cancelled at the bank, you’re entitled to an immediate refund under the Direct Debit Guarantee. As a backstop, it’s worth also cancelling the instruction directly with the deceased’s bank – see our guide to what happens to direct debits when someone dies for the full process.

Any Gift Aid declaration linked to the supporter’s record ends automatically once the regular donation stops – there is nothing separate for the family to action with HMRC.

Mailings and appeals. Notifying the donations team should stop future post, email, and phone contact addressed to the deceased. As with most large fundraising charities, it can take one or two mailing cycles for this to filter through fully across every list, so it’s worth flagging again if post continues to arrive some weeks later.

If the family wants to give in memory of the person, Alzheimer’s Society offers a dedicated route entirely separate from closing the supporter record. This can take several forms:

  • A one-off or ongoing donation made in their memory, online or by phone
  • A funeral collection, either arranged through a funeral director or gathered informally and paid in afterwards
  • A Forget Me Not Fund – a personalised online tribute page where family and friends can share memories and collect donations, described by the charity as “a powerful and lasting legacy of hope for people affected by dementia”
  • Fundraising in their memory, such as organising an event or gathering with friends and family to celebrate the person’s life while raising funds

None of these require the deceased’s own supporter record to be closed first, and they can be set up at any time.

Source: Alzheimer’s Society – ways to give in memory, verified July 2026.

Legacy gifts left in a will

If the deceased left a gift to Alzheimer’s Society in their will, this is dealt with by a dedicated Legacy Case Team, separate from both the donations line and general fundraising:

  • Phone: 0370 011 0290
  • Email: legacy@alzheimers.org.uk
  • Post: Alzheimer’s Society, Legacy Case Team, Suite 2, 1st Floor East Wing, Plumer House, Tailyour Road, Plymouth PL6 5FS

To register the gift, the Legacy Case Team asks for:

  • The full name and title of the deceased
  • Their last address
  • Date of death
  • The executor’s name and contact details
  • A copy of the will
  • Details of the gift itself

Where Alzheimer’s Society has been left a residuary gift (a share of what’s left of the estate rather than a fixed sum), the charity says the process is often more complex and asks executors to make contact as early as possible – it typically needs a schedule of assets and liabilities, property valuations, and final estate accounts before the legacy can be paid.

Type of giftWhat the Legacy Case Team asks for
Pecuniary gift (a fixed sum of money)Copy of the will, deceased's details, and confirmation of the amount named
Specific gift (an item or property)Copy of the will and details of the specific asset being gifted
Residuary gift (a share of what's left of the estate)Copy of the will, schedule of assets and liabilities, and final estate accounts – best to contact the team early given the added complexity

Payment can be made by cheque, payable to “Alzheimer’s Society”, or by bank transfer using account number 91304666, sort code 40-07-14, with the reference “Legacies – [Surname of Deceased]” so the payment can be matched to the correct estate. The charity notes it is exempt from inheritance tax and capital gains tax on gifts it receives, and can often reclaim income tax – its own guidance recommends checking with the Legacy Case Team or a professional adviser on how these exemptions apply to a specific estate.

Executor details are not added to any mailing list as a result of getting in touch about a legacy.

Source: Alzheimer’s Society – make a payment as an executor, verified July 2026.

Probate and thresholds

Stopping a regular donation or closing a supporter record does not require probate – it’s a straightforward account closure, not an estate asset with a balance to release.

A legacy gift named in the will is different: it’s administered as part of the wider probate and estate process, alongside any other named beneficiary. The executor registers the gift with the Legacy Case Team using the documentation set out above, and payment follows once the estate is in a position to distribute it – typically once the Grant of Probate has been obtained and the estate’s debts and other liabilities are settled.

For general guidance on the probate process itself, see do I need probate and how long does probate take.

How long it takes

Notifying the donations team stops a regular donation within a few working days, though it can take one or two mailing cycles for post and appeals to fully stop across every list Alzheimer’s Society holds.

A legacy gift runs on a different, longer timeline, governed by the wider probate process rather than the notification itself. Once the required documents are submitted to the Legacy Case Team, the transfer can happen as soon as the estate is ready to make it – but this may be many months after the date of death if probate is still being administered, and longer still for a residuary gift given the extra evidence needed.

Tips and things to watch out for

Different purposes, different teams. Regular donations and general supporter enquiries go through the donations line (0330 333 0804), but legacy gifts go to the Legacy Case Team on a separate number and postal address – mention up front if you’re calling about a will gift, so you’re not passed between departments.

No death certificate required to stop a donation. Unlike banks and utility companies, Alzheimer’s Society’s process for stopping a regular gift or mailings doesn’t ask for one – don’t delay notifying them while you wait for certified copies you need elsewhere.

The Dementia Support Line is for people, not accounts. The 0333 150 3456 number is for dementia-related support and grief, not for administering a supporter record – if you call it about a donation, expect to be redirected to the donations team.

Expect mailings to take a little time to stop fully. Large fundraising charities often run several mailing lists in parallel. If post keeps arriving after you’ve notified Alzheimer’s Society, contact the donations team again with the reference from the mailing itself.

In-memory giving is entirely optional. There’s no obligation to set up a Forget Me Not Fund or memorial donation when you close the account – many families simply want the donation stopped, and that’s a complete outcome in itself.

A residuary legacy needs more paperwork, earlier. If you’re an executor and the will leaves Alzheimer’s Society a share of the estate rather than a fixed sum, get in touch with the Legacy Case Team as soon as you can – the additional evidence required (asset schedules, valuations, estate accounts) takes time to assemble.

Summary

To stop a regular donation or supporter mailings from Alzheimer’s Society, call the donations team on 0330 333 0804 or email supportercare@alzheimers.org.uk. No death certificate is required for this. A legacy gift named in the will is handled separately by the Legacy Case Team (0370 011 0290, legacy@alzheimers.org.uk), who need a copy of the will and the deceased’s details, plus further evidence for a residuary gift. Giving in memory, through a Forget Me Not Fund or funeral collection, is optional and entirely separate from either process.

For everything else involved in settling an estate, the what to do after a death hub covers each organisation and service you may need to notify. If the deceased also supported Macmillan Cancer Support, Cancer Research UK, the British Heart Foundation, Mind, or the RSPB, see our guides to notifying Macmillan Cancer Support when someone dies, notifying Cancer Research UK when someone dies, notifying British Heart Foundation when someone dies, notifying Mind when someone dies, and notifying the RSPB when someone dies.

Sources

For a full checklist of organisations to notify after a death, see what to do when someone dies.