The Co-op brand covers five entirely separate organisations, each with its own bereavement team, phone number, and process. Before you call anyone, work out which Co-op you are dealing with – calling the wrong number will only cost you time.
Which Co-op do you need?
| Division | What it does | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Co-op Bank | Current accounts, savings, credit cards, mortgages | 03457 212 212 |
| Co-op Insurance | Home, car, and life insurance | 0345 746 4646 (home/car) · 0800 068 4244 (life) |
| Co-op Energy | Gas and electricity (now supplied by Octopus Energy) | 0808 164 1088 |
| Co-op Funeralcare | Funeral director services, prepaid funeral plans | 0800 289 120 |
| Co-op Membership | Retail membership, dividend balance, £1 share | 0800 023 4708 |
None of these organisations will have access to the other’s records. Co-op Bank cannot see a Co-op Insurance policy, and Co-op Funeralcare cannot close a Co-op Membership account. You will need to contact each relevant division separately.
Co-op Bank
If the deceased held a current account, savings account, credit card, or mortgage with Co-op Bank, you need to contact their dedicated bereavement team directly. For the full step-by-step process – documents needed, the £50,000 probate threshold, and how long it takes – see our dedicated Co-op Bank bereavement guide.
Phone (current accounts and savings): 03457 212 212 – Monday to Friday 8am–6pm, Saturday and Sunday 9am–5pm
Phone (credit cards): 0345 600 6000 – same hours
Post: The Co-operative Bank Bereavement Team, PO Box 4931, Swindon, SN4 4PL
Online: Fill in the Bereavement Instruction Form at co-operativebank.co.uk. The form can be submitted via the NIVO mobile app, Adobe Sign, or post.
Probate threshold
Probate documentation is required when the combined value of all Co-operative Bank and smile accounts exceeds £50,000. Below that threshold, the bank will accept a copy of the will (or letters of administration) in place of a grant of probate. (Source: co-operativebank.co.uk bereavement page)
Documents needed
| Document | Notes |
|---|---|
| Death certificate | Original or certified copy |
| Completed Bereavement Instruction Form | Available on the bank’s website or by post |
| Your photo ID and proof of address | Passport or driving licence plus a utility bill |
| Grant of probate or letters of administration | Required if total sole account balances exceed £50,000 |
Early release of funds is available for funeral costs and estate administration fees on presentation of invoices or receipts. Ask the bereavement team when you make first contact.
Death Notification Service
Co-op Bank is not a member of the Death Notification Service. If the deceased held accounts at other DNS member banks (such as Lloyds, Barclays, HSBC, or NatWest), a single DNS submission will notify those banks – but Co-op Bank must be contacted separately using the details above. No Co-op entity currently appears on the DNS’s published member list. (Source: deathnotificationservice.co.uk)
Scotland: Confirmation
If the deceased was domiciled in Scotland and held sole Co-op Bank accounts with a total balance exceeding £36,000, Scottish executors must obtain Confirmation (the Scottish equivalent of a grant of probate) before the bank can release those funds. Confirmation is granted by the Sheriff Court in Scotland. Below £36,000, the bank will typically release funds on a small estate affidavit. (Source: mygov.scot – Confirmation)
Northern Ireland
If the deceased was ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland, the executor should obtain a grant of probate or letters of administration from the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service (NICTS) where required. Submit this alongside the standard Bereavement Instruction Form. The Co-op Bank probate threshold (£50,000) applies regardless of where in the UK the account was held.
What to know about the Coventry Building Society acquisition
Coventry Building Society completed its purchase of Co-op Bank on 1 January 2025. The two organisations continue to operate under their separate brands while integration work is carried out – a process expected to take several years. For now, Co-op Bank customers use the same contacts, account numbers, and sort codes as before. If the deceased also held a Coventry account, it needs notifying separately – see our dedicated Coventry Building Society bereavement guide for the full process, including its own probate threshold and documents needed.
Co-op Insurance
Co-op Insurance still operates under the Co-op brand for home, car, and life products. Its underwriting is split: home and car policies are handled through Co-op Insurance Services, while life insurance policies have been underwritten by Royal London since 2013. This means the bereavement process differs by product type.
Home and car insurance
Phone: 0345 746 4646
Post: Co-op Insurance, PO Box 67, Mitcheldean, GL17 0ZA
When you call, have the policy number and the date of death to hand. The team will:
- Place a note on the policy and freeze further changes
- Discuss options for the property (if the deceased lived alone, the home becomes unoccupied from the date of death – most standard policies limit unoccupied cover to 30–60 days, so act promptly)
- Arrange cancellation and calculate any pro-rata refund due
Car insurance becomes invalid when the named driver dies. If a surviving partner or family member is using the vehicle, they should not assume cover continues. Contact Co-op Insurance to either transfer the policy to another named driver or cancel it.
Life insurance and over-50s life cover
Phone: 0800 068 4244
Co-op life insurance policies are underwritten by Royal London. If the policy was purchased before 2019, the terms and contact process may differ – mention the purchase date when you call. To make a claim you will need the policy number, death certificate, and the bank details for the beneficiary or estate.
Scotland: Confirmation and life insurance
If the deceased was domiciled in Scotland and the life policy proceeds are payable to their estate (rather than to a named beneficiary directly), the executor may need Confirmation before Royal London will release the funds – the £36,000 threshold applies to the estate’s total assets. If the policy has a named beneficiary other than the estate, Confirmation is typically not required and the insurer pays the beneficiary directly.
Documents needed for insurance
| Type | Documents typically needed |
|---|---|
| Home insurance | Policy number, death certificate, contact details for any refund |
| Car insurance | Policy number, death certificate, details of surviving named drivers |
| Life insurance | Policy number, death certificate (original or certified copy), beneficiary’s bank details |
Co-op Energy
Co-op Energy no longer operates as an independent supplier. Its customer accounts transferred to Octopus Energy in 2019 under a commercial arrangement. The “Your Co-op Energy” brand still exists – it is supplied by Octopus Energy and is part of Central England Co-operative – but all calls are handled directly by Octopus Energy.
Phone (Your Co-op Energy existing customers): 0808 164 1088
If the deceased held a Co-op Energy gas or electricity account, contact Octopus Energy to notify them. Any credit balance refund will come from Octopus, not the Co-op Group. See our Octopus Energy bereavement guide for the full process and documents needed.
Energy accounts hold no financial assets and do not require probate documentation. Scotland Confirmation and Northern Ireland NICTS grants do not apply to utility account closure.
Co-op Funeralcare
Co-op Funeralcare is the UK’s largest funeral director, operating more than 800 branches across England, Scotland, and Wales. It is a trading division of the Co-op Group – unlike Co-op Bank, it is part of the same organisation as Co-op Food and Co-op Membership.
Central phone line: 0800 289 120 – available 24 hours a day, seven days a week
If Co-op Funeralcare arranged the funeral
If you have already engaged a Co-op Funeralcare branch to handle the funeral, that branch is your direct point of contact. There is no separate estate notification step – the funeral arrangement process serves as the notification. For queries about outstanding invoices, prepaid funeral plan redemptions, or anything else, contact the branch directly or use the central line above.
Prepaid funeral plans
If the deceased held a prepaid funeral plan with Co-op Funeralcare but a different funeral director has been engaged, or if you need to query a plan arranged at a different branch, call 0800 289 120. Since July 2022, all funeral plan providers have been regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority – Co-op Funeralcare is FCA-authorised and customer funds are held in a separate trust.
Free bereavement notification service
Co-op Funeralcare, working with Co-op Legal Services, offers a free Bereavement Notification and Advice Service to families who arrange a funeral through them. The service includes:
- Pre-populated notification letters to banks, pension providers, and other organisations
- Help stopping unsolicited mail addressed to the deceased
- Practical guidance on probate and estate administration
Phone: 0333 060 7182
Few families know to ask for this – but it is included at no extra cost for anyone who arranges a funeral through Co-op Funeralcare. Ask the branch when you first make contact. (Source: co-oplegalservices.co.uk)
Co-op Membership and Food
Closing a Co-op Membership account
Most regular Co-op shoppers hold a Co-op Membership account. For a one-off £1 payment, members become co-owners of the Co-op Group and earn a dividend – a percentage of what they spend on Co-op Food and other Co-op services. When a member dies, the account must be closed and the outstanding dividend balance claimed as an asset of the estate.
Phone: 0800 023 4708 (freephone)
Email: membershipcontactus@coop.co.uk
When you contact the Membership team, have ready: the deceased’s Membership card number (or their email address used to log in to the app), full name, date of birth, date of death, and usual address.
Claim the dividend before requesting account closure. Outstanding dividend is an asset of the estate. If the account is closed before the balance is claimed, recovery becomes significantly more complicated. Raise the dividend balance in your first contact – the team will then explain the process for releasing it.
Once notified, the Membership team will freeze the account and stop ongoing dividend accumulation. The executor can then request:
- The outstanding dividend balance – paid to the estate on production of appropriate authority documents.
- The original £1 membership share – refunded to the estate. It has no market value above £1 but forms part of the estate and should be claimed.
Under co-operative law, a member may have nominated a beneficiary for their share capital during their lifetime. If a nomination exists, the nominated person can receive the first £5,000 of the member’s assets held by the society without probate. Above £5,000, the standard probate process applies – though most membership balances fall well below this. (Source: Co-operatives UK)
Co-op Membership accounts hold small balances and are not subject to the Scotland Confirmation or Northern Ireland NICTS requirements.
Documents needed for membership closure
| Document | Notes |
|---|---|
| Death certificate | Scan or photograph accepted for initial email notification |
| Your photo ID | Passport or driving licence |
| Membership card number | On the physical card or in the Co-op app |
| Authority document | Will, grant of probate, or letters of administration – may be required to release the dividend balance |
Co-op Food online account
If the deceased used Co-op’s online food shopping service (shop.coop.co.uk), close the account to prevent any saved payment cards being misused. If you cannot access the account, contact Co-op’s online customer service team via shop.coop.co.uk/help. Cancel any active subscriptions – including a Co-op Food Delivery Pass (a recurring charge) – at the same time.
Co-op Legal Services
Co-op Legal Services is part of the Co-op Group and describes itself as the largest provider of probate and estate administration services in England and Wales. If the deceased made a will or stored documents through Co-op Legal Services, contact the team to inform them and arrange retrieval.
Phone: 0330 606 9548 – Monday to Friday 9am–5.30pm
Co-op Legal Services stores original wills it has drafted, free of charge, for the lifetime of the client. On the client’s death, the executor or personal representative can call to request retrieval of the original will. If the deceased also held a will prepared by a different solicitor but subsequently stored with Co-op Legal Services, the same retrieval process applies.
For executors who want professional help with estate administration, Co-op Legal Services offers a full probate service. If you prefer to apply for probate yourself, see gov.uk/applying-for-probate.
Tell Us Once
Tell Us Once is a government service that notifies multiple government departments – including HMRC, the DVLA, and the Passport Office – of a death in a single step. No Co-op division is covered by Tell Us Once. Each must be notified separately using the contacts above. (Source: gov.uk/after-a-death/organisations-you-need-to-contact-and-tell-us-once)
Documents and death certificates
Certified copies of the death certificate cost £12.50 each in England and Wales (source: gov.uk/order-copy-birth-death-marriage-certificate), £12 for the first certificate and £10 for each additional copy in Scotland (source: Scotland’s People), and £15 in Northern Ireland (source: nidirect). If you are notifying Co-op Bank, Co-op Insurance, and Co-op Funeralcare as well as other banks and pension providers, order several certified copies at the outset – retrieving them later is slower and more expensive.
For guidance on what to do more broadly in the weeks after a death, see our what to do after someone dies hub. For bank accounts specifically, see our guide to what happens to bank accounts when someone dies.