How to notify the DWP when someone dies

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is one of the most important organisations to notify when someone dies. The DWP pays State Pension, Universal Credit, Pension Credit, and a range of other benefits – all of which must be stopped promptly. Payments that continue after death can become overpayments that the estate has to repay.

The good news is that for most people, a single step covers the majority of DWP benefits: Tell Us Once. This is the government notification service you access when you register the death, and it contacts DWP on your behalf automatically. But Tell Us Once has limits – some benefits (DLA, PIP, Attendance Allowance) must be reported separately, and there are steps to take if you want to check whether you’re entitled to survivor benefits.

This guide explains the full picture: what Tell Us Once handles, what needs separate action, what to expect with overpayments, and what support may be available to you as the person left behind.

If you are working through everything you need to notify, our who do I need to notify? checklist tool can help – select the services the person had and get a personalised list covering banks, utilities, insurance, telecoms, and government services.

Tell Us Once: the fastest route

Tell Us Once is a free government service that lets you notify multiple government departments about a death in a single step. When you register the death at the register office, the registrar will offer to complete Tell Us Once with you on the spot – or give you a reference number to complete it online or by phone within 28 days.

For DWP, Tell Us Once covers a broad range of benefits and entitlements:

(Source: gov.uk – organisations you need to contact and Tell Us Once)

For the benefits listed as covered, Tell Us Once sends the notification directly to DWP and payments will be stopped. You do not need to call DWP separately for these. If the person who died was not receiving any of the separately listed benefits (DLA, PIP, or Attendance Allowance), Tell Us Once may be all you need to do on the DWP side.

Tell Us Once is available for deaths registered in England, Scotland, and Wales. It is not available in Northern Ireland, where you will need to contact each government department individually.

State pension: what happens and how to notify

The State Pension stops on the date of death. There is no continuing entitlement beyond that point – it is a government payment tied to the individual, not a savings pot that passes on.

In practice, payments already in transit at the time of death may land in the deceased’s bank account in the days that follow. This is an overpayment, not something you can keep. DWP will ask for it to be returned. You don’t need to take any immediate action – wait until DWP contacts you about it and follow their instructions. Keep a record of any payments received after the death in case there is any query later.

Notifying DWP directly

If you are using Tell Us Once, DWP will be notified automatically. If you cannot use Tell Us Once – for example, if the deceased was living abroad, or if you are past the 28-day Tell Us Once window – you can contact the DWP Bereavement Service directly:

• Telephone: 0800 151 2012 (free from landlines and mobiles)
• Welsh language: 0800 731 0453
• Relay UK: 18001 then 0800 151 2012
• Hours: Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm

Have the following to hand when you call:

• The deceased’s National Insurance number
• The date of death
• Your own name and contact details

Inherited State Pension

If the deceased was receiving State Pension, the surviving spouse or civil partner may be entitled to inherit some of it – though the rules depend heavily on when the deceased reached State Pension age. The DWP Bereavement Service can advise on this, or you can call the Pension Service directly on 0800 731 0469. For a detailed explanation of the inheritance rules – including how the old basic State Pension and the new State Pension differ – see our dedicated guide to what happens to the State Pension when someone dies and the wider pensions overview.

Tell Us Once stops payments but does not automatically check your inherited entitlement. You need to ask about this separately.

Universal Credit, ESA, JSA, and Income Support

These working-age benefits stop immediately when the claimant dies. If the deceased was receiving any of them, Tell Us Once will notify DWP and stop the payments. No separate call to DWP is needed for the cancellation itself.

However, there are a few things to be aware of as executor or administrator.

Joint claims: If Universal Credit was being claimed jointly with a surviving partner, the surviving partner’s claim will need to be updated. DWP will contact them once the death has been reported. The surviving partner’s entitlement will be reassessed as a single claim.

Overpayments: DWP calculates benefit entitlement in assessment periods. If the deceased received a payment covering a period that extended beyond the date of death, part of it will be treated as an overpayment. DWP will write to the estate – usually to the executor or administrator – with details of what is owed. Do not distribute the estate until you know what DWP is claiming.

Pending or disputed claims: If the deceased had an ongoing benefit appeal or a claim in progress at the time of death, notify DWP as soon as possible. The outcome of the appeal may still matter to the estate – for example, if a successful appeal would result in backdated payments owed to the estate.

(Source: gov.uk – benefit overpayments: repayments when someone has died)

DLA, PIP, and Attendance Allowance

Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Personal Independence Payment (PIP), and Attendance Allowance are disability benefits that are assessed separately from the main DWP Bereavement Service. Critically, they are not covered by Tell Us Once and must be reported through separate channels.

All three lines are free from landlines and mobiles, and are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm (Attendance Allowance) or 9am to 5pm (PIP). Relay UK is available for all of them.

When you call, you will need the deceased’s National Insurance number and the date of death. DWP will stop the payments and advise on any amounts that need to be returned. If payments were made directly into a bank account, do not spend them – they are overpayments and will need to be refunded once DWP has calculated what is owed.

(Source: gov.uk – Personal Independence Payment; gov.uk – Attendance Allowance)

What DWP benefits the survivor may be entitled to

When a partner or close family member dies, the surviving person may be eligible for financial support through DWP. This section gives a brief signpost to each – follow the links for full details.

Bereavement Support Payment is the main benefit available to surviving spouses, civil partners, and (since February 2023) some cohabiting partners. If the deceased was under State Pension age and had paid enough National Insurance contributions, the survivor may receive a tax-free lump sum and monthly payments. At the higher rate, this totals up to £9,800. You must claim within 21 months – claim within three months to receive the full amount. See our full guide to Bereavement Support Payment.

Widowed Parent’s Allowance is a legacy benefit for people whose partner died before 6 April 2017. If this applies to your situation, the Bereavement Service helpline can advise.

Pension Credit – if the deceased was the higher earner and the survivor is over State Pension age, their income will drop significantly. Pension Credit tops up weekly income to a minimum guaranteed amount. It is worth checking entitlement, especially if the survivor was not previously claiming it. Call the Pension Credit helpline on 0800 731 0469 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm).

Universal Credit changes – if the deceased and the survivor were making a joint Universal Credit claim, the surviving partner’s entitlement will be reassessed. They may receive transitional protection for a period. DWP will contact them after the death is reported.

Housing Benefit – for those not on Universal Credit, Housing Benefit entitlement changes when a household member dies. This is handled via Tell Us Once (through the local council) and may also be relevant if a surviving partner is now living alone for the first time.

All survivor benefits have claim deadlines. If in doubt, call the DWP Bereavement Service on 0800 151 2012 and ask them to do a full entitlement check. They are equipped to run through everything the surviving person may be eligible for.

Overpayments: what to do if DWP writes to you

Receiving a letter from DWP demanding repayment of benefits is one of the more stressful parts of dealing with an estate. It is, however, normal – it does not mean the deceased did anything wrong.

Overpayments arise because DWP pays benefits in advance or in arrears, and payments already in the pipeline at the point of death continue briefly before they can be stopped. The estate is responsible for returning these amounts.

Do not distribute the estate until you know what DWP is claiming. If you pay out to beneficiaries before settling the overpayment, you – as executor or administrator – may become personally liable for the amount. (Source: gov.uk – benefit overpayments: repayments when someone has died)

Provide the financial information DWP requests. If DWP Debt Management asks for evidence of the estate’s value, respond promptly. If you do not provide the information, DWP is entitled to calculate the overpayment using the gross probate figure – the full estate value before any deductions. This always results in a less favourable outcome for the estate.

If you believe the overpayment figure is wrong, you can request a mandatory reconsideration. Put this in writing, explain your grounds clearly, and include any evidence you have. DWP has postal addresses for debt queries in England and Wales (DWP Debt Management (RE), Mail Handling Site A, Wolverhampton WV98 2DG) and in Scotland (postcode WV98 2DH). If you believe the overpayment arose because DWP made an error – for example, continuing to pay after being notified – make this point explicitly.

For most estates, the overpayment will be a relatively small amount – a few weeks of benefit payments. Handle it as part of the estate administration, keep records, and do not let it delay the rest of the process unnecessarily.

Summary and key contacts

The main message: use Tell Us Once when you register the death. It handles State Pension, Pension Credit, Universal Credit, ESA, JSA, and Income Support in a single step.

For anything not covered by Tell Us Once – DLA, PIP, Attendance Allowance – call the relevant DWP helpline separately using the numbers in the table above.

If the deceased was not on Tell Us Once, or you need to report a death by phone, the DWP Bereavement Service is the central contact:

• Phone: 0800 151 2012 (free, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm)
• Welsh language line: 0800 731 0453
• Online: gov.uk/after-a-death

The Bereavement Service can cancel benefits, check survivor entitlements, and point you toward bereavement payments you may not know you are eligible for. If you are unsure where to start, call them.

Phone numbers and processes last verified: March 2026, from gov.uk and gov.uk – Bereavement Support Payment.

Related guides: How to notify your GP and NHS services | How to notify HMRC | Tell Us Once explained