Dealing with a loved one’s accounts is one of the more immediate practical tasks after a death. Nationwide, as the UK’s largest building society, holds current accounts, savings accounts, ISAs, and mortgages – and each is handled slightly differently when someone dies. This guide covers how to notify Nationwide step by step: the right phone number, which documents you’ll need, what happens to each account type, and when probate is likely to be required.
Quick reference:
- Phone: 0800 464 3018 (Monday–Friday 9am–5pm, Saturday 9am–12pm)
- Online: nationwide.co.uk/help/challenging-times/bereavement
- Post: Bereavement Services, Specialist Customer Support, Nationwide Building Society, Swindon, SN38 3FN
- Probate required if: sole account balances total more than £50,000
How to notify Nationwide of a death
You can notify Nationwide in four ways – choose whichever feels manageable.
By phone – Call 0800 464 3018, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, Saturday 9am to 12pm. Nationwide’s bereavement team is trained to handle these calls with care. You do not need the death certificate to hand before you call – Nationwide can take the initial notification and explain what to send next. If you prefer, Nationwide can try to verify the death through the government database without a certificate in the first instance.
Online – You can start the notification process at nationwide.co.uk/help/challenging-times/bereavement. Once you have submitted the initial notification, you will receive instructions on how to upload a copy of the death certificate securely.
In branch – Any Nationwide branch can take the initial notification. If you bring the original death certificate, branch staff can take a photocopy and return the original to you immediately. This avoids the need to post original documents.
By post – Write to: Bereavement Services, Specialist Customer Support, Nationwide Building Society, Swindon, SN38 3FN. You can send a certified copy of the death certificate rather than the original.
Death Notification Service – Nationwide was one of the six founding members of the Death Notification Service (deathnotificationservice.co.uk), alongside Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, RBS, and Santander. The service lets you notify all participating institutions through a single free online form. This is particularly useful when managing multiple notifications. Note that DNS handles the initial notification only – you will still need to deal with Nationwide directly to submit documents and close accounts. Source: UK Finance launch announcement, ukfinance.org.uk.
What to have ready when you notify
For the initial notification, Nationwide will need:
- The deceased’s full name, date of birth, address, and date of death
- Your name, address, telephone number, and relationship to the deceased
- At least one account number or sort code (helpful but not essential at first contact)
You do not need every document sorted before you call. Nationwide will send you a letter within 10 working days setting out the account balances and what to do next.
What documents you’ll need
After the initial notification, Nationwide will write to you confirming which documents are required. The core document is the death certificate – everything else depends on the type of account and the size of the estate.
| Document | When required | How to submit |
|---|---|---|
| Death certificate (original or certified copy) | Always | In branch (photocopy taken), posted, or uploaded online |
| Grant of Representation / Letters of Administration | Sole accounts over £50,000 | Post or in branch |
| Bereavement Request to close accounts form | To close sole accounts | Nationwide sends this to you |
| Funeral invoice (headed paper, itemised) | If requesting funeral payment | In branch or by post |
How to submit the death certificate:
- In branch – bring the original; staff will photocopy and return it on the spot.
- Online – upload a photo or scan through Nationwide’s secure online service after the initial notification.
- Post – send a certified copy (not the original) to the Swindon address above.
If the death certificate is in a language other than English, a certified translation will also be required.
Tell Us Once: does it notify Nationwide?
No. Tell Us Once is a government service that notifies government departments and public-sector organisations – HMRC, DWP, the local council, the DVLA, the Passport Office, and public-sector pension schemes. It does not cover banks, building societies, or any private-sector organisation.
Nationwide is not a Tell Us Once partner. You must notify Nationwide separately.
The equivalent for financial institutions is the Death Notification Service (see above), which does include Nationwide and allows you to notify multiple banks in a single step. Source: gov.uk/after-a-death/organisations-you-need-to-contact-and-tell-us-once.
What happens to the accounts
Current accounts and savings (sole)
Once Nationwide receives notification, any sole current or savings account remains open but is treated as part of the estate. Cards and chequebooks are cancelled – you do not need to return them. No further transactions can be made. Nationwide will send you a letter within 10 working days setting out the balances held.
The account stays open until you provide the documents needed to close it. For sole accounts with a balance under £50,000, you complete Nationwide’s Bereavement Request form – no probate needed. For balances over £50,000, a Grant of Representation is required before closure (see the probate section below).
Current accounts and savings (joint)
When the account is in joint names, Nationwide transfers it to the surviving account holder on receipt of the death certificate. The account continues to operate normally. Any direct debits or standing orders in both names will continue under the surviving holder’s name.
For a full explanation of how joint accounts work after a death in the UK – including the right of survivorship, inheritance tax, overdraft liability, and what happens if you’re in Scotland – see what happens to a joint bank account when someone dies.
ISAs
If the deceased held a Nationwide ISA, it remains open and retains its tax-free status throughout estate administration. The ISA does not lose its tax-free wrapper simply because the holder has died – it continues to shelter interest until the account is formally closed or the estate is complete, whichever comes first.
If the ISA is not closed within three years, Nationwide moves the balance into a taxable savings account, where it waits until the personal representative requests release of the funds.
For more on what happens to ISAs generally, see what happens to an ISA when someone dies.
ISA Additional Permitted Subscription (APS)
A surviving spouse or civil partner may be entitled to an Additional Permitted Subscription (APS) – also called an inherited ISA allowance. This is an extra ISA allowance equal to the value of the deceased’s ISA, which the surviving partner can use to shelter assets in their own ISA even if they do not directly inherit the funds.
How APS works at Nationwide:
- Eligibility: You must have been married to, or in a civil partnership with, the deceased at the time of death, living together and not separated by court order.
- Deadline: You have three years from the date of death, or 180 days after the estate administration is complete, whichever is later.
- Which ISAs count: Nationwide cash ISAs only (not junior ISAs or stocks and shares ISAs).
- Allowance calculation: If the deceased died on or after 6 April 2018, you can choose either the balance at the date of death or the balance at the earlier of: estate administration completion, ISA closure, or the third anniversary of death – whichever gives you the higher amount.
- How to apply: Register the death with Nationwide first. Then open a new 1 Year Triple Access ISA specifically for the inherited allowance (even if you already hold this product, a separate account is needed). Complete the ISA allowance form online or in any Nationwide branch. The payment is a single lump sum – any unused allowance is lost.
Ask Nationwide about the APS specifically when notifying – it is not raised automatically, and missing the deadline means losing the entitlement permanently. Source: Nationwide inherited ISA allowance guidance, verified June 2026.
Mortgages
Nationwide is the UK’s largest mortgage lender, so a significant proportion of bereaved families will have a mortgage to deal with alongside the current accounts. The process differs depending on whether the mortgage was held jointly or in the sole name of the person who died.
Sole mortgages
On a sole mortgage, Nationwide stops collecting the regular monthly payments for 12 months from the date of death, to give time for the estate to be settled. This period cannot be cancelled. Interest still accrues on the balance during those 12 months, so the amount owed continues to grow. The personal representative can make voluntary payments by standing order or bank transfer if they wish to keep the interest down. After 12 months, the mortgage balance will need to be repaid – typically from the proceeds of a property sale or refinancing in the estate’s name. Source: Nationwide bereavement support guide (PDF), verified July 2026.
Joint mortgages
For a joint mortgage, Nationwide transfers the account into the surviving holder’s name once it is told about the death. The surviving holder continues making the regular payments, and Nationwide’s Mortgage Team gets in touch to guide them through the next steps. The mortgage does not need to be refinanced immediately. Source: Nationwide bereavement support guide (PDF), verified July 2026.
Contact the bereavement team on 0800 464 3018 for all mortgage enquiries – the same number covers accounts, savings, and mortgages.
Building insurance gap
If the deceased was the sole policyholder for the home’s buildings insurance, that cover may not automatically continue after death. Check the policy immediately – the property needs to remain insured throughout estate administration, especially if it is empty for an extended period. Contact the insurer directly.
For a detailed explanation of what happens to mortgages after a death in the UK, see what happens to a mortgage when someone dies.
FlexPlus, FlexDirect, and FlexAccount
Nationwide’s three main current accounts each follow the standard bereavement process above. There are no separate bereavement phone numbers or teams for specific account types – all are handled through the central bereavement line on 0800 464 3018.
If the deceased held a FlexPlus account (Nationwide’s packaged account, which includes travel insurance, mobile phone insurance, and breakdown cover for a monthly fee), the insurance benefits cease when the account is frozen on notification of death. There is no death benefit payable from the account-linked insurances themselves. Notify Nationwide via the standard bereavement process; the bereavement team will cancel the monthly fee and close the account in the usual way.
One point worth checking early: if the person who died was the first-named policyholder on the FlexPlus travel insurance, any family members who relied on that policy for their own cover need to arrange alternative travel insurance, as the policy ends when the account closes. Nationwide’s own guidance asks to be told as soon as possible where the deceased was the lead insured person so remaining family are not left uninsured. Source: Nationwide bereavement support guide (PDF), verified July 2026.
Credit cards, loans, and overdrafts
If the person who died held a Nationwide credit card, personal loan, or overdraft, how it is handled depends on the balance:
- Credit card with nothing owed: Nationwide closes the account automatically on receipt of the death certificate.
- Credit card in credit: the account stays open until the closure documents are provided, and the balance forms part of the estate.
- Outstanding balance on a card, loan, or overdraft: the debt is repaid from the estate. Nationwide’s probate partner, Phillips & Cohen Associates (UK), contacts the personal representative to help arrange this. You can also call them directly on 0333 555 10 50 (Monday–Thursday 8am–8pm, Friday 8am–5.30pm, Saturday 9am–1pm, closed Sundays and bank holidays).
For credit cards, Nationwide distinguishes between the primary account holder (who took out the card and is responsible for the bills) and any additional card holder. If the primary holder dies, the account is closed and any additional cards are cancelled; an additional holder who wants to keep a card must apply for a new one. If an additional card holder dies, their name is removed and the primary holder can carry on using the account. Source: Nationwide bereavement support guide (PDF), verified July 2026.
Investments held through Nationwide
As a building society, Nationwide does not run its own in-house investment arm in the way the high-street banks do. Investment plans sold through Nationwide are provided by Aegon. If the person who died held a Nationwide investment plan, contact Aegon directly to deal with it rather than the bereavement helpdesk – you can reach Aegon UK on 0345 272 00 89. Cash ISAs and savings held directly with Nationwide are handled by the Nationwide bereavement team in the usual way; it is only packaged investment plans that route to Aegon. Source: Nationwide bereavement support guide (PDF), verified July 2026.
Virgin Money accounts
Nationwide completed its acquisition of Virgin Money, but the two run separate bereavement processes. If the person who died held both Nationwide and Virgin Money accounts, you need to notify each one separately – telling Nationwide does not tell Virgin Money. Nationwide’s own bereavement guide directs you to contact the Virgin Money Bereavement Services team on 0800 0121 590 (Monday–Friday 8am–6pm, Saturday 8am–3pm, Sunday 10am–1pm) or visit virginmoney.com/bereavement. Both Nationwide and Virgin Money are members of the Death Notification Service, so a single DNS notification reaches both, but you will still deal with each team directly to close accounts. Source: Nationwide bereavement support guide (PDF), verified July 2026.
Direct debits and standing orders
Any direct debits or standing orders on a sole account are cancelled when the account is frozen. If the deceased was paying utilities, subscriptions, or other bills from a sole account, contact those providers to make alternative arrangements – Nationwide will not notify them on your behalf.
Paying funeral costs from the account
Nationwide can release funds from a sole account to pay funeral costs before the estate is fully settled – you do not need to wait for account closure to cover these expenses. Nationwide will release the available money in the account towards the costs; if there is not enough to cover the whole bill, it releases what is there to help towards it.
There are two routes to request a payment:
- In branch: take a copy of the funeral invoice to any Nationwide branch and the bereavement team can arrange a same-day or next-working-day payment against it.
- By the IF21 form: complete Nationwide’s “Personal Representative’s request for funds to cover costs” (IF21) form. You can print it from nationwide.co.uk (search “IF21”), pick one up in branch, or call 0800 464 3018 to have one posted. Return it to a branch or to Bereavement Services, SCS, Nationwide Building Society, Swindon, SN38 3FN.
The invoice should be on the funeral company’s headed paper, itemised, and in pounds sterling. Nationwide pays by cheque made out to the funeral service provider. If you submit an estimate rather than a final invoice, Nationwide will pay the deposit only; on a final invoice, it pays the full amount. In exceptional circumstances Nationwide may make an electronic payment instead – ask the bereavement team. If the funeral has already been paid by the executor, Nationwide also needs to see a bank statement or credit card bill in the executor’s name showing the payment, so it can reimburse them.
Releasing funds for probate court fees
The same IF21 form also lets you release money for the probate court fee (the fee to apply for the Grant of Representation). Nationwide makes the cheque payable directly to the court, so you do not need to produce a bill for this. This sits alongside the IHT423 route for inheritance tax (see the probate section below), giving three pre-grant payment routes: funeral costs, probate court fees, and inheritance tax. Source: Nationwide bereavement support guide (PDF), verified July 2026.
What the legal terms mean
Nationwide’s bereavement guidance – like most banks’ – uses a handful of legal terms without explaining them. Nationwide publishes its own jargon guide covering these; here’s what they mean in plain English, with Nationwide’s own wording.
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Personal representative | The executor or administrator managing the deceased’s estate – the person Nationwide deals with. |
| Executor | The person or people named in a will to deal with the estate after a death. |
| Administrator | The person appointed instead when there’s no will, or no executor named in the will able to act. |
| Estate | Everything the deceased owned and everything registered in their name. |
| Grant of Probate | The official document confirming to the executors named in a will that they have authority to deal with the estate. |
| Letters of Administration | The document used in England and Wales when there’s no will, or no executor named in the will able to act. |
| Confirmation | The Scottish equivalent document, confirming who has authority to deal with the estate. |
| Intestate / intestacy | Dying without a valid will in place. |
| Beneficiary | Someone entitled to receive a gift, sum of money, or share of the estate. |
Nationwide groups “Grant of Probate,” “Letters of Administration,” and “Confirmation” under the umbrella term Grant of Representation – this is why the quick-reference and forms above all use that phrase. Whichever document applies to your situation, it’s the same requirement: proof that you have legal authority to deal with the estate. Source: Nationwide’s bereavement jargon guide, verified July 2026.
Dying without a will (intestate) doesn’t change Nationwide’s process – the £50,000 threshold and notification steps are identical. It changes who has authority: an administrator is appointed under the intestacy rules instead of an executor named in a will, and they’ll need Letters of Administration (or Confirmation in Scotland) rather than a Grant of Probate for balances over £50,000. See gov.uk’s guide to what happens when someone dies without a will for how the intestacy rules decide who inherits.
Probate and when it’s required
Probate (known as a Grant of Representation in England and Wales, or a Certificate of Confirmation in Scotland) gives you the legal authority to administer someone’s estate. Whether Nationwide requires it depends on the total balance held in sole accounts.
Nationwide’s threshold is £50,000 for sole accounts (as confirmed in Nationwide’s published bereavement guidance, verified June 2026):
- Under £50,000 – you can close the account using Nationwide’s Bereavement Request form alone. No Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration is required.
- £50,000 or more – Nationwide requires a Grant of Representation and a closure form signed by the Personal Representative before releasing funds.
Joint accounts are not affected by the probate threshold – they transfer to the surviving holder automatically on receipt of the death certificate, regardless of the balance.
If probate is required and you do not yet have a grant, you can apply through the HMCTS probate service (gov.uk/applying-for-probate). The current application fee is £300 for estates over £5,000 (as of 2026, per gov.uk).
Scotland: In Scotland, probate is called Confirmation and the grant issued is called a Certificate of Confirmation rather than a Grant of Probate. Nationwide will accept this document in the same way as a Grant of Representation.
IHT423 – paying inheritance tax before probate
Nationwide participates in the IHT423 Direct Payment Scheme, which lets executors instruct Nationwide to pay inheritance tax directly to HMRC from the deceased’s account before probate is granted. This resolves the common circular problem where inheritance tax is due before probate, but you cannot access estate funds without probate.
To use this: complete HMRC form IHT423 (available at gov.uk/government/publications/inheritance-tax-direct-payment-scheme-bank-and-building-society-accounts-iht423), have the Personal Representative sign it, and send it directly to Nationwide – not to HMRC. Complete a separate IHT423 for each account. Source: HMRC IHT423 guidance; Nationwide deceased customers guidance, verified June 2026.
How long it takes
There is no single timeline – it depends on the complexity of the estate and whether probate is needed.
| Stage | Typical timeframe |
|---|---|
| Cards and chequebooks cancelled | Immediately on notification |
| Nationwide’s letter with account summary | Within 10 working days |
| Funeral payment (branch visit with invoice) | Same day or next working day |
| Joint account transferred to surviving holder | Within days of receiving death certificate |
| Sole account closure (under £50,000, no probate) | Weeks once all documents received |
| Sole account closure (over £50,000, probate required) | Months – depends on probate timeline |
| ISA closure (if not resolved) | Moved to taxable account after 3 years |
The most common source of delay is waiting for the Grant of Representation, particularly if the estate includes property or HMRC needs to confirm inheritance tax. Nationwide’s own process – once they have all the documents – is typically completed within a few weeks.
How Nationwide compares to other banks
| Institution | Probate threshold | Tell Us Once | DNS member | IHT423 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationwide | £50,000 | No | Yes (founding member) | Yes |
| Halifax | £50,000 | No | Yes | Yes |
| Barclays | £50,000 | No | Yes | Yes |
| HSBC | £50,000 | No | Yes (founding member) | Yes |
| Lloyds | £50,000 | No | Yes | Yes |
Tell Us Once does not cover any bank or building society – it notifies government departments only. All major banks must be notified separately or via the Death Notification Service.
Things to watch out for
Don’t post original documents. Nationwide can photocopy your death certificate at any branch and return the original on the spot. Sending originals by post is a risk you do not need to take – use the branch, upload online, or post a certified copy.
Request the APS early. If the deceased’s spouse or civil partner is entitled to an Additional Permitted Subscription, they need to claim it before the deadline (three years from death, or 180 days after estate administration, whichever is later). Ask Nationwide about this specifically – it is not raised automatically.
The sole mortgage payment pause is fixed at 12 months, and interest still runs. For sole mortgages, Nationwide stops collecting payments for 12 months and this cannot be cancelled – but interest keeps accruing, so the balance grows. Consider voluntary payments to keep it down, and if the property needs to be sold to repay the mortgage, start the process early.
Virgin Money is separate. Nationwide now owns Virgin Money, but the two have separate bereavement teams. If the deceased banked with both, notify Virgin Money on 0800 0121 590 as well as Nationwide – one does not tell the other.
Investment plans go through Aegon. If the deceased held a Nationwide investment plan, that is administered by Aegon (0345 272 00 89), not the bereavement helpdesk. Savings and ISAs held directly with Nationwide stay with the Nationwide team.
ISA three-year limit. If the estate takes a long time to resolve, note that an unwrapped ISA will automatically move to a taxable savings account after three years. Flag this to the personal representative early.
Nationwide is a building society, not a bank. Unlike the high-street banks, Nationwide is a mutual – owned by its members, not shareholders. This does not affect the bereavement process, but it does mean Nationwide accounts may not appear in some online bank-lookup tools. Check specifically for Nationwide if you are unsure whether the deceased held an account there.
Consider notifying multiple providers at once. If the deceased held accounts or policies elsewhere, the Death Notification Service can notify all participating institutions simultaneously, saving multiple separate phone calls.
Summary
To notify Nationwide of a death, call 0800 464 3018 (Monday–Friday 9am–5pm, Saturday 9am–12pm) or use the online service at nationwide.co.uk/help/challenging-times/bereavement. Have the deceased’s name, date of birth, and date of death ready – you don’t need the death certificate before you call.
Nationwide will write to you within 10 working days with a summary of accounts held and what to do next. For sole accounts under £50,000, no probate is needed – just a completed form. For accounts over £50,000, a Grant of Representation is required. Joint accounts transfer to the surviving holder automatically.
If you also need to notify other building societies or banks, see our guides to notifying Yorkshire Building Society, notifying Barclays, notifying Halifax, and notifying NatWest.
For related topics, see what happens to an ISA when someone dies, what happens to a mortgage when someone dies, and what happens to bank accounts when someone dies.
Sources: Nationwide bereavement support (nationwide.co.uk, verified July 2026); Nationwide bereavement support guide (PDF) (nationwide.co.uk, verified July 2026); Nationwide deceased customers guidance for lawyers (nationwide.co.uk, verified July 2026); Nationwide inherited ISA allowance explained (nationwide.co.uk, verified June 2026); Virgin Money bereavement (virginmoney.com, verified July 2026); Death Notification Service (deathnotificationservice.co.uk); Tell Us Once (gov.uk); Probate application (gov.uk); IHT423 Direct Payment Scheme (gov.uk).