NS&I – National Savings & Investments – is one of the most common savings providers in the UK. Premium Bonds alone are held by around 24 million people, making NS&I accounts a very frequent part of estate administration. This guide walks through how to notify NS&I after a death: the phone number, what to send, what happens to each account type, and the one rule about Premium Bonds that trips up many families – the 12-month prize window.
Quick reference:
- Phone: 08085 007 007 (free from UK landlines and mobiles)
- Hours: Monday–Friday 8am–8pm, Saturday–Sunday 8am–6pm
- Online form: forms.nsandi.com
- Post: NS&I, Sunderland, SR43 2SB
- Probate required if: total NS&I savings are £5,000 or more
- Processing time: approximately 11 working days once all documents are received
How to notify NS&I
NS&I has three ways to start a bereavement claim: by phone, online, or by post.
By phone
Call 08085 007 007. Calls are free from UK landlines and most mobile networks. The team is available Monday to Friday 8am–8pm and Saturday to Sunday 8am–6pm. NS&I is closed on bank holidays.
When you call, you will be connected to NS&I’s bereavement team. Have the deceased’s full name and NS&I holder number (if you can find it – it will be on any NS&I correspondence or prize warrants) to hand. The team will explain which documents to send and how to submit them.
Source: NS&I contact page, last verified March 2026.
Online
NS&I has an online bereavement claim form at forms.nsandi.com. This is the fastest route if you have scanned or digital copies of the required documents. The form covers all NS&I account types – Premium Bonds, Direct Saver, Income Bonds, and Investment Account – in a single submission.
By post
Send documents to: NS&I, Sunderland, SR43 2SB
NS&I’s free printed brochure, Guidance after a bereavement, is available to download from their website and explains the claim process in detail. You can also request a printed copy by calling the number above.
What documents you’ll need
The documents NS&I requires vary depending on the size of the estate and whether there is a will. At a minimum, you will need:
| Document | Notes |
|---|---|
| Death certificate | Original or certified copy from the register office |
| Details of the deceased | Full name, address, date of birth, date and place of death |
| Your details | Full name and address as executor or administrator |
| Your bank details | For NS&I to pay any funds owed |
| NS&I account information | Holder number, account type – helpful but not always essential |
If a will exists: NS&I may ask for the original will or a solicitor-certified copy, depending on the circumstances.
If probate is required (see next section): you will also need the Grant of Probate (if there is a will) or the Grant of Letters of Administration (if there is no will). In Scotland, this is called Confirmation.
NS&I accepts original documents or certified copies. If you are dealing with several organisations at the same time, it is worth ordering multiple certified copies of the death certificate from the register office. Each copy costs £11 in England and Wales (source: gov.uk/order-copy-birth-death-marriage-certificate).
Source: NS&I bereavement help page, last verified March 2026.
What happens to NS&I accounts
Premium Bonds
Premium Bonds are by far NS&I’s most widely held product. When a holder dies, the following rules apply:
The 12-month prize window. Premium Bonds can remain in the monthly prize draw for up to 12 months after the date of death. This is at the executor’s discretion – you can choose to cash them in immediately, or leave them in the draw for some or all of that 12-month window to give the estate a chance of winning additional prizes.
Prizes after death. Once NS&I has been notified of the death, any prizes won are no longer paid into the deceased’s account. Instead, they are paid by warrant (similar to a cheque) to the person legally entitled to the estate – typically the executor. Prizes won before NS&I was notified, but not yet paid, are held and forwarded once the claim is processed.
Premium Bonds cannot be inherited directly. They must be cashed in and the proceeds distributed as part of the estate. They cannot be transferred into another person’s name. If you want to keep the equivalent sum in Premium Bonds, you would need to open your own Premium Bonds account and purchase them afresh.
The face value counts towards the estate for Inheritance Tax. Prize winnings are normally tax-free, but the underlying bond value is part of the estate and must be included in any IHT calculation.
Direct Saver, Income Bonds, and Investment Account
All NS&I savings accounts continue to earn interest until they are closed. Interest accrues on the balance from the date of death until the account is settled – this forms part of the estate. NS&I will confirm the final balance, including accrued interest, as part of the claim process.
Joint accounts
If the deceased held an NS&I account jointly, the surviving account holder generally becomes the sole owner automatically. The process is simpler – fewer documents are typically required, and probate is less likely to be needed for the joint balance.
Contact NS&I to confirm the exact steps for a joint account. The online claim form and bereavement team can advise based on the specific account type.
Probate and the £5,000 threshold
NS&I has one of the lowest probate thresholds of any major UK savings institution.
If the deceased’s total NS&I savings are £5,000 or more, NS&I will usually ask for a Grant of Representation before releasing funds. This threshold applies to all NS&I products combined – not just one account. A person with £3,000 in Premium Bonds and £2,500 in a Direct Saver has £5,500 in total NS&I savings, which is above the threshold.
If the total is below £5,000, NS&I may release funds without probate, using a simpler claim process. However, NS&I’s policy states that the Director of Savings retains discretion to request a Grant of Representation in any case, regardless of the amount held.
Source: NS&I bereavement help page, last verified March 2026.
Compare this with banks, where probate thresholds commonly range from £15,000 to £50,000. NS&I’s £5,000 threshold means many estates that would be straightforward elsewhere will require probate documents before NS&I will pay out.
If you need probate, you can apply yourself through the government’s online service at gov.uk/applying-for-probate, or use a solicitor. For a realistic sense of how long the process takes, see our guide to how long probate takes.
How long it takes
NS&I aims to respond to bereavement claims within approximately 11 working days of receiving all completed documentation. This is the processing time once your paperwork is in order – delays usually come from missing or incomplete documents, not from NS&I’s end.
Without probate (total savings under £5,000, or joint accounts): straightforward claims are typically resolved within 11 working days. Payment is made by BACS to the bank account you specify.
With probate: the probate process itself takes an average of 16 weeks in England and Wales (source: gov.uk/applying-for-probate). Once NS&I receives the Grant of Representation, the claim is processed within the standard 11-working-day window.
The most common cause of delays is submitting incomplete documentation. Check NS&I’s list of required documents carefully before posting or uploading – missing a single item restarts the wait.
Things to watch out for
Premium Bonds are frequently overlooked. Many families don’t realise a deceased person held them, particularly if the bonds were purchased decades ago and the holder number was never shared. Before assuming there are no NS&I savings, check.
How to check if someone held Premium Bonds. If you are unsure whether the deceased had an NS&I account, call NS&I on 08085 007 007 and explain the situation. As executor or administrator, you can request NS&I to trace any accounts held in the deceased’s name. NS&I also operates a free tracing service: in the 2024/25 financial year, 43,827 lost Premium Bonds accounts were traced through NS&I’s service and My Lost Account, worth over £120 million. You can also search via mylostaccount.org.uk.
Unclaimed prizes stack up. As of March 2026, there are nearly 2.7 million unclaimed Premium Bonds prizes worth over £116 million (source: nsandi.com/help/lost-touch-with-nsandi/check-unclaimed-prizes). If the deceased had older Premium Bonds, check for unclaimed prizes going back years – they don’t expire.
The 12-month window closes permanently. If you choose to leave the bonds in the draw and then miss the 12-month deadline, the bonds stop being eligible for prizes and the invested money is transferred to NS&I’s Unclaimed Premium Bonds account. The capital is still recoverable, but no further prizes can be won. Set a reminder.
All interest income is taxable. Although Premium Bonds prizes are tax-free, interest on Direct Saver, Income Bonds, and Investment Account is taxable. The estate may need to account for this interest to HMRC.
NS&I is government-backed. Unlike bank deposits, NS&I savings are backed 100% by HM Treasury – there is no limit to the protection (source: nsandi.com). This means the capital is safe regardless of how long the claim takes to resolve.
Summary
Notifying NS&I after a bereavement is straightforward to start – call 08085 007 007, use the online form at nsandi.com, or post documents to NS&I, Sunderland, SR43 2SB. The key things to know: the probate threshold is £5,000 across all NS&I products combined (lower than most banks); Premium Bonds can stay in the monthly prize draw for up to 12 months after death; and unclaimed prizes do not expire. Processing takes around 11 working days once documents are received.
For a broader overview of what happens to savings and financial accounts, see our guide to what happens to a bank account when someone dies. If probate is needed, see how long probate takes.
If the person who died was your spouse or civil partner, you may also be entitled to Bereavement Support Payment – a tax-free government payment worth up to £9,800. Claim within three months to receive the full amount.