When someone dies, their post keeps arriving. Bills, bank statements, magazine subscriptions, letters from the GP – these keep coming regardless. Getting the mail under control is one of the more practical tasks in the weeks after a bereavement, and Royal Mail provides a specific service to help: the Special Circumstances Redirection, which lets you redirect the deceased’s mail to an address you choose while you work through the estate.
This guide explains how to set up a Royal Mail redirection after a death, what documents you’ll need, what to do about unwanted marketing mail, and how to close any online Royal Mail accounts the deceased held.
How to notify Royal Mail and set up a redirection
Royal Mail does not have a separate bereavement notification line – you do not need to phone them first. The main action is applying for a Special Circumstances Redirection, which redirects the deceased’s post to an address you specify.
There are two ways to apply:
1. In person at a Post Office branch
This is the most common route. Visit any Post Office branch with your completed application form and your documents. Staff can verify your documents on the spot.
2. By post
You can download the Special Circumstances Redirection form from the Royal Mail website and send it with certified or original documents to:
Royal Mail Redirection Centre
Cooper House, Lakeside, Festival Way
Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 5RY
Allow extra time if posting – applications cannot be processed until all documents have been received and verified.
3. By phone (general enquiries only)
For general questions about the service, call Royal Mail customer services on 03457 740740, Monday to Friday 8am–5.30pm. However, you cannot apply for a Special Circumstances Redirection by phone – the application must be made in person or by post with original or certified copies of documents.
(Source: Royal Mail – Redirecting mail on behalf of someone else)
What documents you’ll need
The documents required for a Special Circumstances Redirection are more extensive than for a standard redirection. This is to protect the deceased’s identity and prevent fraudulent use of the service.
| Document | Notes |
|---|---|
| Death certificate | Original, or an office copy from the Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths |
| Proof of authority to act | Grant of Probate, Letters of Administration, or Power of Attorney (solicitor-certified copy) |
| Your photo ID | Passport or driving licence in your name |
| Your proof of address | A recent utility bill, bank statement, or council tax bill in your name |
If you are applying as a solicitor or personal representative rather than a family member, you will need the original or certified grant of probate or letters of administration, plus the death certificate.
A note on death certificates: It is worth ordering several certified copies when you register the death – typically five to ten, depending on the complexity of the estate. You will need them for banks, pension providers, insurers, and numerous other organisations. Our bereavement checklist can help you track what has been sent and to whom. See also what to do after a death for a full list of organisations to notify.
(Source: Royal Mail Special Circumstances Application Form)
What happens to their mail
Once the redirection is active, all Royal Mail post addressed to the deceased at their former address will be diverted to the address you specified on the application. This covers letters, small packets, and Special Delivery or Recorded Signed For items.
Important: what redirection does not cover
Royal Mail redirection only applies to post delivered by Royal Mail. It does not cover parcels sent via private couriers (DPD, DHL, Hermes/Evri, UPS, Amazon Logistics, and so on). If the deceased regularly received parcels from these services, you will need to contact the sender directly to update the delivery address.
How long the redirection lasts
You can set up a Special Circumstances Redirection for the following periods:
- 3 months
- 6 months
- 12 months
It can be renewed, and the total period can run for up to four years – enough time for even complex estates to be fully administered. (Source: The Farewell Guide – Redirecting Mail for a Deceased Person)
Cost
Royal Mail updated its redirection prices from April 2026. Special Circumstances Redirection (the bereavement route) is priced as follows:
| Duration | Price |
|---|---|
| 3 months | £41.50 |
| 6 months | £61.00 |
| 12 months | £87.00 |
Prices are VAT exempt. Royal Mail periodically adjusts its redirection fees – check the current prices at royalmail.com/personal/receiving-mail/redirection or ask at the Post Office when you apply. (Last verified April 2026.)
If you are in receipt of Universal Credit or Pension Credit, you may qualify for a concessionary rate – prices start from £22.50. You can apply via royalmail.com/concessionredirection or ask at the Post Office branch when you apply.
Stopping unwanted marketing mail
Redirecting mail takes care of legitimate correspondence during estate administration. But marketing mail – catalogues, promotional letters, charity appeals – is a separate matter. Three free services can help:
-
The Bereavement Register (thebereavementregister.org.uk): A free service that removes the deceased’s name and address from direct marketing databases. Most advertising mail should stop within around six weeks. It does not stop official correspondence such as bank statements or utility bills.
-
The Mailing Preference Service (mpsonline.org.uk): The official UK preference service for stopping unsolicited direct mail. Takes approximately three months to take effect and lasts three years. You can also register by phone on 0800 024 6121 (free).
-
The Deceased Preference Service (deceasedpreferenceservice.co.uk): A free service that shares the deceased’s details with credit reference agencies and financial institutions to prevent identity fraud, as well as removing their name from marketing lists. Register online or by phone on 0800 068 4433.
Registering with all three services is worthwhile, as they cover different mailing lists and serve slightly different purposes. None of them will stop all mail – companies based overseas or smaller organisations may not subscribe – but together they significantly reduce the volume and provide some protection against identity fraud using the deceased’s details.
What redirected mail reveals
Do not underestimate the value of a mail redirection when administering an estate. Redirected post frequently turns up financial accounts, insurance policies, Premium Bonds, and subscriptions that were not previously known about. Keep a record of everything that arrives during the first few months – bank statements in particular may reveal accounts that need notifying separately (see what happens to a bank account when someone dies). All of it may be relevant to the estate’s probate process.
Royal Mail Keepsafe: holding mail at an unoccupied property
If the deceased’s property will be empty for a period – while the estate is administered, a property is being cleared, or a sale is underway – the Royal Mail Keepsafe service is worth considering alongside a redirection.
Keepsafe instructs Royal Mail to hold the deceased’s mail securely at the local delivery office rather than delivering it to an unoccupied address. This can be combined with a Special Circumstances Redirection or used instead of it in the short term. The key benefit in a bereavement context is security: an unoccupied property with post piling up inside is visible to opportunists and a signal that the address may be empty.
How Keepsafe works
You apply online at royalmail.com/receiving/keepsafe or at a Post Office branch. Mail is held securely at the delivery office and can be collected in person, or you can arrange for it to be delivered when the property is next attended. The service can hold mail for up to 100 days.
Keepsafe personal prices (from April 2026)
| Duration | Price |
|---|---|
| Up to 10 days | £24.00 |
| Up to 17 days | £27.50 |
| Up to 24 days | £34.00 |
| Up to 31 days | £42.00 |
| Up to 66 days | £78.00 |
| Up to 100 days | £114.50 |
All prices are VAT exempt. (Source: Royal Mail price guide, April 2026)
Keepsafe vs redirection
For most estates, a Special Circumstances Redirection is the more practical choice: it diverts post to an address you can access and monitor directly. Keepsafe suits situations where you need a short-term hold while access to the property is being arranged, or where a redirection cannot yet be set up (for instance, if you are waiting for a grant of probate before the address to redirect to is confirmed).
The two services can run simultaneously if needed.
What happens to a PO Box
PO Box numbers are rented annually and registered to an individual or a business. If the deceased held a personal PO Box, it will need to be cancelled and any associated mail dealt with.
Redirecting mail from a PO Box
Royal Mail allows you to redirect mail arriving at a PO Box in special circumstances, but the rules differ from a standard address redirection:
- Redirection from a PO Box can run for a maximum of six months
- The PO Box must remain active (and fees paid) for the entire duration of the redirection
- The usual Special Circumstances documentation is required: death certificate, proof of your authority to act, and your own ID
Cancelling the PO Box
To cancel a PO Box, contact Royal Mail’s customer services team on 03457 740740 (Monday to Friday, 8am–5.30pm). You will need to provide the PO Box number, evidence of the death, and proof of your authority to act on behalf of the estate. Any unused portion of an annual PO Box rental fee may be refunded, subject to Royal Mail’s refund terms. If the PO Box was used for a business the deceased ran, see also our guide to what happens to a business when someone dies.
(Source: Royal Mail – PO Box Terms and Conditions, last verified May 2026)
Probate and online accounts
Royal Mail offers several online services that customers may have held at the time of death. The most common are:
Royal Mail online account (royalmail.com)
If the deceased had a Royal Mail personal account – used for tracking deliveries, managing redirections, or accessing account services – this will need to be closed. Contact Royal Mail customer services on 03457 740740 to request account closure. You may be asked to provide evidence of death and your authority to act on the estate.
Click & Drop
Click & Drop is Royal Mail’s online postage and parcel booking service, primarily used by small businesses and self-employed people to buy and print postage labels. If the deceased ran a business or sold items online (eBay, Etsy, etc.), they may have had a Click & Drop account.
To close a Click & Drop account following a bereavement, contact the Click & Drop support team by email at clickanddropsupport@royalmail.com. Explain the situation and provide evidence of the death and your authority to act. There is no dedicated bereavement process for Click & Drop – the support team will handle it on a case-by-case basis. (Source: Royal Mail Click & Drop Help Centre)
Royal Mail Statutory Pension Scheme
This is a separate matter from Royal Mail’s postal services. If the deceased was a former Royal Mail employee with a pension through the Royal Mail Statutory Pension Scheme, contact the scheme directly at royalmailsps.co.uk/support/death-of-a-member as soon as possible. The scheme will ask for the member’s pension number, date of death, and details of any surviving spouse or civil partner. (Source: Royal Mail Statutory Pension Scheme)
How long it takes
| Action | Typical timeline |
|---|---|
| Application at Post Office | Accepted same day; redirection usually starts within 5 working days |
| Application by post | Allow up to 10 working days from posting for redirection to activate |
| Bereavement Register | Marketing mail reduces within approximately 6 weeks |
| Mailing Preference Service | Takes approximately 3 months to take full effect |
| Deceased Preference Service | Registration immediate; mail and fraud protection takes a few weeks |
| Online account closure | Variable – contact Royal Mail and allow a few working days for confirmation |
Where possible, apply for the redirection as soon as you have the death certificate. This minimises the period when post may be arriving at an unoccupied property.
Tell Us Once – does it cover Royal Mail?
Tell Us Once is a government service that lets you report a death to multiple government departments in a single notification. It covers organisations such as HMRC, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, and your local council.
It does not cover Royal Mail or postal services. There is no automatic notification route that links a death registration to your mail delivery.
This means you must contact Royal Mail separately – either by applying for a Special Circumstances Redirection at a Post Office branch, or by post to the Redirection Centre. The Tell Us Once service handles government departments; everything else requires individual notification.
If you use Tell Us Once, your council tax account, driving licence, and passport can all be updated at the same time. But the deceased’s post will continue arriving at the old address until you act on it directly with Royal Mail.
For a full list of what Tell Us Once covers, see gov.uk/after-a-death/organisations-you-need-to-contact-and-tell-us-once.
Tips and things to watch out for
Unoccupied properties are a target for fraud. A pile of unopened post is a visible signal that a property may be unoccupied. This can attract identity fraudsters and opportunistic burglars. Getting a redirection in place quickly – ideally within a week or two of the death – reduces this risk significantly.
The redirection covers Royal Mail only. Couriers will continue to attempt delivery to the old address. If the deceased was expecting parcels from Amazon, an online retailer, or a subscription box service, contact those companies directly or log into the accounts to update the address or cancel the subscription.
Forward-thinking saves time later. During the first few months of the redirection, note every new organisation whose post arrives. Add them to your estate notification list. Some of the most obscure financial accounts and insurance policies surface this way.
Plan the redirection duration carefully. For most estates, a 12-month redirection is sensible. Banks, pension providers, HMRC, and local authorities may all send correspondence over an extended period. Stopping the redirection too early risks missing something important. Courts and HMRC in particular can take many months to process notifications and close correspondence.
Stopping a redirect early. If you no longer need the redirection, you can cancel it and receive a refund for the unused months. Contact Royal Mail customer services to arrange this.
Summary
To manage a deceased person’s post with Royal Mail:
- Apply for a Special Circumstances Redirection – in person at a Post Office branch or by post to the Redirection Centre in Stoke-on-Trent. Bring a certified copy of the death certificate, your proof of authority, and your own ID.
- Register with the Bereavement Register, the Mailing Preference Service, and the Deceased Preference Service – all three are free and will reduce unwanted marketing mail and help protect against identity fraud.
- Close any online accounts – contact Royal Mail for standard accounts; email clickanddropsupport@royalmail.com for Click & Drop.
- If the deceased held a Royal Mail pension, contact the Royal Mail Statutory Pension Scheme separately.
Key contacts:
- Royal Mail customer services: 03457 740740 – Monday to Friday 8am–5.30pm
- Special Circumstances Redirection (by post): Royal Mail Redirection Centre, Cooper House, Lakeside, Festival Way, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 5RY
- Click & Drop support: clickanddropsupport@royalmail.com
- Bereavement Register: thebereavementregister.org.uk
- Mailing Preference Service: mpsonline.org.uk – free, phone 0800 024 6121
- Deceased Preference Service: deceasedpreferenceservice.co.uk – free, phone 0800 068 4433
- Royal Mail Statutory Pension Scheme: royalmailsps.co.uk
For a full list of organisations to notify after a death, see our complete notification guide. If the estate involves significant assets or property, see our guide to probate.