Scottish Power bereavement: freephone 0800 074 1986, 9am–5pm

Notifying Scottish Power after someone dies is one of several utility tasks that needs doing when settling an estate – not an emergency, but worth doing within a few weeks so that billing is correctly stopped from the date of death and the final account balance is resolved. Scottish Power has a dedicated bereavement team, a downloadable form you can email, and an online bereavement page. This guide covers the full process: how to get in touch, what documents are needed, what happens to the account, how direct debits and credit balances are handled, and what the rules are for prepayment meters, smart meters, joint accounts, and the Priority Services Register.

Quick reference:

• Bereavement team: 0800 074 1986 (Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm, freephone)
• Email: contactus@scottishpower.com with completed bereavement form
• Online: scottishpower.co.uk/support-centre/bereavement
• Processing time: 1–3 weeks once documents received; credit refund within 10 working days of final bill
• Do not cancel direct debits until the final bill arrives

How to notify Scottish Power of a death

Scottish Power’s dedicated bereavement team is available on 0800 074 1986, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. This is a freephone number – there is no charge from a landline or mobile.

If you prefer to do things in writing, download the bereavement notification form from scottishpower.co.uk/support-centre/bereavement, complete it, and email it to contactus@scottishpower.com along with a copy of the death certificate. There is also a live chat option available on the website during business hours.

When you contact Scottish Power – by phone, email, or chat – you will need:

• The full name of the person who has died
• The account number (from any recent bill or the online account)
• The address of the supply property
• The date of death
• A meter reading taken on or close to the date of death
• The name and forwarding address of whoever is handling the estate or taking responsibility for the property

You do not need everything to hand before calling. Scottish Power can take an initial notification with basic details and follow up for documents. The key thing is to make contact so that billing stops from the date of death.

If you are handling multiple notifications at once, services like Life Ledger and Settld can notify Scottish Power as part of a batch. Both services are free to use. Scottish Power is also handled by Settld’s centralised service, which requires a scanned copy or clear photograph of the death certificate, meter readings, and details of who is taking over the property.

Tell Us Once does not cover energy suppliers

If you have used the Tell Us Once service through the register office – which notifies HMRC, DWP, DVLA, your local council, and other government bodies of the death – be aware that Tell Us Once does not cover private utility companies. Scottish Power, like all energy suppliers, must be contacted separately.

The Death Notification Service (DNS) – which allows a single notification to reach multiple banks and financial institutions – is similarly bank-only. Scottish Power is not a DNS member. Energy suppliers are not part of either scheme as of June 2026.

This is a gap that catches people out. You cannot assume that Scottish Power has been notified through any government or cross-industry service. You need to contact them directly, or use a third-party service like Settld or Life Ledger.

What documents you’ll need

Scottish Power’s requirements are relatively light compared to banks or financial institutions.

Proof of death:

• A copy of the death certificate – a photocopy or scanned photo is acceptable. You do not need to send the original.
• An interim death certificate (issued before the full certificate, when the coroner is still investigating) is generally accepted.

Account information:

• The account number, from any Scottish Power bill or accessible through the online account
• The address of the supply property

Meter readings:

• Take final readings from the gas and/or electricity meters on (or as close as possible to) the date of death. A timestamped photograph of the meter display is ideal.

Forwarding address:

• Where Scottish Power should send the final bill and correspondence – typically the executor’s address.

If the estate is more complex:

• Scottish Power may ask for a Letter of Confirmation (in Scotland) or a Grant of Representation (Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration in England and Wales) if they need to verify who has authority to act on the estate. For most routine energy account closures, this is not required upfront.

If you need additional copies of the death certificate, they cost £11 each in England and Wales (source: gov.uk). For utility notifications, standard copies are generally sufficient.

What happens to the account

Once Scottish Power has been notified, the account enters a bereavement holding state while the notification is processed. Scottish Power typically takes 1–3 weeks to process a bereavement notification once all required documents have been received. What happens to the account depends on the situation at the property.

If someone is continuing to live in the property

If a spouse, partner, or other household member is staying in the property and wants to continue with Scottish Power, the account can be transferred into their name. Scottish Power will create a new account using the date-of-death meter reading as the starting point for the new account holder.

Any credit on the deceased’s account will be refunded to the estate. Any outstanding balance becomes a debt of the estate, not the new account holder personally – unless they were a joint account holder.

If you want to stay with Scottish Power but change the tariff or account type, this is also possible at the transfer stage. The bereavement team can advise.

If the property is now empty

The account will be placed in the name of the estate (or the executor) while the property is being dealt with. Energy charges – including standing charges – continue to accrue until:

• The property is sold and the new owner takes over the energy supply
• A tenant moves in and opens their own account
• You formally arrange for supply to be disconnected

Standing charges on an empty property add up even when no energy is being used. A typical combined gas and electricity standing charge is around 50–60p per day – roughly £180–220 per year. Notifying Scottish Power promptly about the property’s status and the estate’s plans is worthwhile to avoid unnecessary charges.

Keeping utilities connected in an empty property is often sensible – it prevents burst pipes in cold weather and is typically required by buildings insurance – but make sure you are doing so knowingly, with the account in the right name.

Direct debits and the final bill

Do not cancel the direct debit immediately after making the notification call. The account goes through a closing process that generates a final bill. If the direct debit is cancelled before that bill arrives, any outstanding balance will need to be paid separately and can complicate closure.

Wait until you receive the final bill before stopping any direct debit payments. Once the final bill shows a zero balance (or a credit to be refunded), it is safe to cancel.

Under Ofgem’s Guaranteed Standards of Performance, suppliers are required to issue a final bill within 6 weeks of an account closing (source: Ofgem). If Scottish Power misses this deadline, the estate is entitled to automatic compensation of £40.

What happens to credit and debit balances

If the account is in credit

Credit balances are common where monthly direct debits have been running ahead of actual usage – a pattern that becomes more likely if the deceased had been in hospital or away from home before death, with usage dropping while the direct debit continued.

Scottish Power will refund the credit to the estate. The refund process works as follows (source: ScottishPower community support pages):

• If an active direct debit is in place, Scottish Power will refund the credit directly to the bank account within 10 working days of the final bill
• If there is no active direct debit, Scottish Power will issue a cheque in the name of the deceased, to be cashed against the estate, within 10 working days of the final bill

Ask the bereavement team explicitly about any credit balance when you call. Do not assume it will be refunded automatically. If the refund method (cheque vs bank transfer) creates a problem for the estate, tell the bereavement team – they have options for ensuring the refund reaches the person handling the estate.

If the account is in debit

Any outstanding balance on the account becomes a debt of the estate, settled from the estate’s assets before any distribution to beneficiaries. This is the case whether the deceased owed money on energy consumed or had missed direct debit payments.

The debt does not pass to family members or anyone else personally, unless they were a joint account holder. If the estate has insufficient assets to cover the debt (an insolvent estate), the energy debt is written off. Scottish Power cannot pursue the deceased’s relatives for a sole account debt.

If the deceased was on a fixed-rate tariff with an early termination fee, it is worth asking the bereavement team whether this will be waived. Energy suppliers routinely waive exit fees in bereavement cases, but it is worth confirming.

Joint accounts

If the energy account was in two names – both partners named on the account – the process is slightly different. The surviving account holder remains liable for the account and can continue it in their sole name. Scottish Power will update the account to remove the deceased’s name, using the date of death as the changeover point.

Any credit balance on a joint account belongs to the estate of the deceased, not automatically to the surviving account holder. Clarify this with the bereavement team when you notify them.

If the account was in the deceased’s name only and the surviving partner wishes to continue with the property supply, they will need to set up a new account in their own name.

Prepayment meters

If the deceased had a prepayment meter – using a key, card, or token to top up their gas or electricity – there are a few specific points to be aware of.

Credit remaining on the meter at the date of death forms part of the estate. This applies to both the physical meter balance and any unused credit on the top-up card or key. When you notify Scottish Power, ask specifically about recovering this credit – they should be able to credit it to the final account balance or refund it to the estate.

Topping up the meter while the estate is being administered is something the executor or family member responsible for the property may need to do if the property must remain heated (e.g., to prevent burst pipes). Keep receipts for any top-ups made after the date of death, as these are estate expenses.

Converting from prepayment to credit: If you are taking over the property and do not want to continue with a prepayment meter, you can ask Scottish Power to convert the supply to a credit account when you set up a new account in your name. Scottish Power will arrange the necessary meter work, typically free of charge.

Smart meters and in-home displays

If the deceased had a smart meter installed, the meter itself remains in place – it does not need to be returned. The smart meter will continue to send readings automatically, which means the final bill can be based on actual consumption data rather than an estimated reading. This is one of the practical advantages of a smart account for estate closure.

The in-home display (IHD) – the small handheld screen that shows energy usage in near real-time – is provided free with the smart meter installation. It belongs to the account but in practice stays in the property. It will lose its connection to the account when the account closes or is transferred. If a new account is set up at the property, a new IHD will be provided or the existing one re-linked.

If you need a final meter reading for the date of death and the smart meter has not submitted one automatically, the bereavement team can request a reading from the meter directly.

Priority Services Register

The Priority Services Register (PSR) is a free support scheme for energy customers who need additional help – covering people with serious illness, disabilities, those who are elderly, those with young children, and others in vulnerable circumstances. Scottish Power maintains its own PSR (source: scottishpower.co.uk/support-centre/priority-service-register).

If the deceased was registered on the PSR, their registration is linked to the individual account and will close when the account is closed or transferred. The PSR registration does not transfer to a new account holder automatically. If the new account holder qualifies for PSR support, they should apply in their own right when setting up the new account.

PSR benefits available through Scottish Power include free gas safety checks, priority reconnection after a power cut, meter reads on request, large-print or braille bills, and password-protected call verification for vulnerable customers.

What happens in Scotland

Scottish Power was founded in Scotland and is headquartered in Glasgow, but it operates as a UK-wide energy supplier. Scottish domestic energy accounts are subject to the same process as accounts in England and Wales.

The main Scotland-specific difference is the legal terminology for estate administration. In Scotland, the document granting authority to administer an estate is called Confirmation, issued by the sheriff court. In England and Wales, the equivalent is a Grant of Probate (if there is a will) or Letters of Administration (if there is no will). Both are forms of Grant of Representation.

For most routine energy account closures – where there is no large credit balance or complex estate – Scottish Power does not require Confirmation or any Grant of Representation upfront. If they do ask for it, this applies equally to estates in Scotland (Confirmation) and England and Wales (Grant of Probate/Letters of Administration). Obtaining Confirmation in Scotland typically takes 8–16 weeks from application.

For guidance on the Scottish Confirmation process, see mygov.scot/confirmation-executor.

New occupants moving in

If someone new is moving into the property – a buyer, a tenant, or a family member who was not previously on the account – they should contact Scottish Power directly to set up a new account in their own name. This is separate from the bereavement process for the deceased’s estate.

The new occupant will need:

• Their own name and contact details
• The address
• An opening meter reading
• Their preferred payment method

The deceased’s account and the new occupant’s account are handled as two separate matters. Scottish Power will issue the final bill for the deceased’s account independently, with the estate responsible for any balance.

If something goes wrong: escalation routes

Billing errors and administrative delays in bereavement cases are not uncommon. If you receive unexpected bills, reminder notices, or the account is not closed within a reasonable timeframe, take the following steps:

1. Call back with your reference number. When you first notify Scottish Power, ask for a reference number or case number. Use this on any follow-up call.

2. Make a formal complaint. If the issue is not resolved in a reasonable time, use Scottish Power’s official complaints process. Details are at scottishpower.co.uk/contact.

3. Escalate to the Energy Ombudsman. If your complaint has not been resolved within 8 weeks, or if Scottish Power issues a deadlock letter, you can raise a dispute with the Energy Ombudsman for free (source: energyombudsman.org). The Ombudsman can award compensation and direct the supplier to take specific action. Estate representatives can raise complaints on behalf of a deceased customer’s estate.

4. Citizens Advice consumer helpline: For free, independent advice, call 0808 223 1133 (Citizens Advice consumer helpline). They can help with complaints against energy suppliers, including disputed final bills on a deceased customer’s account (source: citizensadvice.org.uk).

Things to watch out for

Scottish Power is owned by Iberdrola. Scottish Power was acquired by the Spanish energy company Iberdrola in 2007. If you see correspondence mentioning Iberdrola, it is the same company. There are no separate Iberdrola domestic accounts in the UK.

SP Manweb is a network company, not a supplier. SP Manweb Plc is the electricity distribution network operator for North Wales, Merseyside, and Cheshire. It manages cables and infrastructure, not energy supply accounts. If the deceased lived in those areas and you receive a letter from SP Manweb, it is a different entity from the Scottish Power supply account. Their supply account was with Scottish Power and is the one you need to close.

Reminder letters may still arrive. Some executors have reported receiving routine billing correspondence even after notifying the bereavement team. If this happens, call back with your notification reference number and confirm the bereavement status has been logged on the account.

The bereavement team is separate from general customer service. If you reach a general agent, ask to be transferred to the bereavement team on 0800 074 1986. Processing is smoother through the dedicated team.

The 0800 number is freephone. There is no charge for calls to 0800 074 1986 from a landline or mobile.

Summary

To notify Scottish Power after a death, call 0800 074 1986 (Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm) or download the bereavement form at scottishpower.co.uk/support-centre/bereavement and email it to contactus@scottishpower.com. Have the account number, a copy of the death certificate, a meter reading, and a forwarding address ready.

Scottish Power is not part of Tell Us Once or the Death Notification Service – you need to contact them separately from any government notifications.

Do not cancel the direct debit until you receive the final bill. If the account is in credit, the refund will be issued within 10 working days of the final bill. Credit belongs to the estate; debt is an estate liability, not the responsibility of family members personally. If the estate faces a billing dispute, the Energy Ombudsman can adjudicate for free after 8 weeks.

For other energy suppliers, see our guides to notifying British Gas after a bereavement, notifying EDF Energy after a bereavement, notifying E.ON Next after a bereavement, notifying OVO Energy after a bereavement, and notifying Octopus Energy after a bereavement.