Very and Littlewoods are both owned by The Very Group, one of the UK’s largest online retailers. If the deceased held an account with either brand, the process for notification is handled by the same organisation. You do not need to contact them separately.
The account type matters here. A standard Very or Littlewoods retail account is a relatively simple closure – no credit, no ongoing financial obligation. But many customers also hold a credit account through Very Pay, the group’s regulated credit product. An outstanding credit balance needs more prompt attention: interest does not stop automatically at death. It stops when you formally notify Very.
Quick reference:
- General customer service (bereavement notification): 0800 110 000 – Mon–Fri 8am–6pm, Sat 9am–4pm
- Online notification (NotifyNOW): via littlewoods.com/notifynow.page or very.co.uk – link provided when you report the death
- Littlewoods (same parent company): handled through the same team – you do not need to contact Littlewoods separately
- Financial difficulties line: 0800 092 9042 – if you need to discuss an outstanding balance or debt on the credit account
How to notify Very and Littlewoods
The Very Group has partnered with NotifyNOW, a service operated by Phillips & Cohen Associates UK Ltd, to streamline the death notification process. When you contact Very to report a death, you will be directed to the NotifyNOW platform, where you can upload the deceased’s details and – if you choose – notify other companies at the same time. (Source: Phillips & Cohen Associates – The Very Group Signs New Partnership With NotifyNOW.)
By phone
Call 0800 110 000 (free). Lines are open Monday to Friday 8am–6pm, Saturday 9am–4pm. (Source: Very customer service page.)
When you call, tell the advisor you are calling to report the death of an account holder. They will take the relevant details and, if appropriate, direct you to the online NotifyNOW process to submit documentation. You do not need to have all documents in hand before calling – Very will acknowledge the death and pause the account while you gather paperwork.
Online via NotifyNOW
The Littlewoods website hosts a NotifyNOW page at littlewoods.com/notifynow.page. Through this platform, you can submit the deceased’s details, upload a scan or photograph of the death certificate, and, optionally, notify over 2,000 other organisations in the same submission. Very’s equivalent link is provided when you report the death through the main website.
Littlewoods – do I contact them separately?
No. Very and Littlewoods are both trading names of The Very Group. The bereavement process is the same for both brands. Whether the deceased shopped at very.co.uk or littlewoods.com, you notify the same team. The customer service and credit accounts are managed centrally.
What to have ready before you call or submit
- The deceased’s full name, usual address, date of birth, and date of death
- The email address associated with the Very or Littlewoods account, if known
- The account or order reference number, if available
- For a credit account (Very Pay): the credit account number if you have access to a statement
- Your own name and your relationship to the deceased
If you only have the name and date of death, the team can typically locate the account from those details.
Very Pay – the credit account
Very Pay is the regulated credit product offered through The Very Group. It works as a revolving credit account, similar to a store credit card, and is subject to FCA regulation. If the deceased held a Very Pay balance, it is the most time-sensitive account to deal with.
What happens when someone dies
When you notify Very of a death, the Very Pay account is frozen. This stops any further use of the credit and – from the point of notification – stops further interest and charges from accruing. The credit account is not automatically frozen at the date of death: the freeze takes effect from when Very is formally told.
This means that a delay of days or weeks between the death and notification adds further interest to the balance. If you are dealing with an estate and have discovered an outstanding Very Pay balance, notify Very as soon as possible.
The outstanding balance becomes a debt of the estate. The executor or administrator is responsible for paying it from the estate’s assets. They are not personally liable. Under the rules governing estate administration in England and Wales, unsecured debts – which include retail credit accounts – are paid after funeral expenses and secured debts but before any distribution to beneficiaries. (Source: National Debtline – Debts after death in England and Wales.)
Family members are not personally responsible for the balance unless they were joint account holders on the credit agreement. A household member who used the account is not automatically liable – only the person who signed the credit agreement bears responsibility, and that obligation passes to the estate. (Source: National Debtline – Debts after death in England and Wales.)
| Account element | What happens |
|---|---|
| Very Pay account | Frozen from the date of notification |
| Interest and charges | Stopped once Very is formally notified |
| Outstanding balance | Becomes an unsecured debt of the estate |
| Direct debits | Cancel after notification – check your bank if one is still running |
| Credit balance (money owed to customer) | Returned to the estate once documentation is confirmed |
Klarna at Littlewoods
Littlewoods also offers Klarna’s “Buy now pay later” service at checkout. Klarna operates as a separate lender from Very Pay. If the deceased used Klarna at Littlewoods, that is a separate obligation and Klarna must be notified independently. Klarna has its own bereavement process – contact them at klarna.com or search for their bereavement notification route. This is separate from the Very Group notification process. (Source: Klarna – Littlewoods payment options.)
For a broader explanation of how credit debts are treated within an estate, including what happens if the estate cannot cover the balance, see our guide to credit card debt after death.
What documents you will need
Having the right documents ready before you contact Very will speed the process. For initial notification, you do not need all of these – but settlement of any credit balance will require formal legal authority.
| Document | When needed |
|---|---|
| Death certificate or interim death certificate | Required – scan or photograph acceptable for online submission |
| Deceased’s full name, address, date of birth, date of death | Required at first contact |
| Your own name and relationship to the deceased | Required to establish your authority to act |
| Grant of probate or letters of administration | Required before Very can settle or write off an outstanding credit balance |
| Account or order reference number | Helpful but not essential – team can find the account by name and date of birth |
You can make an initial notification with just the death certificate and personal details. Very will acknowledge the death and pause the account. Formal closure of any credit balance cannot proceed until legal authority (probate or letters of administration) is in place.
If you are unsure whether probate is required, see our guide on whether you need probate.
What happens to the retail account
A standard Very or Littlewoods online retail account – used for shopping, tracking orders, and managing returns – carries no credit obligation. When you notify Very of the death, the retail account will be closed or suspended.
Outstanding orders: If an order was placed but not yet delivered, raise this with the customer service team at the time of notification. You may be able to redirect delivery or cancel and request a refund to the estate. The outcome depends on the order status.
Pending refunds: If the deceased had recently returned goods and a refund was pending, flag this with the team. Refunds may be credited back to the original payment method – if that bank account has been frozen, explain the situation and ask how they can process the refund to the estate.
Direct debits: If there were active direct debits linked to a credit account, confirm with Very that these have been cancelled when you make the notification. Also check your bank – direct debits do not always stop automatically and can continue to attempt payment after a death.
Loyalty credits or promotional vouchers: Very occasionally issues credit notes or promotional vouchers to customer accounts. Ask the customer service team whether any balance exists. These are a small asset of the estate.
Probate and the credit account
Very does not publish a specific probate threshold – a fixed figure at which they require grant of probate before releasing funds or settling a credit balance. In practice, for any outstanding credit balance or credit owed to the estate, Very will ask for grant of probate or letters of administration before completing the process.
If the estate is straightforward – a small balance and few assets – it may be worth raising with the bereavement team whether any flexibility exists. Some lenders exercise discretion for small balances.
For a full explanation of when probate is required and how to apply, see our guides on whether you need probate and how to apply for probate.
How long it takes
Very does not publish a fixed processing timeline. Simple cases – a retail account with no outstanding credit – can typically be resolved during or shortly after the initial call or online submission.
Cases involving an outstanding Very Pay balance take longer, particularly when probate is required before the account can be formally settled. Probate in England and Wales currently takes between four and eight weeks in most straightforward cases, though complex estates can take considerably longer. Very should not chase the estate for payment while it is waiting on probate – inform the bereavement team of the situation and they will note it.
Once documentation is in place, settlement of an outstanding balance is a matter of written correspondence between the executor and Very’s bereavement team.
Tips and things to watch out for
Notify Very promptly if there is a credit balance outstanding. Interest stops from the date of notification, not the date of death. Every week of delay adds to the balance the estate will need to settle.
Very and Littlewoods are the same company. One notification covers both brands. You do not need to contact them separately, and you will not need two submissions through NotifyNOW.
Klarna is separate. If the deceased used Klarna’s Buy now pay later service at Littlewoods, that is a separate lender and needs its own notification. It is not covered by the Very Group notification.
Do not send original documents. A scan or photograph of the death certificate is acceptable for the NotifyNOW online process. Keep the original safe – you will need it many times during estate administration. You will typically need multiple certified copies when notifying banks and other financial organisations.
Check for direct debits. A credit account may have been set up with a monthly direct debit. Confirm with Very at the time of notification that this has been cancelled, and check the deceased’s bank statements to make sure no further payments are attempted.
NotifyNOW also notifies other companies. The platform can send a single notification to over 2,000 organisations simultaneously. If you are working through a longer list of accounts to close, using this feature can save significant time – though it is worth checking which companies are covered before relying on it for critical financial accounts.
Financial difficulties support. If the estate is in financial difficulty, Very’s specialist line (0800 092 9042) handles cases involving persistent debt and arrears. This may be a useful contact if the credit account balance is significant and the estate’s ability to pay is uncertain.
Summary
| Task | How to do it | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Notify of the death | Phone or online via NotifyNOW | 0800 110 000 / littlewoods.com/notifynow.page |
| Freeze Very Pay credit account | Done by Very when death is reported | 0800 110 000 |
| Settle outstanding credit balance | Once probate or letters of administration in place | 0800 110 000 |
| Close retail account | Handled at the same time as death notification | 0800 110 000 |
| Klarna (Littlewoods BNPL) | Separate notification required | Via klarna.com |
| Credit on account (owed to customer) | Request at settlement stage | 0800 110 000 |
| Financial hardship / debt on estate | Specialist line | 0800 092 9042 |
The main priority is to notify Very promptly if there is any outstanding credit balance, to stop interest accruing from the date of your call. A standard retail account with no credit can be handled at any point in the bereavement administration process.
For a complete checklist of organisations to notify after a death, see our guide to what to do after someone dies.
If the deceased also held an account with another retailer or catalogue company, you may find our guides to notifying Next when someone dies, notifying Argos when someone dies, notifying Studio when someone dies, notifying JD Williams when someone dies, and notifying Currys when someone dies useful.