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What do I need to do when someone dies?

The first few days, the first few weeks, and the services that exist to make the notifications easier.

Difficulty
beginner
Time
2 hr
Read
2 min
Safety
caution

Short answer

Register the death within the legal timeframe, get several certified copies of the certificate, and use the government's single notification service — it tells most public bodies at once. Everything else can wait a little.

There is a great deal to do and almost none of it is urgent beyond the first week. Knowing the order — and that several tasks can be handled with one notification — removes a real amount of pressure at a difficult time.

Safety

This is a practical checklist of administrative steps, not legal or financial advice. Estates vary and probate rules differ across the UK. For anything involving property, significant assets, disputes or business interests, take proper professional advice.

Step by step

  1. Get the medical certificate and register the death.Usually within five days in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, eight in Scotland. Registration is by appointment at a register office.
  2. Order several certified copies of the certificate.Ten is not excessive. Banks, insurers and pension providers each want an original or certified copy, and ordering more later costs more and takes longer.
  3. Use the single government notification service.One notification informs tax, pensions, benefits, passport, driving licence and the local council. It saves a great deal of separate contact.
  4. Find the will and identify the executor.It may be with a solicitor, in a bank, or at home. The executor named in it has the authority to deal with the estate.
  5. Contact the banks and any pension providers.Accounts are usually frozen on notification. Ask each what they need — many will release funds for the funeral before probate.
  6. Arrange the funeral.Check whether there were wishes in the will or a prepaid plan. Funeral costs can usually be paid from the deceased's account before probate is granted.
  7. Work out whether probate is needed.Not always — it depends on the size and structure of the estate. Some banks release smaller amounts without it, and jointly held assets often pass automatically.
  8. Notify the private organisations gradually.Utilities, insurers, subscriptions, memberships, landlords. There is no rush on most of these, and there are services that notify many companies at once.

Tips

  • Keep a notebook of every call — who, when, what they need. You will be asked the same things repeatedly and the notes are genuinely helpful.
  • Do not cancel everything immediately. Home insurance in particular should continue, and unoccupied property has its own requirements — tell the insurer.
  • Accept help with the administration. It is one of the few things other people can genuinely take off you.

Questions people ask

How many death certificates do I need?

More than you expect — often around ten. Banks, insurers and pension providers each want an original or certified copy, and ordering more later is slower and dearer.

Do I always need probate?

No. It depends on the size and structure of the estate. Jointly held assets often pass automatically, and some banks release smaller balances without it.

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