What To Do When Someone Dies: A UK Checklist

We make cards and prints in the UK. There is nothing to sell here beyond a sympathy card, and this guide is written to be useful rather than to sell you one.

This is general information, not legal or financial advice. For probate, benefits or tax questions, use GOV.UK or speak to a solicitor.

When someone dies there is a short list of things that must happen, and a much longer list that can wait. Doing them in order removes most of the panic.

This is the order in England and Wales; Scotland and Northern Ireland differ slightly, and GOV.UK sets out each one.

The first 24 hours

• If the death was expected and at home, ring the GP surgery or the out-of-hours number. If it was unexpected, ring 999.
• In hospital, staff will guide you and give you the medical certificate paperwork.
• Contact a funeral director when you're ready - they can collect the person at any hour and there is no rush to decide anything else.
• Tell close family. Everything else can wait a day.

Registering the death

• Register within five days in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; eight days in Scotland.
• Book an appointment with the register office in the area where the person died.
• Take the medical certificate and, if you have them, their birth certificate, NHS number and marriage certificate.
• Buy several certified copies of the death certificate - banks and pension providers each want one.

Tell Us Once and notifications

• The registrar will usually offer Tell Us Once, which notifies HMRC, DWP, DVLA, the Passport Office and the council in one go.
• You still need to contact banks, pension schemes, insurers, utilities, landlords and mortgage providers yourself.
• Cancel subscriptions and redirect post through Royal Mail's bereavement service.
• Keep a written list of who you've told and when. It saves repeating yourself later.

The funeral and the will

• Check whether there's a will, a prepaid plan or written wishes before booking anything.
• Funeral directors will quote in writing - you're allowed to ask for a cheaper option and to shop around.
• Direct cremation is significantly cheaper and increasingly common; a memorial can happen later.
• If money is tight, check Funeral Expenses Payment eligibility on GOV.UK.

Getting help

• Cruse Bereavement Support offers free counselling and a helpline.
• Your GP can refer you for bereavement support, and it's fine to ask.
• Ask one practical person to field phone calls for the first week.
• Accept every offer of food. This is not the week to be self-sufficient.

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How to write it so it lands

• Register first, notify second.
• Buy extra death certificates.
• Ask for written funeral quotes.

Where to shop next

• Funeral etiquette in the UK
• Flowers, donations or neither
• What to wear to a funeral
• Helping someone in the weeks after
• Condolence gift ideas
• Arranging a funeral: a practical guide
• What not to say when someone is grieving
• How much to give for a funeral collection
• Funeral songs
• Difficult moments guides
• All guides
• Hen party decorations
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Party bag ideas for adults
• How much helium do you need for balloons?

Frequently asked questions

How long do you have to register a death in the UK?

Five days in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, eight days in Scotland, from the date the death was registered as occurring.

What is Tell Us Once?

A government service, usually offered by the registrar, that notifies HMRC, DWP, DVLA, the Passport Office and the local council of a death in one step.

How many death certificates do you need?

Several certified copies. Banks, pension providers and insurers each tend to want their own.

Do you have to use a funeral director?

No, but most people do. You can ask for written quotes, choose direct cremation, and hold a memorial separately and later.