What to do when someone dies: step by step

Check what to do after a death – how to register the death, notify government departments and manage financial issues.

1. Step 1: Register the death

   1. Register the death within 5 days

   Check what to do if:

   • the death has been reported to a coroner
   • the death happened outside the UK
   • you’re registering a stillbirth
   • someone is missing and you think they’re dead

   To stop or change benefits payments you can tell the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) about the death straight away.

2. Step 2: Arrange the funeral

   1. Arrange the funeral
   2. Find bereavement services from your local council
   3. Get help paying for a funeral
   4. Get help paying for a child’s funeral

3. Step 3: Tell government about the death

   The Tell Us Once service allows you to inform all the relevant government departments when someone dies.

   1. Use the Tell Us Once service to tell government
   2. If Tell Us Once is not available in your area tell government yourself

   You’ll also need to tell banks, utility companies, and landlords or housing associations yourself.

4. Step 4: Check if you can get bereavement benefits

   You might be eligible for financial help.

   Check if you can get:

   • Bereavement Support Payment if your spouse or civil partner has died
   • Guardian’s Allowance if you’re bringing up a child whose parents have died

5. and Deal with your own benefits, pension and taxes

   Your tax, benefit claims and pension might change depending on your relationship with the person who died.

   1. Manage your tax, pensions and benefits if your spouse has died
   2. Check how benefits are affected if a child dies

6. and Check if you need to apply to stay in the UK

   If your right to live in the UK depends on your relationship with someone who died you might need to apply for a new visa.

   Check the rules if:

   • you’re in the UK as the partner of a British Citizen or someone with indefinite leave to remain
   • your partner who died served as a member of HM Forces
   1. Contact UKVI to check the rules for other visas

7. Step 5: Deal with their estate

   You might have to deal with the will, money and property of the person who’s died if you’re a close friend or relative, or the executor of the will.

   1. Check what to do about wills, probate and inheritance
   2. Update property records