Benefits information is based on current DWP and HMRC rules. Entitlements depend on your personal circumstances. For free personalised help, contact Citizens Advice or call the Universal Credit helpline on 0800 328 5644.
Contents
Dealing with finances after someone dies can feel overwhelming. This checklist guides you through each step in order.
Immediate Priorities (First Week)
Before Anything Else
Task
Priority
Register the death
Within 5 days (8 in Scotland)
Get death certificates
Order 10+ certified copies
Secure the property
Lock home, check insurance
Locate the will
Check home, solicitor, will storage
Notify immediate contacts
Family, employer
What You’ll Need
Document
Where to Get
Medical certificate of cause of death
Doctor or hospital
Death certificate
Registrar
Will (if exists)
Home, solicitor, or will register
ID of deceased
Passport, driving licence
Tell Us Once Service
What It Does
The government’s Tell Us Once service notifies multiple organisations with one call:
Organisations Notified
Automatically Contacted
HMRC
Yes
DWP (pensions, benefits)
Yes
Passport Office
Yes
DVLA
Yes
Local council
Yes
Council housing
Yes
How to Use It
Registrar provides your Tell Us Once reference
Use online at gov.uk or call
Complete within 28 days of registration
Covers most government departments
Financial Notifications Checklist
Banks and Building Societies
Action
Details
Notify each bank
Call or visit with death certificate
Stop cards and cheques
Request immediate freezing
Direct debits
Some continue, some stop — review
Joint accounts
Surviving holder can continue access
Sole accounts
Frozen until probate granted
What Banks Need
Document
Why
Death certificate
Proof of death
Your ID
Verify you’re entitled to act
Grant of Probate
For large balances
Marriage/birth certificate
To prove relationship
Insurance and Pensions
Task
Organisation
Life insurance
Contact insurer
Pension (workplace)
Contact employer/pension provider
State pension
Notified via Tell Us Once
Private pension
Contact provider directly
Health insurance
Cancel if applicable
Bills and Subscriptions
Type
Action
Utilities (gas, electric, water)
Transfer name or close
Council tax
Notify council
TV licence
Cancel or transfer
Phone/broadband
Cancel or transfer
Mobile phone
Cancel
Streaming services
Cancel
Gym memberships
Cancel
Magazine subscriptions
Cancel
Property and Vehicles
Asset
Action
Home insurance
Inform — may need to adjust cover
Car insurance
Cancel or transfer
Mortgage
Notify lender
Rent
Notify landlord
DVLA
Register vehicle keeper change
Finding All the Accounts
Common Places to Check
Location
What to Look For
Post
Bank statements, bills
Email
Account confirmations
Filing cabinet
Financial documents
Safe/lockbox
Important papers
Bank safe deposit
Valuables, documents
Asset Search Services
Service
What It Does
Unclaimed Assets Register
Find lost accounts
NS&I Tracing
Premium Bonds, savings
Pension Tracing Service
Find workplace pensions
Insurance company search
ABI death notification
Probate or Letters of Administration
When You Need Probate
Value of Estate
Probate Required?
Under £5,000-10,000
Usually no
£10,000-50,000
Depends on institution
Over £50,000
Usually yes
Property involved
Almost always yes
Grant of Probate vs Letters of Administration
Document
When Used
Grant of Probate
When there’s a valid will
Letters of Administration
When there’s no will
How to Apply for Probate
Option
Cost
Online/paper application (court fee)
£526 flat fee (estates over £5,000) — increased from £300 to £526 from 13 July 2026
Through solicitor
£2,000-5,000+ (plus the court fee)
No probate application fee is payable if the estate is worth £5,000 or less. Extra copies of the grant cost a small fee per copy — check gov.uk for the current figure.
Inheritance Tax
Do You Need to Pay?
Estate Value
IHT Due?
Under £325,000
No
£325,000-£500,000 (spouse)
Usually no — transfers to spouse
Over threshold
40% on amount above threshold
Leaving home to children
£500,000 threshold (residence nil rate band)
Paying IHT Before Probate
If IHT is due:
Must be paid within 6 months of death
May need to pay before probate granted
Banks can release funds for IHT payment
Property can be sold to pay
Dealing with Debts
What Happens to Debts
Debt Type
Treatment
Sole debts
Paid from estate assets
Joint debts
Surviving person liable
Secured debts
Secured asset may be sold
Unsecured debts
Paid after secured debts
Guarantor debts
You’re liable if you guaranteed
Debts You Don’t Inherit
Debt Type
Your Liability
Parent’s credit card (sole)
None personally
Parent’s loan (sole)
None personally
Their mortgage (sole name)
Estate liable, not you
Their overdraft (sole)
Estate liable
Order of Payment
Funeral expenses
Secured debts (mortgage)
Preferred debts (employee wages)
Unsecured debts (credit cards)
Interest on debts
Beneficiaries
Tax Affairs
Final Tax Return
Situation
Action
Self-employed
File final return to date of death
Employed
P45 issued by employer
Rental income
Report to date of death
Capital gains
Report any disposals
Tax Refunds
Source
How to Claim
Overpaid income tax
HMRC will calculate
Council tax
May be refund due
Overpaid bills
Contact providers
Joint Assets and Accounts
Joint Bank Accounts
Ownership
What Happens
True joint
Surviving holder owns all
Joint tenants
Passes automatically
Tenants in common
Share goes to estate
Property Ownership
Ownership Type
What Happens
Joint tenants
Survivor owns whole property
Tenants in common
Deceased’s share goes to estate
Sole ownership
Whole property goes to estate
Claiming Benefits for Yourself
If You’re the Spouse/Partner
Benefit
Eligibility
Bereavement Support Payment
Under state pension age, spouse (or qualifying cohabiting partner) contributed NI
Widowed Parent’s Allowance
If have children, and partner died before April 2017