Checklist

What to Do When Someone Dies in the UK: First Steps

Nobody is expected to do all of this at once. This checklist follows the order things usually happen in the UK. It is general information, not legal advice, and some rules differ between England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

In the first 24 to 48 hours

  • Get the death confirmed. If the death was expected at home, call the GP or the hospice or community nursing team (or 111 out of hours). If it was unexpected, call 999.
  • Tell close family and friends.
  • Arrange care for dependants and pets.
  • Contact a funeral director. Check for written wishes and any pre-paid funeral plan first. Pre-paid funeral plan providers must be authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority.
  • Find the will. Look for the signed original.

In the first week

  • Get the medical certificate of cause of death. The GP or hospital arranges this. In England and Wales a medical examiner reviews the cause of death first.
  • Register the death. This usually has to be done within 5 days in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and within 8 days in Scotland. Ask the registrar for several certified copies of the death certificate.
  • Ask the registrar about Tell Us Once. Where it is available, it lets you tell many government departments about the death in one go, including cancelling the passport and driving licence.
  • Tell the employer, and ask about final pay and any death-in-service benefit.

In the first month

  • Contact banks and building societies. The free Death Notification Service can notify several at once.
  • Contact pension providers and life insurers. The government's free Pension Tracing Service can help find old workplace pensions.
  • Find out whether probate is needed. Small estates may not need it. Otherwise the executor applies for a grant of probate (confirmation in Scotland).
  • Value the estate and check whether Inheritance Tax is due. It must usually be paid by the end of the sixth month after the death.
  • Ask about bereavement benefits. A spouse or civil partner under State Pension age (and, since 2023, some cohabiting partners with children) may be able to claim Bereavement Support Payment. The full amount depends on claiming within 3 months.

Within the year

  • Cancel subscriptions, memberships and Direct Debits.
  • Settle the final tax. HMRC may need a final tax return.
  • Pay debts and expenses before distributing the estate. Family members usually do not have to pay a relative's debts from their own money unless the debt was joint or they acted as guarantor. A UK student loan is cancelled when the borrower dies.
  • Keep a record of every payment and decision made for the estate.

Keep it all in one place

Dealing with an estate in the UK: the grant of probate, Inheritance Tax, The Gazette notice and estate accounts, with trackers.

When Someone Dies: The Executor's Guide (UK): coming soon

Sources

Last reviewed 2026-10-31. General information, not legal, tax, financial or medical advice.