Help and Advice

Tell Us Once

Tell Us Once is a government service that lets you report the death of a loved one i.e. a spouse or civil partner, to multiple government organisations in one go. Unfortunately this service is not available in Northern Ireland. To use this service you will need the following information: 

  • Date of birth
  • National Insurance number
  • Driving licence number
  • Vehicle registration number
  • Passport number
  • Medical certificate (may be required if they died at home)

If this service is available in your region, Tell Us Once will notify:

  • HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
  • Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
  • Passport Office
  • Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)
  • The local council
  • Veterans UK

Death Notification Service

Another free service that may be available to you is the Death Notification Service. This organisation will let you notify a number of banks and building societies of a person’s death, at the same time. Financial institutions include:

  • Barclays PLC: Barclaycard and Barclays
  • HSBC UK: First Direct and M&S Bank
  • RBS group: NatWest
  • Santander UK: Cahoot
  • Lloyds Banking Group: Bank of Scotland, Halifax, Lloyds Bank, Scottish Widows and Clerical Medical Nationwide
  • Building Society: The Mortgage Works, UCB Home Loans Ltd and The Mutual

Passport

If your loved one had a passport, you will need to complete a form and return it to Her Majesty’s Passport Office (HMPO). They will then contact you with information about how and where to send the passport.

Utility Bills

If the deceased’s property is to be left unoccupied, take meter readings as soon as possible and send to the relevant utility companies.

If the property is still occupied, utility accounts will need to be transferred into the name of the person now responsible for the bills. Insurance policies may also need to be updated as the policy can become invalid.

If there is a mortgage ensure payments continue until the company has been informed and advice received from them.

Post

If you need mail redirected, you can contact the Royal mail or download and complete the ‘Redirecting mail in special circumstances’ form. Alternatively, your local post office can help you fill out the necessary documents.

TV, Phone and Internet Subscriptions

If you need to cancel or make any changes to a TV licence, you will find the necessary information at: What to do if the licence holder dies. If you need to cancel internet, landline or mobile phone bills, you will need to get in contact with the relevant company – most providers have a policy relating to the death of a loved one. The same applies for subscription services like Netflix, Spotify etc.

Social Media Accounts

In this digital age, lots of people have a social media account of some form. If your loved one had an account you wish to delete or memorialise, you will need to provide the relevant social media platform with a death certificate