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End of Life

Death

After someone dies, there are some important things you need to do.
These steps can help you stay calm, stay organised, and know what to do next.

When Someone Dies Leaflet gives helpful information for the first days and weeks after a death.
It explains:

  • What you need to do
  • How you might feel
  • Where to get help

It also includes phone numbers and services that can support you.

Below is a simple list to help you understand what to do, one step at a time.

When someone you love dies, it can be hard to know what to do.
You may feel confused or upset.
This is normal.

While you wait for the official papers from the doctor or hospital, there are a few things you can do if you feel ready.

One helpful step is to look for any papers that show what the person wanted after they died.
These may include:

  • A Will (a paper that says who gets their money and things)
  • Funeral wishes (these may be in the Will or in a funeral plan)
  • Birth or marriage certificates
  • Divorce papers (these show if they changed their last name)
  • Death certificates of a husband or wife who died before
  • Papers about name changes
  • Pension or benefit papers (such as their National Insurance number)
  • NHS medical card
  • Insurance papers
  • Bank or building society details

If you cannot find the Will, it may be with the person’s solicitor or bank.
Sometimes Wills are kept in a special office in London called the Principal Probate Registry.
If it is there, you may find a note saying where it is kept.

When someone dies, you must register the death in person. This should be done within 5 days of being told to do so by the registrar.

The person who gives the information is called the informant. This is usually a family member, but other people can do it depending on where the person died.

If the person died at home or in a public place such as a hospital, these people can register the death:

  • A family member
  • Someone who was with the person when they died
  • The person who owns the home or a hospital worker
  • The person arranging the funeral

Find out how to register a death in Leeds

If you find a Will, it may say what the person wanted for their funeral.
This can be helpful because it means you do not have to make all the choices alone.

Sometimes their wishes may be hard to do, for example if they cost too much or are not possible.

Funeral wishes in a Will do not have to be followed if they cannot be done. You should try your best, but you can only do what is reasonable.

Before you go further, make sure you are the right person to carry out these steps.

You may need help from:

  • Funeral directors
  • Faith organisations

The estate means everything the person owned.
If you managed their money before they died, you may already know about their accounts and belongings.

Some people keep all their important papers in one place.
If not, it may take time, but you can still work it out.

Start by looking through their papers to find the names of the banks or companies they used.
You do not need to know if the accounts are open yet—just finding the names helps.

You can look at:

  • Bank cards in their purse or wallet
  • Bank statements
  • Bills for gas, electricity or water
  • Anything they said about a bank or company

Every small clue helps.

There are many people and companies you need to tell when someone dies.
This can feel like a big job, but it helps stop upsetting letters or phone calls.

It can help to make a list.
Take your time.
Ask others to help if you need to.

You should tell companies and services such as:

  • Their bank
  • Gas, electricity, water, phone or internet companies
  • Insurance companies
  • Their doctor, dentist or optician
  • Any subscription services, such as Netflix

If you are looking after their money or home, ask companies to close accounts from the day the person died.
You must use the person’s money to pay any bills they still owed.

If their home is now yours, you will need to pay new bills from the next day.

Tell Us Once Service

There’s a helpful service called Tell Us Once. It lets you tell lots of government offices at the same time, like:

  • The passport office
  • HMRC (for tax)
  • Other government departments

The registrar will give you a special number to use this service.
You can use it online at GOV.UK or call 0800 085 7308.

Stopping Unwanted Post

You can stop unwanted letters by signing up for free with:

  1. Mailing Preference Service (MPS)
    This stops advertising post.

    Website: www.mpsonline.org.uk 
    Write to:
    FREEPOST 29 LON20771
    London W1E 0ZT
    Phone: 0845 703 4599
    Email: mps@dma.org.uk

2. The Bereavement Register

This stops post from many other companies.

Write to:
Freepost
1 Newhams Row
London SE1 3UZ

It may take up to 4 months for the post to stop.

If the person had magazine subscriptions or similar services, you must tell those companies yourself.

If the Person Had a Car

You need to tell the DVLA (the car office) that the person has died.

You must tell the DVLA that the person has died.

  • If no one is using the car, you can register it as off the road on GOV.UK.
  • If someone will use or sell the car, update the log book (called a V5C) with the new owner’s name.

Probate is a special paper that gives you legal permission to look after someone’s money, home, and things.

If you are the executor (the person named in the Will to do this), you will usually need probate.

You can check if you need probate on GOV.UK.

Inheritance Tax  is a tax that may need to be paid when someone dies.

It is paid on the estate (everything they owned), such as:

  • Their house
  • Their money
  • Their belongings

You need to value the estate to find out if any tax is due.

There are rules, allowances and limits that may change whether Inheritance Tax needs to be paid.

The executor pays any tax from the estate’s money.

The people who inherit the money or things do not usually pay this tax themselves.

You must tell HMRC when someone dies, in case tax needs to be paid.

Sometimes the person who died still owed money, such as:

  • An overdraft (bank account below zero)
  • A loan or credit card debt

If there is not enough money in the estate to pay the debts, the people owed the money usually cannot ask the family to pay.
The debt normally stays unpaid.

But:

  • The person may have had insurance that pays off debts when they die—check this.
  • If the debt was shared with someone else (a joint account or joint loan), the other person still has to pay what is left.
  • If you lived with the person, you may still have to pay normal household bills like council tax or water.

If you needed probate, you can now start sorting out the person’s things.

You can:

  • Sell or move things they owned
  • But first, you must pay any debts and any Inheritance Tax

After all debts and tax are paid, you can give out what is left:

  • If there is a Will, follow what it says
  • If there is no Will, follow the Rules of Intestacy (the law that decides who gets what)

It is important to keep clear notes of all money that comes in and goes out.
This shows everything was done properly.

Keep:

  • A copy of the Death Certificate
  • The Will (if there is one)
  • The Grant of Probate (if you needed it)
  • A list of all money and belongings (called the estate accounts)

Are you a unpaid carer? Find out about the support avalible to you. 

Visit Carers Corner

Have you recently been bereaved? Find out about the support avalible to you. 

Bereavement Support
Last updated: 19/06/2025
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