Bereavement
What to do when someone dies in the UK: a step-by-step checklist
A practical week-by-week guide for what to do when someone dies in the UK - covering England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
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April 26, 2026
A practical week-by-week guide for what to do when someone dies in the UK - covering England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Last updated: April 2026. This guide is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice.
In the first hours and days after a death, the only things that genuinely cannot wait are caring for the person who has died and getting the medical paperwork started. Almost everything else — the bank, the utilities, the inheritance tax form — can wait a week, or several. If you take only one thing from this guide, take that.
It also helps to know that the legal process differs between the four UK nations. We have flagged the key differences throughout. If you are unsure which rules apply, follow the guidance for the nation where the person lived.
What happens first depends on where the person died.
If the person died at home and the death was expected, call their GP. The GP or a community nurse will visit to verify the death and, if the cause is clear, will start the paperwork for the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD). If you cannot reach the GP, call NHS 111.
If the person died at home and the death was unexpected, call 999. The emergency services will attend and may involve the police as a matter of routine — this does not mean anything suspicious is suspected. The death will usually be reported to a coroner (or to the Procurator Fiscal in Scotland).
If the person died in hospital, a hospice or a care home, staff will normally take care of verifying the death and contacting you. They will also explain what paperwork they will issue and when.
You can contact a funeral director straight away or take a day or two. The funeral director will usually coordinate moving the person into their care from the place of death. There is no rush to choose — and if the person had a pre-paid funeral plan or written wishes, those should guide your choice.
The first calls are usually to immediate family — partner, children, parents, siblings — and to anyone who was caring for the person. You do not need to contact a wide circle today. Many people find it helpful to ask one trusted family member to share the news with others.
You cannot register the death without the MCCD. It is normally issued by the doctor who was treating the person, then reviewed by a medical examiner before being sent to the registrar. If a coroner or Procurator Fiscal is involved, they will provide the equivalent paperwork instead, and the timing may be different.
This is the step with the firmest legal deadline. The window depends on where the person died:
You can register in person at any register office, but it is best to use one in the area where the person died — that way you will receive all the paperwork on the day. The registrar will ask for details about the person who died (full name, date and place of birth, last address, occupation, marital status). It helps to bring their birth certificate and, if applicable, their marriage or civil partnership certificate.
At the appointment you will receive copies of the death certificate (it is sensible to order several — banks and insurers rarely accept photocopies) and the certificate for burial or cremation, sometimes called the green form.
Useful links: Register a death (GOV.UK) · Find a register office · National Records of Scotland · Registering a death in Northern Ireland (nidirect)
Tell Us Once is a free government service that notifies most central and local government departments of a death in a single step — HMRC, DWP, the Passport Office, DVLA, and your local council. The registrar will give you a unique reference number when you register, and you can then complete the notification online or by phone. You have 28 days from receiving the reference number to use the service.
Tell Us Once is available in England, Scotland and Wales, but not in Northern Ireland. In Northern Ireland, the equivalent is the Bereavement Service on 0800 085 2463, which is a single point of contact for notifying the Department for Communities.
Useful links: Tell Us Once (GOV.UK) · Bereavement Service in Northern Ireland
By the end of the first week you will usually have agreed the funeral type, date and venue with the funeral director. Costs vary considerably between providers, so it is reasonable to ask for a written quote and to compare options. The Good Funeral Guide and the National Association of Funeral Directors are independent sources of guidance.
If the person was a Digital Companion pre-planner, their Funeral Wishes section will tell you what they had in mind — this can be a real comfort when you are trying to make decisions on someone else's behalf.
The will tells you who has been named as executor — the person legally responsible for administering the estate. The will may be held at home, with a solicitor, with a bank, or registered with the National Will Register (Certainty). If there is no will, the estate is dealt with under the rules of intestacy, and the legal authority to administer it is called Letters of Administration in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and Confirmation in Scotland.
If you would like a fuller explanation of probate, Letters of Administration and Confirmation, see our companion guide: Probate, Confirmation and Letters of Administration: a plain-English guide.
Tell Us Once handles most central government notifications. You will still need to contact privately held organisations directly: banks, building societies, mortgage providers, life and home insurers, the employer (if applicable), private pension schemes, utility providers, mobile and broadband providers, and any subscription services. Most providers have a dedicated bereavement team and will tell you what they need — usually a copy of the death certificate and proof of your authority to act.
You do not need to value everything precisely yet — but a written list of bank accounts, properties, investments, pensions, and any debts will save time when you start the probate or confirmation application. Keep paperwork in one place. Do not record full bank account numbers, card numbers, or PINs in any digital tool — including Digital Companion. Record where the information can be found instead.
Grief is exhausting in ways that are hard to predict. Decision fatigue is real. It is normal to feel numb, then overwhelmed, then numb again. You do not have to be productive. Cruse Bereavement Support (cruse.org.uk) offers free, UK-wide bereavement counselling and a helpline, and many GPs can refer you to local services.
Most estates that include property, significant savings or investments will need a grant of legal authority before assets can be released. The process — and the terminology — differs across the UK:
Whether you actually need a grant depends on the size and structure of the estate and on what each individual bank or provider requires. Our plain-English guide to probate and confirmation walks through the process in each UK nation.
Inheritance tax is a UK-wide tax. Most estates do not pay it — the standard nil-rate band is £325,000, with additional allowances for a family home passed to direct descendants. Where inheritance tax is due, it is normally payable by the end of the sixth month after the death. If a full inheritance tax account (IHT400) is required, it must be submitted within 12 months.
Once you have the grant and have settled debts, taxes and expenses, you can distribute the estate to the beneficiaries named in the will (or under the rules of intestacy). Keep a written record of every distribution. Estate administration commonly takes six to twelve months for a straightforward estate, and considerably longer for complex ones.
Some situations need extra care:
Five days in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and eight days in Scotland. The clock starts from the date of death, except in England and Wales where it starts from the date you are notified you can register. If a coroner or Procurator Fiscal is involved, the timeline may be extended.
You are not legally required to use one. Most families do, because funeral directors handle the practical and logistical side at a difficult time, but family-led funerals are increasingly common.
It is a free government service that notifies most central and local government departments — including HMRC, DWP, DVLA, the Passport Office and your local council — of a death in a single step. It is available in England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland uses the Bereavement Service instead.
Probate is the legal authority to administer an estate in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Confirmation is the equivalent in Scotland. The processes, fees and forms differ — always follow the guidance for the nation where the person lived. We cover this in detail in our plain-English guide.
For a straightforward estate with a will, typically six to twelve months. Complex estates, or estates without a will, can take considerably longer.
If this feels overwhelming, you are not alone. Digital Companion gives you a personalised, step-by-step plan based on your circumstances and the UK nation you are in — so the work feels manageable rather than endless. You can save key information, nominate trusted people to help, and keep a journal alongside.
Get started with Digital Companion
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, medical or financial advice. Always seek qualified professional guidance where appropriate.
A practical week-by-week guide for what to do when someone dies in the UK - covering England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
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