What to do in the first days after someone dies in the UK

This guide is for anyone who has just lost someone close and needs to know what happens next. By the end of it, you'll understand how to get the paperwork in motion, who needs to be told, and in what order. It won't cover everything about funerals or probate in depth, but it will get you through the immediate practical steps when you may be least able to think clearly.

None of this needs to be done in a single day. Most of it unfolds over the first week.

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Step 1: Get the medical certificate of cause of death

The medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD) is the document that starts everything else. Without it, you cannot register the death.

If the person died in hospital, the bereavement office there will prepare the MCCD. They'll contact you directly, or you can call the ward where the person was being treated. If the death happened at home and a GP was involved in recent care, call the surgery. They'll arrange for a doctor to certify the cause of death.

In some situations, the death is referred to the coroner (in England, Wales and Northern Ireland) or the procurator fiscal (in Scotland). This happens when the cause of death is uncertain, the death was sudden or unexpected, or the person hadn't seen a doctor recently. A coroner's involvement doesn't mean anything is wrong. It simply means more time before you can register. The coroner's office will keep you informed.

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Step 2: Contact a funeral director

You don't need to have chosen a funeral director in advance, but appointing one early is genuinely useful. They can collect the deceased from the hospital or home, which you don't have to arrange yourself, and they can advise on timing while you wait for the MCCD.

Most funeral directors operate 24 hours a day. Larger firms such as Co-op Funeralcare and Dignity have branches across the UK; independent firms are widely available and often preferred by families who want a more personal service. If the person left a pre-paid funeral plan, the plan provider will tell you which funeral director is linked to it.

The funeral itself doesn't need to be planned immediately. What matters at this stage is that the deceased is in the funeral director's care.

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Step 3: Register the death

In England and Wales, the death must be registered within five days of the date of death (not the date you receive the MCCD). In Scotland, the deadline is eight days. Northern Ireland is five days. The registration is done at the local register office, not online.

Book an appointment as soon as you have the MCCD. Most register offices have online booking; search "[your council area] register office" or use GOV.UK's register office finder. In some areas, hospitals have a registrar on site, which can speed things up.

Who can register the death? The rules are slightly different across the four nations, but broadly it's a relative of the deceased, someone present at the death, or the person handling the funeral arrangements. If you're not sure whether you qualify, the register office will advise.

Take the MCCD with you. It also helps to bring the deceased's NHS number, their birth certificate if you can find it, their passport, and any marriage or civil partnership certificate. None of these are strictly required, but they make the process smoother.

The registrar will enter the details into the register and give you the documents you need in the next step.

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Step 4: Collect your certified death certificates

At the register office, you'll receive two things automatically. First, a green certificate (form BD8 in England and Wales) that you hand to the funeral director. Second, a certificate of registration, which you'll need for benefits purposes.

You'll also be offered the chance to buy certified copies of the death certificate. These are official, stamped copies, and you'll need one for each organisation you notify. Banks typically insist on seeing one; so do pension providers, insurance companies, and probate solicitors.

The price at the register office is currently £11 per copy in England and Wales (as of 2025). Copies bought later, through the General Register Office, cost more and take longer. Buy more than you think you need. I'd suggest at least six, possibly eight if the estate is at all complex. Running short means reordering, which costs time and money.

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Step 5: Use Tell Us Once

Tell Us Once is a free government service that notifies multiple public-sector organisations at the same time. The registrar will give you a unique reference number and a link to use it (GOV.UK/tell-us-once). It's available in England, Scotland and Wales; Northern Ireland has a separate process.

With a single session, Tell Us Once notifies:

• HMRC (tax and National Insurance records)
• The Department for Work and Pensions (state pension, benefits)
• The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
• The passport office
• The local council (council tax, housing benefit, blue badge)

The service is available online or by phone. Most people find the online version straightforward; you'll need the reference number, the deceased's National Insurance number, and their date of birth.

Tell Us Once does not cover banks, insurers, or private pension providers. Those require individual contact.

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Step 6: Notify financial and private organisations

This is the most time-consuming part, and there's no single shortcut. Each organisation has its own process.

Start with the bank or building society. Most high-street banks (Barclays, Lloyds, NatWest, Halifax among others) have a bereavement team with a dedicated phone line. They'll freeze sole accounts temporarily to protect the funds, and guide you on next steps depending on whether probate is required. Joint accounts usually transfer automatically to the surviving account holder, though the bank will need to see a death certificate to update their records.

Pension providers are next on the list. For a workplace pension, the employer's HR department is the starting point. For a private pension, contact the provider directly. Many pensions include a death-in-service benefit or a lump sum, so don't leave this notification too long.

Life insurance policies should be claimed as soon as possible. The insurer will ask for a certified death certificate and a completed claim form.

For utilities (gas, electricity, broadband), a phone call is usually enough to start the transfer or closure process. If the bills were in the deceased's name, the account will need to be transferred or closed; suppliers are generally accustomed to this.

If the deceased rented their home, notify the landlord promptly. If they owned a property, that will form part of the estate and be dealt with during probate.

Subscriptions and memberships (the DVLA aside, which Tell Us Once covers) need individual cancellation. It's worth checking bank statements for direct debits and standing orders so nothing continues billing unnecessarily.

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A word on probate

If the deceased owned assets in their sole name above a certain value, you'll likely need to apply for probate (or, in Scotland, confirmation) before those assets can be distributed. This is a separate legal process, not covered in this guide, but it typically begins after you've completed the steps above. Age UK and Citizen's Advice both publish useful introductions. If the estate is complex, a solicitor who specialises in probate will be worth the fee.

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