Updated 22 March 202614 min read

What to Do When Someone Dies: Complete UK Step-by-Step Checklist (2026)

When someone you love passes away, the practical demands can feel overwhelming. There are phone calls to make, forms to complete, organisations to notify, and decisions to take at a time when you can barely think straight. This guide walks you through every step, in order, so you do not have to work it out on your own.

Before you begin

There is no rush to do everything at once. Nothing on this list needs to happen in the first few hours except getting a medical certificate of cause of death. Everything else can wait until you feel ready. If you are struggling, please call Cruse Bereavement Support on 0808 808 1677 or the Samaritans on 116 123 (free, 24 hours).

The first few hours

If they passed away at home

If it was expected and the person was under the care of a GP or district nurse, call the GP surgery. The GP (or another doctor from the practice) will come to the house to confirm the death and issue a medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD). There is no legal requirement for this to happen immediately, so please do not feel rushed. You can stay with them for as long as you need to.

If it was sudden or unexplained, call 999. The police and an ambulance will attend. This is standard procedure and does not mean anyone has done anything wrong. The police will arrange for them to be taken to the mortuary. A coroner will investigate and decide whether a post-mortem is needed.

If they passed away in hospital or a care home

The hospital or care home will handle the medical certification. A doctor at the hospital will issue the MCCD. The staff will explain the next steps and ask about your preferred funeral director. You do not have to decide this straight away. You can ask them to keep the person in the hospital mortuary while you make arrangements. There is usually no charge for a few days.

If the coroner is involved

The coroner must be informed if the cause of death is unknown, if the person was not seen by a doctor in the 28 days before death, if the death was violent or unnatural, if it happened during an operation or before recovery from an anaesthetic, or if the death may be linked to an industrial disease. The coroner may order a post-mortem or, in some cases, open an inquest. This can delay the funeral and the registration, but the coroner's office will keep you updated. You can still register the death once the coroner issues the necessary paperwork.

Within the first few days

Collect the medical certificate of cause of death

The MCCD is the green form issued by the doctor. You will need it to register the death. If the person died in hospital, you usually collect it from the bereavement office. If they died at home, the GP surgery will have it ready. Since September 2024, all deaths in England and Wales must be reviewed by a medical examiner before the MCCD is issued. This is a free process and usually takes 1 to 2 working days. The medical examiner may contact you to talk through the circumstances. This is routine, and nothing to worry about.

Find important documents

Start gathering key documents when you feel able to. You will need them over the coming weeks and months. The most important ones are: the will (check at home, with the person's solicitor, or search the National Will Register), birth certificate, marriage or civil partnership certificate, passport, driving licence, National Insurance number, bank and building society details, mortgage information, pension details, insurance policies (especially life insurance), and any pre-paid funeral plan documents. Our document checklist can help you track these down.

Contact a funeral director (optional at this stage)

There is no legal requirement to use a funeral director. Some families arrange funerals themselves, and low-cost options are available if money is tight. If you do choose a funeral director, you can ask for a written estimate before committing. Prices vary significantly, so it is worth getting at least two quotes. If the person had a pre-paid funeral plan, contact the plan provider as soon as possible.

Registering the death

In England and Wales you have 5 days to register the death, and those 5 days run from when you receive the medical examiner's confirmation and the medical certificate of cause of death, not from the day they died. In Scotland you have 8 days. Registration is free. You will need the MCCD and should bring the birth certificate of the person who died, their NHS number, and details of their address. For a full breakdown of everything to bring, see our guide on registering a death in the UK.

You can register the death at any register office in England and Wales, but if you register in a different district to where the death occurred, it will take a few extra days because the paperwork has to be forwarded. Most register offices require an appointment. Book one by calling the local council or visiting their website.

At the appointment, the registrar will ask you questions about the person who has died: their full name, date and place of birth, last address, occupation, marital status, and whether they were receiving a pension or benefits. The registrar will give you a certified copy of the death certificate (£12.50 each in England and Wales). It is worth ordering at least 5 copies, as many organisations require an original. See our guide on how many death certificates to order.

The registrar will also give you the green form (Certificate for Burial or Cremation), which your funeral director needs before the funeral can go ahead.

For detailed guidance, see GOV.UK: Register a death.

Using Tell Us Once

Tell Us Once is a free government service that lets you report a death to most government departments in one go. The registrar will give you a unique reference number and explain how to use it. You can complete it online, by phone (0800 085 7308), or at the register office itself. Tell Us Once will notify: DWP (to stop benefits and pensions), HMRC, the Passport Office, DVLA, the local council (council tax and electoral register), and several other agencies.

Tell Us Once does not cover everything. You will still need to contact banks, building societies, utility companies, insurance providers, phone companies, and many others yourself. For the full list of what it does and does not cover, see our article: What Tell Us Once does not cover. Our complete Tell Us Once guide walks you through the whole process.

Note: Tell Us Once is available in England and Wales but not in Northern Ireland. Scotland has a similar service called Tell Us Once Scotland.

Planning the funeral

Types of funeral

The main options are: a traditional funeral with a service (averaging £4,510 in the SunLife Cost of Dying Report 2026), a direct cremation with no service (from around £1,095, with a UK average of £1,628), a woodland or green burial, or a DIY funeral organised without a funeral director. You should check whether the person left any wishes about their funeral, either in their will, a pre-paid funeral plan, or informally with family. Our funeral options guide explains every type in detail.

Paying for the funeral

If money is a concern, you are not alone. The person arranging the funeral is legally responsible for the cost, but there is help available. You may be able to claim the DWP Funeral Expenses Payment (now called the Funeral Payment within Universal Credit) if you receive certain benefits. Some charities also help with funeral costs. Banks may release money from the person's account to pay the funeral director directly, even before probate. Our guide to free and low-cost funeral options covers every available route.

During the first few weeks

Notify organisations

Beyond Tell Us Once, you will need to contact: all banks and building societies, credit card companies, mortgage lenders, landlords, utility companies (gas, electricity, water), phone and broadband providers, insurance companies (home, car, life, pet, travel), the person's employer, pension providers, subscription services (TV, streaming, gym, magazines), social media companies, and the Royal Mail (to redirect post). Our notification tool has phone numbers and step-by-step instructions for each organisation, and our Notify For Me service can send some of these on your behalf.

Secure the property

If the person lived alone, make sure the property is secure. Inform the home insurance company as soon as possible, because most policies have a condition that the property must be occupied or regularly checked. Many insurers will continue cover for a limited period (usually 30 days) after a death, but you need to tell them. Check the post regularly and redirect it to your address if needed using Royal Mail's redirection service.

Council tax

If the person lived alone, you may be entitled to a council tax exemption. A property left empty since the death is exempt from council tax until six months after the grant of probate in England (twelve months in Wales), and there is no time limit at all while you are still waiting for the grant. This is the Class F exemption. If you now live alone in a shared property, you may qualify for the 25% single person discount. Our council tax guide explains the rules in full.

Sorting out finances

Bank accounts

Joint accounts can usually continue to be used by the surviving holder. Sole accounts will be frozen once the bank is notified. Most banks will release small amounts without probate (the threshold varies by bank, typically between £5,000 and £50,000). See our bank probate thresholds comparison for the full list. To close accounts and release larger sums, you will usually need the grant of probate.

Benefits you may be entitled to

If you have lost a spouse or civil partner, you may be able to claim Bereavement Support Payment (a lump sum of up to £3,500 plus up to 18 monthly payments of £350). The timing matters: claim within 3 months and you get the lump sum and all 18 monthly payments, and after 12 months the lump sum is lost altogether, though you can still get some monthly payments up to 21 months. If you have dependent children, the amounts are higher. Our bereavement benefits guide covers every available benefit and how to claim.

Life insurance and pensions

Check whether the person had life insurance (through work, a mortgage, or a standalone policy). Contact the insurer to make a claim. For workplace pensions, contact the employer's HR department. For the state pension, DWP will have been notified through Tell Us Once. Our pensions after death guide explains what happens to different types of pension.

Probate and the estate

Probate is the legal process that gives someone the authority to deal with a deceased person's estate (their money, property, and possessions). You may not need probate if the estate is small, if all assets were jointly owned, or if bank balances are below the bank's probate threshold. Our probate guide explains when you need it and how to apply.

The probate application fee is £526 (free if the estate is worth less than £5,000). You can apply yourself through the government's online service at GOV.UK, or you can instruct a solicitor (typically £1,500 to £5,000 or a percentage of the estate). For a realistic timeline, see our article on how long probate takes in the UK.

If the person died without a will, the estate is distributed according to the rules of intestacy. Our intestacy guide explains who inherits what. If inheritance tax is due, it must be paid within 6 months of the end of the month of death to avoid interest. See our inheritance tax guide for thresholds and exemptions.

Longer-term tasks

Update your own will and documents

If the person who died was named in your own will (for example, as a beneficiary or executor), you should update it. If they were listed as next of kin on medical forms, update those too. If you had joint finances, you may need to rearrange bank accounts, insurance policies, and direct debits.

The first anniversary and beyond

Grief does not follow a neat timeline. Many people find the second year harder than the first, because the numbness wears off and reality sets in. Be patient with yourself. If specific dates or occasions are difficult, plan ahead so you are not caught off guard. Our first year after loss guide offers a month-by-month outline of what to expect.

Looking after yourself

While you are working through all these practical tasks, try not to lose sight of yourself. Grief is physically exhausting. It can affect your sleep, appetite, concentration, and immune system. Eat when you can, rest when you can, and accept help when it is offered. You do not have to be strong for everyone else.

If you are finding it hard to cope, please reach out. You deserve support.

Free support lines

Cruse Bereavement Support: 0808 808 1677 (free, Mon-Fri 9:30am-5pm, extended hours available)
Samaritans: 116 123 (free, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year)
Mind: 0300 123 3393 (Mon-Fri 9am-6pm)
NHS Bereavement: Visit nhs.uk/grief for self-help resources and local services

Common questions

What is the first thing to do when someone dies?

If the death was expected and happened at home with a care plan in place, call the GP surgery or out-of-hours service. If it was unexpected or unattended, call 999. There is no rush to do anything else in the first few hours. The person does not need to be moved immediately, and you can stay with them for as long as you need to.

How long do I have to register a death in the UK?

In England and Wales you have 5 days to register the death, and the 5 days run from when you receive the medical examiner's confirmation and the medical certificate of cause of death, not from the day the person died. In Scotland you have 8 days, and in Northern Ireland 5 days. If the coroner is involved, registration waits until they have issued the paperwork, and the register office will tell you when to come in.

What is Tell Us Once and how does it work?

Tell Us Once is a free government service that lets you report a death to most government departments in a single phone call or online session. It notifies the DWP, HMRC, the Passport Office, the DVLA and your local council. The registrar gives you a reference number when you register the death, and you use that number to access the service. It is available in England, Wales and Scotland, but not in Northern Ireland.

Do I need probate when someone dies?

Not always. Probate is usually needed if the person owned property in their sole name, had savings or investments above their bank's probate threshold, or held certain types of shares. The threshold varies from bank to bank, typically somewhere between £5,000 and £50,000. Joint bank accounts and jointly owned property usually pass automatically to the surviving owner without probate. The application fee is £526 for estates worth more than £5,000, and nothing for estates below that.

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Tools to help: Our cost breakdown covers every expense so there are no surprises. Use our template letters and call scripts when contacting organisations. If you are in Scotland or Northern Ireland, see our nation-specific guides for differences in registration, probate, and costs.

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