Finding All Their Accounts After Death

Start with what is already available. Go through bank statements, letters from financial institutions, tax returns, payslips, and receipts. Check drawers, filing cabinets, safes, and any home office. If you have access to their email, search for terms like "account", "policy", "statement", "renewal", "direct debit", and "subscription". Their email inbox will often reveal accounts you would never have found otherwise. Also check their phone for banking apps and saved passwords.

Documents needed: No documents needed at this stage.

This is the single most effective method. As executor or next of kin, you can legally request a search of the deceased person's credit file. This reveals every credit agreement, bank account, loan, mortgage, credit card, and financial product registered in their name. Experian offers a Deceased Tracing service for £25 that provides a full report. Equifax and TransUnion offer similar services. You will need a certified copy of the death certificate and, ideally, the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration. Some agencies will accept a copy of the will naming you as executor before probate is granted.

Documents needed: Certified death certificate, Grant of Probate (or Letters of Administration), photo ID.

Gretel is a free service that searches multiple sources to find financial accounts linked to the deceased. You register the death on their platform and they contact financial institutions on your behalf to identify any accounts held. Gretel works with hundreds of UK banks, building societies, insurers, and pension providers. It is particularly useful for finding accounts you did not know about. The service is free because it is funded by the financial institutions themselves, who want to reunite assets with the right people.

Documents needed: Death certificate, proof of your authority to act (Grant of Probate, Letters of Administration, or copy of the will).

The Death Notification Service (DNS) lets you notify multiple banks and building societies of a death in a single registration. Run by UK Finance, the trade body for the banking sector, it covers most major UK banks. When you register, each participating bank will check whether they hold any accounts in the deceased's name and contact you directly. This is useful both for notifying institutions you already know about and for discovering accounts you were not aware of. You can register online and the whole process takes around 10 minutes.

Documents needed: Death certificate reference number, your own ID, details of any known accounts.

The Pension Tracing Service is a free government tool that helps you find workplace and personal pensions the deceased may have built up during their career. Many people change jobs multiple times and lose track of old pension schemes. The service holds details of over 200,000 workplace and personal pension schemes. Visit gov.uk/find-pension-contact-details and search using the name of a former employer or pension provider. Once you find a scheme, contact them directly with the death certificate and proof of your authority. Some workplace pensions pay a lump sum death benefit that does not form part of the estate.

Documents needed: Name of former employers or pension providers. Death certificate and proof of authority when you contact the scheme.

The Unclaimed Assets Register (UAR), run by Gretel, searches for dormant bank and building society accounts, unclaimed insurance policies, pensions, and investments. Financial institutions are required to transfer dormant accounts (untouched for 15 years) to the Reclaim Fund, but the original owner or their estate can still reclaim the money. A search costs £25 and covers millions of dormant accounts across the UK financial sector. If a match is found, you will be given instructions on how to reclaim the funds.

Documents needed: Full name and date of birth of the deceased. Death certificate and proof of authority for any claims.

The British Insurance Brokers' Association (BIBA) can help trace insurance policies the deceased may have held. Contact them on 0370 950 1790. They maintain records of insurance brokers and can help you identify which companies may hold policies. Also check for policies that came bundled with bank accounts (many packaged current accounts include life insurance or travel insurance). Check payslips for any group life insurance through their employer, as these often pay out a lump sum of 2 to 4 times the annual salary.

Documents needed: Death certificate, details of any known policies or employers.

Premium Bonds are one of the most commonly forgotten financial products. NS&I (National Savings and Investments) holds billions in unclaimed Premium Bonds. Contact NS&I on 08085 007 007 or write to NS&I, Glasgow G58 1SB. They will check whether the deceased held any bonds and arrange for them to be cashed in or transferred. Premium Bonds continue to be entered into the monthly draw for up to 12 months after the holder's death, so do not rush to cash them in. Any prizes won during that period belong to the estate.

Documents needed: Death certificate, holder's number (if known), your proof of authority.

If the deceased filed Self Assessment tax returns, HMRC holds records of every income source they declared: employment, self-employment, rental income, dividends, interest, and pension income. As executor, you can write to HMRC (or call the Bereavement helpline on 0300 200 3300) to request copies of recent tax returns. These records can reveal bank accounts, investment holdings, rental properties, and pension providers you were not aware of. HMRC can also confirm whether any tax refunds are due to the estate.

Documents needed: Death certificate, Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration, the deceased's National Insurance number and UTR (Unique Taxpayer Reference) if known.