Someone has died. Here's what happens next.
Over 700 gentle, plain-English guides to help you through everything that comes after a death in England and Wales, one step at a time.
The road ahead
Six things happen after a death. This is the order they happen in.
Not all of them will apply to you — stage four often doesn't. Each one goes to the guides that cover it.
- 01Register the deathWithin five days. Which office, what to bring, and how many copies of the certificate you'll actually need.32 guides →
- 02Tell the right people, onceBanks, DWP, pensions, council, utilities, subscriptions. The list, the bereavement phone numbers, and what to have in front of you when you ring.142 guides →
- 03Pay for the funeralWhat it should cost, what you can refuse, and how a bank will usually release money from the estate before probate.41 guides →
- 04Find out if probate is neededOften it isn't. The thresholds are published, and each bank sets its own — both are here.8 guides →
- 05Work out the inheritance taxWhether there's any to pay, which allowances transfer from a late spouse, and what the home is worth to the estate.20 guides →
- 06Close it all downPay what's owed, share out what's left, keep the records straight, and finish properly.14 guides →
Free tools
Work a published figure against your own numbers.
Who to notify
Bereavement contacts for banks, utilities and pensions.
Tell Us Once
What the government's free service covers.
Do you need probate?
The questions that decide it, with each bank's threshold.
What probate costs
The court fee against your estate's value.
Inheritance tax
The nil-rate bands against an estate value.
Each names the date its figures were last checked. They are not advice, and a calculator can be out of date without looking it — check anything that matters against GOV.UK.
Everything, by topic
All 727 guides.
The first few days, and what to say (75)
Telling banks, government and everyone else (219)
Money, benefits and pensions (71)
Probate and administering the estate (191)
Inheritance tax and property (43)
Funerals, and less usual situations (128)
If you need more than a guide
- GOV.UK: what to do after someone dies — the authoritative source, including Tell Us Once.
- Citizens Advice — free, independent help in person or on the phone.
- Cruse Bereavement Support — for the part none of the admin touches.