Telling people and organisations about a death can be stressful. It might help to do this sooner rather than later. You may also want to place a death notice or obituary in the local paper. If benefits or other allowances need to be assessed, then you should call the DWP bereavement line on 0345 606 0265
People and organisations you may need to contact
Tell Us Once (DWP, Council Tax, Passport, DVLA, HMRC)
- Bank / building society / Post Office
- Creditors e.g. credit card and loans companies, catalogues, BrightHouse etc.
- Mortgage company / landlord
- Utilities companies, e.g. gas, electricity, telephone, water, TV Licensing etc.
- Mobile phone company
- Employer and trade union
- Insurance companies (car, life, home and contents policies etc.)
- Family GP and any other health services
- Solicitor (may hold the will)
- Social Services to cancel any care services
- Bus / rail company (for return/refund of passes)
- Family members, including any living abroad
- Family, friends and neighbours
Tell Us Once
Tell Us Once is a service that lets you report a death to various government organisations. The organisations notified by this service are:
- HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) - to deal with tax and cancel benefits
- Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) - to cancel benefits, for example Income Support
- Passport Office - to cancel a British passport
- Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) - to cancel a driving licence
- The local council - to cancel Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit, a Blue Badge, inform council housing services and remove the person from the electoral register
- Public sector or armed forces pension schemes - to stop pension payments
'Tell Us Once' will require the following information:
You’ll need the following details of the person who died:
- Date of birth
- National Insurance number
- Driving licence number
- Passport number
You’ll also need:
- Details of any benefits or entitlements they were getting, for example State Pension
- Details of any local council services they were getting, for example Blue Badge
- The name and address of their next of kin
- The name and address of any surviving spouse or civil partner
- The name, address and contact details of the person or company dealing with their estate (property, belongings and money), known as their ‘executor’ or ‘administrator’
- Details of any public sector or armed forces pension schemes they were getting or paying in to
This article was originally posted by Quaker Social Action