What to do when someone dies

When someone dies, their death must be registered.

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland this needs to be done within 5 days. In Scotland you have 8 days.

You can do this at any register office, but if you use the one in the location where they died, they can give you the documents you’ll need on the same day. You can find your nearest register office online at www.gov.uk/register-a-death, where you can find information about any local restrictions and how to make an appointment.  

If the person who’s passed away had a will, locating this as soon as possible will help when dealing with their estate.

You’ll need to find the last known signed and witnessed version of the will. If you can’t find a will at their home, their solicitor, bank or financial adviser may have a copy.

A will usually names one or more executors, also known as personal representatives. They are the people who will be responsible for dealing with the estate of the deceased.

What happens if there isn’t a will?

If someone dies without making a will, or if you can’t find a signed will, they are said to have died ‘intestate’.

To find out more about what to do if there’s no will, visit the government online guidance page. It has a simple online tool to help you understand who can inherit the estate.  

Once the death has been registered, you can arrange a funeral. You may already know what sort of funeral the deceased wanted, or there may be instructions in the will or other papers.

One important decision is how much to spend. Funerals can be expensive, and may need to be paid for immediately unless a funeral plan exists.

You can find out about help you could get with paying for a funeral in our Bereavement support guide.

Once we’ve received formal confirmation of the death and you've provided us with a copy of the funeral bill, we can arrange payment from the deceased's account. You can upload a copy of the funeral bill through our bereavement portal or by contacting our bereavement support team.

If there aren’t enough funds in the account of the deceased to cover the funeral cost, we can make a partial payment using what is available. In some cases, the Government can provide help towards the cost. To find out more and see if you’re eligible, please visit these helpful web pages: 

The quickest and easiest way to notify us of a bereavement is by using our bereavement portal. 

You can use the portal to submit a new notification, and to upload any documents we'll need to close the accounts, like a death certificate, will or grant of probate.

Once you’ve completed this, our dedicated bereavement support team will review your case before they get in touch to let you know about any next steps.

You can also contact the team directly on 0800 085 1992 to notify us of a bereavement.

The bereavement team are available from 08.30 – 18.00 Monday to Friday and 09.00 – 14.00 on Saturdays (excluding public holidays).

If you need to let us know that someone has died, our Bereavement Support Team is here to guide you through the next steps and make things as straightforward as possible.

Please provide:

• The customer’s death certificate
• A copy of the Will (if there is one)
• If you’re the Executor or Legal Next of Kin and you don’t bank with us, you'll need photo ID, and proof of address
  

We can work with the person who has legal authority to manage the estate:

• Executor: the person named in the will to deal with the estate
• Legal Next of Kin: the closest living relative or legal partner (spouse/civil partner)
• If there’s no Will, we follow the legal rules for when someone dies without a Will

We can work with the person who has legal authority to manage the estate:

• Sole accounts are usually frozen to stop withdrawals (money can still be paid in)
• Where possible, we’ll stop marketing messages. Sometimes you may still receive messages that were prepared before we were told. We’re sorry for any upset this causes
• We’ll help you access the money and close the account, so you can manage the estate in line with the Will (or the legal rules if there is no will)
• Timescales can vary depending on how complex the case is

An Executor is someone named in the will to handle the customer’s estate.

If you’re an Executor, you may be able to open an Executor Bank Account.

We’ll deal with the Executor named in the Will.

If you’re named as Executor, we’ll need to see the Will or a Grant of Probate before we can open an Executor Bank Account.

To open an Executor Bank Account, we’ll book an appointment for you at a local branch.

Once it’s opened, we’ll send you a card and chequebook.

For more information, please see our Bereavement Support Guide (PDF).

If there’s no will, we’ll follow the legal rules for when someone dies without a Will. This means we’ll usually deal with the Legal Next of Kin.

We may also ask to see Letters of Administration.

• Grant of Probate: a legal document from the court. It’s used when the customer left a valid Will. It confirms who the Executor is
• Letters of Administration: a legal document from the court. It gives the Legal Next of Kin permission to deal with the estate when there is no Will

Banks sometimes need to see these documents before releasing money or closing accounts.

Amount limits (UK residents):

• If there is a will (Grant of Probate): £50,000
• If there is no will (Letters of Administration): £25,000

Every situation is different, and what we need can change if we get new information.

We may still ask for a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration even if the balance is below the amount limits above, before we release any money or close accounts.

As well as telling friends and family of the death, there will be a number of organisations you’ll need to inform, such as other banks, building societies and utility companies.

You can use the government’s Tell us once service to inform most government departments at the same time.

You can also use the Death Notification Service to notify financial institutions at the same time.