A practical step-by-step guide to handling death admin in the UK — from the first 5 days to dealing with the estate.
This guide is part of ProbateHelp's First Steps guide cluster. Estimated reading time: 15 min.
The first step is to have the death confirmed. In England and Wales, the doctor contacts the medical examiner, and you must wait for the medical examiner's office to confirm that the death can be registered. You then register the death within 5 days of that confirmation.
Use Tell Us Once within 28 days of the registrar's reference to notify government bodies such as DWP, HMRC, DVLA, the Passport Office and the local council. You still need to contact organisations outside government separately, including banks, insurers, utilities, employers and private pension providers.
There is no standard number. Ask each bank, insurer, pension provider and other organisation whether it needs an original certificate, accepts a certified or digital copy, and returns originals. Official death certificates currently cost £12.50 each in England and Wales, so order for the requirements you can identify rather than using a fixed rule.
Debts do not die with the person. They become a liability of the estate and must be paid from estate assets before anything is distributed to beneficiaries. If the estate cannot cover all debts, it is insolvent and a specific order of priority applies.