What to do When Someone Dies

Working out what to do when someone dies can feel overwhelming. There are certain practical tasks that are time-sensitive, but most tasks can wait at least a little while. Knowing what is important to do right away and what you can take off your plate for now, will really help you avoid unnecessary overwhelm. 

In this article I’ll guide you through all of the practical and emotional steps you’ll need to take when a loved one passes with all the resources and information you’ll need.

Rather than trying to get through it all in one go, we recommend taking what you need for now (usually the First Bits to Do and Planning the Funeral sections are all you’ll need to start), and then returning when you’re ready to take on the next set of tasks. 

First bits – what to do when someone dies

Telling work and discussing bereavement leave

Unfortunately, bereavement leave isn’t a legal requirement for employers in the UK. Most companies do give between 3-5 days paid leave, but this has to be taken from the time of death. If you have a good relationship with your manager and/or you’ve been working at the company for a while, you may be able to request more time off, but this is entirely at your employers discretion. 

There are a number of ways around this restriction:

1. Dependant leave
2. Compassionate leave
3. Take holiday leave
4. Sick leave for mental health  

*We’re working hard to help change the laws around bereavement leave. Grief doesn’t happen on a timeline, and healing almost never happens in just 5 days.*

How to tell government services

To inform government services requires just 2 things:

1. First, register the death at the local council register office in the area where the death took place. You’ll be given a unique number for the Tell Us Once service.
2. Then use Tell Us Once, a free government service that allows you to report a death to all other government departments.

When you use Tell Us Once, the services notified will include:

• DWP pensions and benefits
• Personal tax
• Council tax
• Passport
• Driving licence
• Blue Badge
• Electoral register

A guide on telling others

If you have to tell others about the death of a friend or family member, the way in which you deliver the bad news can make all the difference difference. We’ve outlined the main points below:

The where’s and when’s:

• If possible, break the news face to face. If not possible – because of distance, for instance, pick up the phone and call them.
• Make sure your schedule is clear. It’s best not to rush these things.
• Choose a safe, comfortable and confidential setting where you won’t be interrupted. 
• If you’re calling an elderly or vulnerable person, you might want to call them at a time when there’s going to be someone else with them, so they won’t be on their own afterwards.

The what’s:

• Writing down what you want to get across can really help you make sure you say what you need to say. 
• Use simple, clear language. Euphemisms like ‘they’re no longer with us’ can be confusing, especially for those with a different first language to you.   
• Make sure they’re seated as the shock of bad news can cause some people to feel faint.
• Start by letting them know you have bad news as this can prepare them for what’s to come.
• As hard and unintuitive as it might be, it’s usually best to avoid easing in. People can tell when something is wrong, so delaying the inevitable only leads to additional stress.
• Regardless of the delivery, some people will get confused when receiving such shocking and sad news. They may only b able to process a small amount. In these instances, it’s a good idea to check that they understand what’s happened and encourage them to express their feelings.
• It’s usually best to leave discussions of practical things for a separate conversation. 
• Not everyone wants to be held after hearing such news so it’s always best to ask before if they want to be touched. 
• If you have to leave but the receiver of the bad news becomes very distressed, it’s a good idea to reach out to someone who can support them in your absence.
• Visiting or calling lots of people can be emotionally exhausting. If you have a long list of people to call, it’s best to spread it out over a few days or share the calls with someone close. 

How to find the will

When someone dies, arrangements have to be made to administer their estate. This includes dealing with their house, bank accounts, investments and tax affairs, and ensuring that whatever is left is correctly distributed to those entitled to inherit it.

Many people will write a will during their lifetime, which is a legal document setting out how they would like their estate to be distributed after they die. The will firstly appoints an executor, who is the individual with the legal authority to administer the estate. The executor may have to obtain a grant of probate to carry out their duties in full. The will then names beneficiaries and sets out what they should inherit from the estate.

If the deceased didn’t leave a will, or if the will cannot be located, then the estate will be distributed in line with inheritance laws called the rules of intestacy. These rules are strict and may not align with the deceased’s wishes. This is why it’s so important to establish whether there is a will, and to successfully locate it if so.

1. Search the house

The first place you should look for the will is in your loved one’s home, as it’s a common place for people to store their will. If you know where they kept paperwork, then this would be a sensible place to start. 

2. Ask their solicitor

If the deceased hired a solicitor to write their will, it is possible that they are storing the will on their behalf. If you know which solicitor they used, give them a ring. Otherwise, call all the local solicitors and see if they ever dealth with your loved one.

The executor is entitled to obtain the will from whoever is storing it. You’ll be asked for the death certificate and proof of your identification. 

If the solicitor is no longer in business, contact the Solicitors Regulation Authority. This organisation holds records for all currently active and once active solicitors in England and Wales. They’ll have a record of solicitor’s practice and will be able to help you find where the will is being stored now.

3. Ask their bank

Banks occasionally store wills on behalf of individuals. If you are the executor of the estate, you could ask your loved one’s bank if they have a copy of the will. You’ll need the deceased’s death certificate and proof of your identification.

4. Use a company to do a will search

If you’ve tried the above 3 strategies to find the will but can’t, there are companies that can carry out searches to locate missing wills on your behalf. These companies will search through will databases that are used by solicitors and will writers all over the country; as well as carrying out a search of the National Wills Register.

Finally, you can also contact the London Principle Probate Registry to ask if they’re storing the will in their wills storage facility.

What to do if there is no will

If you’ve conducted a thorough search for the will, including searching with any solicitors your loved one dealth with, but are unable to find the original document, the estate will be administered by the next of kin under the assumption that the deceased didn’t leave a will – called intestacy. 

If you’re unable to find a will of your loved one or only have a copy will, contact a probate specialist to get personalised advice.

Planning the Funeral

When planning a funeral, the first thing to consider is whether you want a religious or non-religious funeral service. Anyone can legally conduct a funeral or memorial service, although a member of the clergy will usually officiate a religious ceremony, and a civil celebrant will usually officiate a non-religious ceremony (also known as a humanist ceremony).

The funeral service is followed by either a burial or cremation. Often, the person who has died will have expressed a preference for one or the other when they were alive. If not, you may wish to abide by the religious or cultural beliefs of the deceased.

If you have a special place where you would prefer to remember your loved one, that may influence your decision on whether to choose a burial or cremation. With a burial, there is a grave to visit and maintain. After a cremation, the ashes are returned to the family for them to keep at home or scatter at a meaningful location.

Who covers the cost of a funeral?

The estate of the deceased can cover the costs of the funeral. The person responsible for the estate administration (usually named in the Will) will have access to the funds once probate has been completed – a process that can take several months.

A funeral service is usually held within 2-3 weeks of death in the UK, but there can be some delay if a coroner’s inquest or post-mortem is ordered.

This can often mean that the cost of the funeral will have to be paid for by the person in charge of the estate and will get paid back when the probate process is complete. Though, often the entire family chips in and in instances where the estate can cover the costs of the funeral, gets reimbursed. 

For more on planning a funeral, check out our complete guide.

How to write a Eulogy

Ultimately, no one can tell you how you should write your Eulogy nor what it should contain – there is no one size fits all approach to writing a eulogy. The best Eulogies are unique, personal and come from the heart. So instead of telling you what to write, we’ll just tell you how we like to think about eulogy writing. 

A eulogy is like a greatest hits album: they have a story arc (beginning, middle, and end); and they cover things like accomplishments, personality traits (and quirks), and memorable stories. Just like with greatest hits, it doesn’t always have to be sunshine, lollipops and rainbows – you can explore the harder parts of your history with your loved one. 

Maybe they were always late. Or forever forgetting things. Or really loud. Often this authenticity can make a eulogy even more beautiful and heartfelt – and, in some cases, will have the room roaring with the laughter of acknowledgement. Just try to remember that you’re there to honour the deceased, so feel free to explore the aspects of them that weren’t so great, but maybe through the lens of love and respect.    

Poems, songs or quotes can alos be a great way to encapsulate a feeling about your loved one. 

And a touch we really like, is thanking everyone that’s travelled from all over to be there to honour your loved one.    

For a more complete guide on how to write a eulogy, check out this article.

Let Companies Know

How to notify banks & building societies

Notify the bank. You can do this by using the Death Notification Service. https://www.deathnotificationservice.co.uk/financial_institutions.ofml

• The Death Notification Service doesn’t cover the following services: 
  • Monzo
  • Starling
  • Co-op Bank
  • Virgin Money
  • Yorkshire Building Society
  • Metro Bank
  • Skipton Building Society
  • Clydesdale Bank
  • Coventry Building Society
  • For information about how to close accounts from these services, please email the Untangle team.  

For information about how to close accounts from these services, please request via the direct support by emailing the Untangle team. 

Useful Information

Depending on your bank, you may be able to do this over the phone, online, by post or in-person at your local branch. As well as freezing the account, the bank will stop sending post addressed to the person who has died. 

Even if you are waiting for a ‘grant of representation’ (the legal form that allows you to handle the deceased person’s finances), most banks will still allow you to use funds in the account of the person who has died to cover some immediate expenses related to settling their estate.

If you can’t find all the deceased’s bank, building society or savings accounts, My Lost Account can find out where they held an account, though it can take up to three months to trace.

How to close gas & electric accounts

British Gas

Who can do this?

• Anyone, with the executor’s details

What is needed: 

• Death certificate (copy)
• Details of the person who has passed away – their address, the date they died and their Customer Reference Number (if you can find it).
• An up-to-date meter reading for the property.
• Details of whoever’s responsible for getting all the affairs in order – their full name, address and phone number. This will probably be the executor if there’s a will, or the administrator if there isn’t.

• Step 1

• • • To close the account or put it in another name, call their bereavement support team on 0800 294 3125
    • Or write to them at:
    • British Gas
    • PO Box 227
    • Rotherham
    • S98 1PD

• Step 2

• • • A copy of the death certificate will need to be sent by post after initially reporting the death

• Step 3

• • • If there’s someone still living in the property who had a joint account: You can change the name on the account.
    • If the property is going to be sold: You need to supply a meter reading from as close to when the customer passed away as possible. If you can’t get this, we can use a current meter reading or estimate the reading based on previous readings from the property. 

• Step 4

• • The final bill will be sent to the solicitors or whoever’s dealing with the account. This bill is to give you the information you need to apply for a grant of probate. They’ll put a hold on the account. 

EDF Energy

Who can do this?

• Anyone, with the executor’s details

What is needed: 

• • Your name and contact details, including your phone number and an address where EDF can write to you 
  • The EDF Energy account holder’s details
  • Contact details for the solicitor who’s administering the estate (if you have one), 
  • Up-to-date meter readings
  • (In some cases)
  • Death certificate
  • Coroner’s certificate
  • Grant of probate or letters of administration.

• Step 1:

• • • Fill out this online form https://www.edfenergy.com/form/bereavement-notification-form?width=700&height=700&popup=1 
    • OR Call 0808 101 4115
    • OR inform in writing at Freepost:
      EDF Energy – Plymouth

• Step 2:

• • Account will move to the responsibility of the executor and the account can then be closed once the final bill is paid

Npower

Who can do this?

• Anyone, with the executor’s details

What is needed: 

• • Your relationship to the deceased
  • The date the person passed away
  • The customer’s address and account details
  • A contact phone number for you
  • Details about who’ll be responsible for the account moving forwards

• Step 1:

• • • Fill out online form https://www.npower.com/ui/forms/bereavement.html 
    • OR call 0800 197 4033

• Step 2:

• • Account will move to the responsibility of the executor and the account can then be closed once the final bill is paid

Eon

Call 0333 202 4841 or email [email protected]

Shell Energy

Who can do this?

• Anyone, with the executor’s details

What is needed: 

• • Death Certificate (copy)
  • The account holder’s name and account number
  • Your relationship to the deceased
  • Up-to-date meter readings
  • Your contact information (email address/telephone number) and preferred method of contact
  • The person now responsible for the property
  • If the property isn’t being sold:
  • Details of the individual taking responsibility for the supplies moving forwards is required
  •  If the property is being sold or is rented:
  • Details of the person responsible for managing the affairs are required until they’re able to close the account

• Step 1: 

• • • Call Shell on 0330 094 5805 
    • OR email [email protected]

• Step 2:

• • Final bill will be sent to the person who is now responsible for the property

Bulb

Who can do this?

• Executor of the estate

What is needed: 

• • Death certificate (copy)
  • General information about the deceased person,
  • Their account details
  • Details of the executor

• Step 1

• • • Call 0300 30 30 635 
    • OR  email [email protected]

• Step 2

• • • The death certificate can be added as a photo in an email or sent via post

• Step 3

• • The executor of the estate will be required to handle any remaining debit or credit left on the account.

Ovo Energy

Who can do this?

• Anyone

What is needed: 

• • Details of the person who has passed away: name, full address, and the date they passed.
  • Meter readings from as close to the date they passed away as possible. 
  • Details of the person who’s responsible for looking after their affairs.

• Step 1: 

• • • Call 0330 303 5063

• Step 2: 

• • Ovo Energy will guide you through the next steps

Utility Warehouse

• Step 1

• • • Please contact us on 0333 777 0 777 

• Step 2

• • • Select any service from Gas, Electricity, HomePhone and Broadband 

• Step 3

• • Ask to speak to the Bereavement Support team 
  • OR email us at [email protected] 

Utilita Energy

Who can do this?

• Anyone with the executors details

What is needed: 

• Customer Name (Deceased)
• Date the Customer Died
• Who is reporting this information 
• Relationship to the Deceased 
• Contact telephone number for caller
• Name of the Executor
• Address of the Executor
• Contact Telephone number
• Meter Readings
• Date Taken
• Has the account gone to probate?

Might be needed: 

• Death certificate (copy)

Green Star Energy

Who can do this?

• Anyone with the executors details

What is needed: 

• Personal details: The full name and address of the person that has passed, as well as the date they died
• Account details: Their energy account number and an up-to-date meter reading for the property
• Executor or Administrator details: The full name, address and telephone number of the person responsible for getting affairs in order
• Death Certificate (copy)

If you expect to get a grant of probate or administration:

• They’d like to know this and when it might be

 

Contact via:

Phone: 0808 169 8016

• You won’t need the copy of the death certificate immediately

OR by email:

[email protected]

• Include a certified copy of the death certificate and instructions on what you’d like us to do with the account (close it or transfer it into a different name)

OR by writing:

FREEPOST, Green Star Energy

• Include a certified copy of the death certificate as above

How to close broadband accounts

BT

Who can do this?

• Anyone with the executors details

What is needed: 

• The account number and name of the account holder
• What you want us to do with the account, for example change the name of the account holder or close the account

Step 1: 

• Fill out the online form
• OR call 0800 169 1663

Step 2: 

• You can then choose to close the account, transfer it to a new name or add the details of the executor, and choose where the final bill should be sent

Virgin Media

Who can do this?

• Anyone with the executors details

What is needed: 

• Death certificate number
• The account number and landline number
• Information about the deceased
• Information about the executor and their relationship to the deceased
• The new account holder’s bank details (if wanting a transfer of account name rather than closure)

Step 1: 

• Find the form to fill out here: What To Do If The Account Holder Has Passed Away
• OR call 0800 952 2302

Step 2:

• If wanting to transfer the account to another person, complete the form and it will be processed within 7 days
• If wanting to close the account, provide the executor’s address and the final bill will be sent there

Talk Talk

Who can do this?

• Anyone with the executors details

What is needed: 

• Account details 
• Name of the account holder to hand 

Contact: 

0345 172 0038

Sky

Who can do this?

• Anyone with the executors details

What is needed: 

• Account details 
• Name of the account holder to hand 

Contact: 

0333 2020 912

Plusnet

Who can do this?

• Anyone with the executors details

What is needed: 

• Death certificate (copy)
• Account holder’s name, phone number and address
• Your own contact details in case anything needs to be clarified

Contact: 

Write to –

Plusnet PLC

2 Pinfold Street

Sheffield

South Yorkshire

S1 2GU

Email –  [email protected]

Call –  0800 432 0200 or 0345 140 0200

Vodafone

Who can do this?

• Anyone with the executors details

What is needed: 

• Death certificate (copy)
• Account holder’s name, phone number and address and their account number 

What you want to do with the account and the executor’s details.

Step 1: 

• Fill in the online form 
• OR call 033 330 48050

Step 2: 

• Vodafone will call or email you with the next steps to close the account or put it in another name.

Post office

Who can do this?

• Anyone with the executors details

What is needed: 

• The account holder’s name
• Address and account number 

Step 1:

• Call 0345 600 3210 

Step 2: 

• Depending on what’s right for you, they can cancel the Post Office Broadband or Phone account or continue it in another name. They will walk you through the next steps.

EE

Who can do this?

• Anyone with the executors details

What is needed: 

• The deceased’s full name and address       
• Landline telephone number the account is registered to
• Account email address or account name (if known)

If you want to transfer the account to a new name: 

•  The new account holder’s name, their email address, their telephone number and their payment details

Contact: 

07973 100 150

Notify the Landlord & Other Tenants

Tell the Landlord or local authority if your loved one rented a property. If the property is being rented under a joint contract, the contract becomes the responsibility of the other tenants and rent is still due so if the other tenants don’t already know it’s important to let them know.

Notify Insurance: Home

Contact your loved one’s home insurance provider with the following information:

• Your loved one’s name, last address and date of birth
• A certified copy of their death certificate (if you have one at this stage)
• The policy number
• Your own proof of identity, for example, a valid driving license or passport

The insurer should then guide you through the next steps and advise you of any further details or documentation needed.

Notify Insurance: Car

Contact your loved one’s car insurance provider with the following information:

• Your loved one’s name, last address and date of birth
• A certified copy of their death certificate (if you have one at this stage)
• The policy number
• The vehicle registration number
• Your own proof of identity, for example, a valid driving license or passport

If you’re a named driver on the car insurance policy, check with the insurers whether you’re still covered. If you are not, you will need to get a new policy in place.

Watch out – most policies terminate on the death of the main policy holder and this will leave the car uninsured. Ideally, the car should be parked in private parking instead of on the road.

The provider should then guide you through the next steps and advise you of any further details or documentation needed.

Money Management

Check for bereavement benefits

If you need to report the death to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), you can telephone the DWP Bereavement Service. They can deal with all the DWP benefits that were being paid to the person who died and check if you are entitled to any benefits. 

This is a helpful calculator for what benefits you’re entitled to in the UK: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/benefits-check/

You may also be able to claim a Bereavement Support Payment from the Government, if your husband, wife or civil partner died on or after 6 April 2017. You’re eligible for this if they paid National Insurance contributions for at least 25 weeks, but you must have been under State Pension age and living in the UK when they died. 

There are two types of bereavement benefit payments:

• Bereavement Support Payment (this used to be called Bereavement allowance) which is an ongoing monthly payment
• A one-off Bereavement Payment which is £2,000 tax-free given once

If Your Partner has Died

• You may be entitled to Income Support or Universal Credit from the Government if your earnings are now below a certain level.
• If there’s now only one adult living in your property then you are entitled to a 25% discount on your council tax.

Claiming your loved one’s pension

Accessing a State Pension should be done within the first 12 months after your loved one’s death. Often state pensions will stop being paid after the person dies, but in some cases a spouse or civil partner can inherit some of the pension.

1. Notify the Pensions Service that your loved one has died. This can be done via the Tell Us Once service that notifies all government organisations, or by calling the Pensions Service helpline on 0800 731 0469.

1. Assess whether you can claim your loved one’s pension. This can only be done by a spouse or civil partner. You can contact Gov’s Pension Service to check what you can claim (you may be able to claim extra benefits if you meet the criteria): https://www.gov.uk/contact-pension-service

What you get/how you claim depends on whether you reached State Pension age before or after 6 April 2016.

For more on pensions, this guide is great.

Claim Life Insurance

If you don’t know if there is a life insurance policy, check the Will, ask their Solicitor or look at their bank statements. You can also visit Unclaimed Asset Register, a database of thousands of life insurance policies, unclaimed pensions, shares, dividends, dormant savings accounts and lottery winnings. It costs £25 to run a search for a life policy.

Pay Off Debts

When someone dies, the executor of the estate, or the administrator if no will has been left, is responsible for paying any outstanding debts from the estate.

If the money and/or assets in the estate won’t pay off all the debts, the debts will be paid in priority order until the money or assets run out. In most circumstances, any remaining debts will be written off. The only exception to this is if you acted as a guarantor or are a co-signatory of the debt.

If you’re having to deal with a complicated estate, we’d advise seeking the advice of a solicitor or probate specialist.

Sorting out the debts of someone who has died

The first step in paying off debts is working out what debts have been left. 

You’ll need to check if there is a guarantor for any of these debts. If there is, the guarantor remains responsible for any debt covered by a guarantee if it is not payable by the estate (due to insufficient money/assets).

Different forms of debt require different methods of payment. So we advise checking out this article for a more in-depth look at the different forms of debt and how best to pay them off.

What do I do if I’m struggling to pay off debts after a death?

If you’re struggling to pay off your partner’s debts after they’ve passed away, or if the sudden drop in income makes it difficult to keep up with your own debt payments, it can be hard to know where to turn.

It’s important to know you don’t need to struggle alone with your debt worries. There are many ways to manage your debts and what will suit you best will depend on the specifics of your circumstances.

It’s always best to talk things through with an experienced free debt adviser before you make a decision about what to do.

Apply for Probate

What is Probate

When someone dies and leaves property, money and possessions (known as their ‘estate’) you need to sort out who gets what. To distribute the estate you need legal authority, which is granted by a document called a ‘grant of representation’.

The person who distributes the estate will either be an Executor (if there is a Will) or an Administer (if there is no Will). Once they have applied for the ‘grant of representation’, the Executor will get a ‘grant of probate’ and the Administrator will get a ‘grant of letters of administration’ – this means they are now legally able to sort out the Estate.

Help with Probate

The process of applying for the grant and the document you use to manage the estate is referred to as ‘probate’.

For step by step help visit the Government website

Farewill offer an over the phone probate application service. 

 Useful things to note

• If there’s only jointly-owned property and money which passes to a spouse or civil partner you will not need probate. You can get advice from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) on whether probate is necessary.
• Application fees for probate are £155 if you apply through a solicitor and £215 if you’re taking the DIY option. Estates worth less than £5,000 pay no fee.
• Probate is the same for everyone in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but if you live in Scotland it’s called ‘confirmation’.
• It usually takes between four and eight weeks to get a grant of probate after you’ve submitted the application

An overview of the Probate Process

If your loved one had a will you’ll need to apply for a grant of probate.

The probate process: how long does probate take, and who can do it?

Obtaining a grant of probate allows you to access your loved one’s assets and distribute them in accordance with their will. The executor of the will should apply for probate within a few months of your loved one’s death, as it may be necessary to access and close certain accounts that your loved one held. The probate process can vary in length, but on average, administration takes 6-9 months.

You don’t need it if:

• The person had no assets outside the UK, and
• All assets were jointly owned (eg. Mr & Mrs Jones’s bank account), or
• The value of the estate is less than £10,000 – but make sure you check with the financial providers!

You are likely to need probate if any of these apply to you:

• If your loved one had any assets overseas – this includes property or financial accounts

• If your loved one had financial assets valued at over £10,000 that were not jointly owned e.g stocks, shares, savings

• If the value of your loved one’s estate (everything they owned) is more than £10,000 – this includes property, money and possessions. Each bank has its own threshold to determine whether you need probate to access your loved one’s account with them

To find out the thresholds for probate, contact the account provider(s). If you do need to apply for grant of probate, follow the steps in our guide below:

Step 1 – Estimating the value of the estate

Step 2 – Do I need to pay Inheritance Tax?

Step 3 – Applying for probate and next steps

If your loved one didn’t have a will: You’ll need to apply for a letter of administration

The probate process is quite complex, so for a more comprehensive guide, be sure to check out our probate and wills article where we cover each use case in detail. 

Estimating the value of the house

You need an estimate of the estate’s value to find out if there’s Inheritance Tax to pay.

The estate will not have to pay tax as long as one of the following applies:

• it all passes to the spouse or civil partner of the person who died
• it all passes to a charity or a community amateur sports club
• it has a value below the Inheritance Tax threshold of £325,000

If the person who died was widowed or is giving away their home to their children, the tax threshold can be higher.

Do You Need to Pay Inheritance Tax?

If you’re the Executor or Administrator, you’ll need to sort out any inheritance tax (IHT). If inheritance tax is due, you need to pay some of it before your ‘grant of probate’ can be issued, then in most cases, you’ve six months to pay it in full. Once you have paid some of the inheritance tax, you are said to have ‘obtained probate’. In Scotland, this is known as ‘confirmation’ and the process is different.

You can find an estimate of your inheritance tax using the Government’s free online calculator: 

https://www.gov.uk/inheritance-tax-reduced-rate-calculator 

Useful Things to Note

• Inheritance tax is paid on the estate if it’s worth more than £325,000 after debts are settled (and there aren’t any other exemptions that need to be applied – see HMRC for more).
• Anything above this is taxed at 40%, (which can be reduced to 36% if 10% or more of the post-IHT value of the estate was left to charity)
• This normally needs to be paid within six months from the end of the month when the person died. You can defer tax and pay in instalments on some types of assets, including land, some shares and the value of any business owned (not the assets).If assets are being transferred to a surviving spouse or civil partner, no inheritance tax will normally be charged. The rules on this are complex, see HMRC for help. This Inheritance Tax guide also has useful info on how the system works.
• Most big banks have arrangements to send cash from the deceased’s bank account directly to HMRC to cover this.
• See the Scottish Government or NI Direct for more info.

Their Belongings

Handle their social media accounts

Facebook

Who can do this?

• A friend or family member connected with the deceased on Facebook

What is needed: 

• Death Certificate (scanned copy)
• Deceased full name on Facebook & their profile url

Next Step: 

Complete this form https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/228813257197480

*You can choose to have the account memorialised or deleted

Twitter

Who can do this?

• A person authorized to act of behalf of the estate or a verified immediate family member

What is needed: 

• Deceased person’s full name on Twitter & Twitter handle
• A copy of your ID
• A copy of the deceased’s death certificate.

Step 1: 

• Complete this form https://help.twitter.com/forms/privacy

Step 2: 

• Twitter will email you with the next instructions for providing more details

Step 3: 

• You will need to email Twitter with information about the deceased, a copy of your ID, and a copy of the deceased’s death certificate.

Instagram

Who can do this?

• A friend or family member connected with the deceased on Instagram to memorialise the account; or an immediate family member to delete the account

What is needed: 

• Decide whether you want the account to be memorialised or deleted
• The deceased’s full name, Instagram username
• Proof of death (e.g. an obituary or news article)
• The date they passed away

If you decide  to delete account you will also need: 

• Verification that you’re an immediate family member e.g. The deceased person’s birth certificate, The deceased person’s death certificate or Proof of authority under local law that you are the lawful representative of the deceased person, or his/her estate.

Next Steps: 

Complete this form to memorialise the account: https://help.instagram.com/contact/452224988254813

Complete this form to request a removal of the deceased person’s account: https://help.instagram.com/contact/1474899482730688

WhatsApp

Who can do this?

• Anyone with access to their phone

Next Steps: 

Follow the instructions here: https://www.dignityfunerals.co.uk/what-to-do-when-someone-dies/dealing-with-social-media-accounts-after-death/#whatsapp

Snapchat

Who can do this?

• Anyone with access to their account details

Next Steps: 

Go the account portal and follow the instructions here: https://accounts.snapchat.com/accounts/login?continue=https%3A%2F%2Faccounts.snapchat.com%2Faccounts%2Fdelete_account

*The account will then be deactivated for 30 days, after which it will be permanently deleted

YouTube

Who can do this?

• An immediate family member or their legal representative

What is needed: 

• Death certificate (scanned copy)
• Deceased name, email address
• Your details
• Scan of your ID
• Date of death

Step 1: 

• Visit this link on the Google Support page: https://support.google.com/accounts/troubleshooter/6357590?hl=en

Step 2: 

• Select ‘close the account of a deceased user’

Step 3: 

• Enter their name, email address, details of a relative or legal representative, their date of death and a scan of your ID and their death certificate

Linkedin

Who can do this?

• A close friend or family member

What is needed: 

• The deceased member name
• The URL to their LinkedIn profile
• Your relationship to them
• Their email address
• The date they passed away
• Their last place of employment 
• Link to their obituary or a relevant news article if possible
• Death certificate (scanned copy) – if there is no obituary or a relevant news article

Note: 

LinkedIn allows a feature in which a person can nominate someone to close their account if they pass away. If you know this is the case, that nominated person will need to get in touch with LinkedIn. If not, a close friend or family member can do so.

Next Step: 

Complete this form to delete the account: https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/ask/ts-rdmlp

What to do with Their Belongings

Sharing possessions with family

You are likely to come across many items that have sentimental value rather than monetary value, and you can discuss who will keep which items with your family members. This process can be a lovely way to hear about each other’s memories with the person who has died, and you’ll often find that items have a different meaning for each person.

If you need help deciding how to share out items, everyone in the family can have a pack of stickers and can stick them onto the items they’d like to keep as they go round the house. You can then discuss any overlaps and come to a decision.

When sharing out items with monetary value, some families allocate an equal ‘allowance’ to each person and place a price or value on each item, which they then ‘bid’ on. This works best when family members get on well and can keep it lighthearted.

Donating items to charity

After sorting through your loved one’s belongings, you’ll probably have plenty of things you could donate to charity. Choosing a charity that meant something to your loved one can be a nice way to honour their memory. Or, you might want to support organisations that helped care for your family member in some way, such as a local hospice or Age UK.

Before taking your donations to the charity shop, find out which items they will or won’t accept. For safety reasons, many charity shops won’t accept electrical goods and will only accept furniture with fire safety labels still attached (If you do have electrical goods, Cancer Research UK is one of the few charities that will take them, but they don’t accept white goods).

Charities say that they appreciate clothing, accessories, homeware, linen and books, as they sell particularly well. Some charities will come to collect larger items, such as wardrobes and beds.

Another option is to sell items, then donate the money you raise to the charity as a cash donation (they can also claim gift aid if you’re a taxpayer).

Tips to Selling Belongings

You may have items that are in a good, saleable condition that you decide to sell; this could be anything from large furniture, like wardrobes and dressers, to smaller items like clothing or crockery. eBay and local social media selling sites can be good places to list items for sale. For smaller, less valuable items, you might decide to hold a car boot sale.

Once you have sorted through their possessions, you need to decide what to do with their house. You need to check whether they owned the house outright or if there is an outstanding mortgage to pay to the bank. After this, you might decide to keep their house, to either live in, rent out or sell. We’d recommend taking advice from a solicitor. before making a decision, particularly if family members disagree on the best option.

Their digital accounts

Access their email address

Gaining access to your loved one’s account when they pass can help you identify tasks that might otherwise remain unknown such as accounts to close or subscriptions to end. 

Access to their email account will also allow you to reset passwords for accounts so that you can gain access and close them.

Many email account providers only allow you to close a deceased user’s account; submit a request for funds from a deceased person’s account; or obtain data from their account. This means gaining access to an email account is usually prohibited by providers and the laws surrounding access after death are murky. 

If you’re happy to follow standard protocol, for gmail accounts you’ll need to fill in this form; and for yahoo accounts head here.

Our recommendation is to contact the provider directly and let them know your circumstances and why you need access to the account. 

Yahoo

Who can do this?

• Executor of the will

What is needed: 

• Death certificate (copy/scan)
• Yahoo ID of the deceased
• A copy of a document appointing the requesting party as the personal representative or executor of the estate of the deceased
• Copy of the ID of the requesting party

Next Step: 

You can send this information via email or post. 

For contact details, follow this link here where you will need to enter the Yahoo ID of the deceased: https://io.help.yahoo.com/contact/index?page=home&locale=en_GB&y=PROD_ACCT

Microsoft

Who can do this?

• Immediate family member

What is needed: 

• Death certificate (copy/scan)
• Full name, Email address(es), Date of birth
• Country the deceased gave as their home address when signing up
• Estimated year the deceased opened their account
• Estimated time that the account was last accessed – this includes if you think there might have been suspicious activity on the account by another user, or if you have checked the account
• An email address you’re happy to be contacted on
• Proof of your identification, if you aren’t named in the will – e.g. marriage or birth certificate,
• Your shipping address – so that Microsoft can post the DVD to you
• The type of computer you use, if you’d like to request a copy of the account’s contents, i.e. PC or Mac

Next Step: 

Email this information to [email protected]

*If this is not possible, the account will be deleted a year after inactivity

Gmail

Who can do this?

• An immediate family member or their legal representative

What is needed: 

• Death certificate (copy/scan)
• The deceased name, email address
• Details of a relative or legal representative
• Date of death
• Scan of your ID 

Next Step: 

Visit this link on the Google Support page: https://support.google.com/accounts/troubleshooter/6357590?hl=en

Select ‘close the account of a deceased user’

Accessing cloud/online storage

Physical possessions made it fairly easy to know who owns what when someone passes away. However, with so much of our lives now taking place online, more and more of our assets are moving online too.  And this causes quite a bit of complexity in terms of identifying who owns what (you or the company that sold the asset).

For example, if your loved one purchased a song through iTunes, what they purchased was the temporary rights to the song. In other words, they don’t actually own it and so it can’t be passed on to you or anyone else. 

On the other hand, stored photos, videos and documents, are owned by the deceased and therefore can be passed on. 

The process of gaining access to your loved one’s cloud/online storage requires you to contact the storage provider, usually with at least the following documentation: 

• Full name of the deceased
• The email address of the deceased
• Full name of the relative or legal representative
• Email of the relative or legal representative
• Address of the deceased
• Date of death
• A copy of a document appointing the requesting party as the personal representative or executor of the estate of the deceased; and
• A copy of the death certificate of the account holder

Cancelling monthly on-demand subscriptions

Cancelling online subscriptions following the death of a loved one will avoid any unnecessary charges or fees. 

If you have access to their email address, cancelling a subscription is as easy as resetting the relevant account password (the company will send a generic password to your loved one’s email address and you can use that to log in). 

If you don’t have access to their email address, the quickest way to cancel a subscription is to search for the company’s customer support number and call them up. This article provides a helpful list of the most popular leisure and shopping accounts (Amazon, PayPal, Ebay, Spotify, Netflix etc.) and the relevant links and/or numbers that’ll get you access the accounts. 

Netflix

Who can do this?

• Anyone

If you have access to the account: 

Go to https://www.netflix.com/CancelPlan and click cancel, then sign out of all devices

If you don’t have access to the account: 

Gather the following: 

• Email address and/or phone number associated with the Netflix account
• Full payment information currently used to pay for the Netflix service.

Contact:

Call 0800 096 6379 or use the live chat service https://help.netflix.com/en/contactus

Amazon Prime

Who can do this?

• Anyone with the executor’s details

What is needed: 

• The customer’s name, address, email address and login details if known
• Death certificate (copy)

Next Step:  

Email [email protected] and attach the copy of the death certificate

 

*If you have an Amazon.co.uk account and would like any gift certificates to be transferred to your account, please provide the email address and last purchase associated with your Amazon.co.uk account. We may need to verify that you are entitled to the gift certificates, so if you are not mentioned in the death certificate please provide some proof of your relationship with your lost loved one.

Spotify

Who can do this?

• Anyone 

Contact: 

Customer services https://support.spotify.com/uk/contact-spotify-support/

Now TV

Who can do this?

• Anyone with the executor’s details

Contact: 

0333 2020 912

Apple Music

Who can do this?

• Anyone 

Next Step: 

The best way to stop subscriptions is to contact your bank and remove any direct debits

Account disable: 

The account can be disabled if you have access to their password, if so you can do this via account settings or via webchat with Apple support 

https://getsupport.apple.com/?locale=en_GB&PGF=PGF63005

To request access to their information e.g. photos: 

Follow these steps –

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208510

Conclusion     

Figuring out what to do when someone dies is complicated and for most of us, a new and overwhelming experience. Having to get through all the practical tasks while processing all these new and challenging emotions can be extremely challenging. Untangle Grief provides free grief support, an understanding community, and access to expert advice so that navigating grief is a bit more manageable and a whole lot less lonely. Sign up here for access to all our free support.