What to Do When Someone Dies in England and Wales

What is the first thing to do after someone dies?

Confirm the death medically, then let close family and friends know before the practical and legal tasks begin in earnest. Where the death happens decides who confirms it: a hospital doctor, a GP at home, or a coroner if unexpected.

Once a doctor has confirmed the death, a medical examiner reviews the cause and the medical certificate is sent to the registrar. If the death was unexpected, or the cause is unclear, the coroner may need to investigate first, which pauses the registration timeline. Nothing else on this list can start until this step is under way, so there is no need to rush decisions about the funeral or the estate on day one.

How do you register the death?

Register at a register office within five days of the registrar receiving the medical certificate, and buy certified copies there. Registration is done in person, usually by a relative of the person who has died.

The five-day window has run from the registrar receiving the paperwork, rather than the date of death, since September 2024, so delays at the medical-examiner stage do not eat into your time. Take the deceased’s details with you, including full name, date of birth, and occupation, following gov.uk’s register-a-death guidance. Buy more certified copies of the death certificate than you think you need, since banks, insurers, and pension providers often each want to see one, and ordering extras later is slower.

What is Tell Us Once, and should you use it?

Tell Us Once is a free government service that notifies most departments and council services of the death in a single step. The registrar sets it up when you register, and you have 28 days to complete it.

One notification covers HMRC, the DWP and State Pension, the DVLA, the Passport Office, and council services like council tax and Blue Badges, which otherwise each need contacting separately. The gov.uk guide to what to do after a death lists everything the service covers. Banks, insurance companies, and utilities are not included, so those still need contacting directly with a certified death certificate. There is no legal deadline for these, so they can wait until you are ready, and bereavement support lines at the larger organisations are used to handling this with patience for grief.

Who arranges the funeral, and when?

Whoever takes responsibility, usually the family or the executor, arranges the funeral, and it can happen before probate. Funeral costs can be paid from the deceased’s bank account or estate before anything else is distributed.

You can use a funeral director or arrange it yourself, for either a burial or a cremation, with a separate memorial service later if the family wants one. Check the will first, since it may record funeral wishes, and check whether a pre-paid funeral plan exists before committing to costs, since planning documents like these change what needs paying for. Banks will usually release funds directly to a funeral director from the deceased’s account on sight of the invoice and death certificate, even while the rest of the account is frozen.

What is a wake, and why is it called that?

A wake is a gathering of family and friends to mark a death, usually held after the funeral as a time to share memories and support one another. The name comes from the old custom of staying awake to keep watch over the body before burial.

The word has nothing to do with the deceased “waking up”, a common misunderstanding. It comes from an older meaning of wake, to remain awake or keep watch. For centuries, family and neighbours would sit with the body through the night before the burial, a vigil that offered both respect and, in older beliefs, protection. Over time the watch became a social gathering, and in modern England and Wales a wake usually means the reception held after the funeral service.

There are no rules about what a wake must be. Some are quiet and reflective, others are closer to a celebration of the person’s life, with food, drink, and stories. It can be held at a family home, a pub, a hall, or the venue that hosted the service. Whether you hold one at all is entirely your choice, and there is no right or wrong way to do it.

When do the will and probate come into it?

After registration and the funeral, the executors take over: finding the will, valuing the estate, applying for probate if needed. Probate is not always required, and joint assets often pass outside it.

Find the original will first, since the signed original, not a copy, is what the probate registry needs. The executors then value everything the person owned and owed, and apply for probate where the estate needs it, typically for property or larger accounts. If there is no will, the intestacy rules decide who inherits and who can administer the estate. Any inheritance tax due must start being paid by the end of the sixth month after the death, so the valuation should not be left too long.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to tell HMRC when someone dies?

Yes, but Tell Us Once does it for you as part of the single notification, alongside the DWP, DVLA, and Passport Office. If you do not use Tell Us Once within 28 days of registering, you will need to contact HMRC and each other department individually instead.

Does the State Pension stop immediately when someone dies?

Payments stop once the DWP is notified, which Tell Us Once handles. Any overpayment made after the death is usually reclaimed from the estate, and a surviving spouse or civil partner may be entitled to inherit part of the deceased’s State Pension, which the DWP confirms directly.

How many death certificates do I need?

Most families find five to ten certified copies covers it, depending on how many banks, insurers, pension providers, and investment accounts are involved. Each certified copy carries a small fee from the register office, and ordering them at registration is quicker than requesting more later.

Is probate always needed when someone dies?

No. Probate is generally needed where the estate includes property or where a bank or provider asks for it, commonly for larger balances. Small estates, and assets owned jointly that pass automatically to the survivor, can often be dealt with without a grant of probate.