Financial checklist when someone dies

In the first few days, focus on these tasks.

Register the death. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland this should be done within 5 days; in Scotland within 8 days. You will need the medical certificate of cause of death. Buy several certified copies of the death certificate, as many organisations want to see one.

Use Tell Us Once if it is offered when you register. It lets you report the death to most government departments in one go, including DWP, HMRC, the Passport Office, DVLA and the local council.

Arrange the funeral. Do not feel rushed into expensive choices. Check whether the person had a pre-paid funeral plan or life cover, and whether the bank will release money from their account to pay the funeral bill directly, which many do.

Tell Us Once covers most government bodies, but you will need to contact others yourself. Banks and building societies freeze accounts in the person's sole name and tell you what is held jointly; the free Death Notification Service lets you notify several banks at once. Contact insurers (life, home, contents, car), private and workplace pension providers, the employer (for any death-in-service benefit and final pay), utilities, broadband and phone providers, and subscription services.

Benefits paid to the person who died, such as State Pension, Universal Credit, Housing Benefit and Pension Credit, stop, and any overpayment after the date of death will be recovered from the estate. Tell Us Once or the DWP Bereavement Service will deal with this.

Bereavement Support Payment may be available if your husband, wife, civil partner or cohabiting partner died and they paid a certain amount of Class 1 or Class 2 National Insurance in any one tax year since 6 April 1975, or died from a work accident or work-related disease. Cohabiting partners qualify if they were getting Child Benefit for a child living with them, were entitled to it or were pregnant. The higher rate is a £3,500 lump sum plus 18 monthly payments of £350; the lower rate is £2,500 plus 18 monthly payments of £100. Claim within 3 months of the death to get the full amount.

Funeral Expenses Payment can help if you are on certain low-income benefits and responsible for the funeral (Funeral Support Payment in Scotland). Income tax: the personal representative may need to deal with tax up to the date of death and on estate income afterwards; HMRC's bereavement pages explain what is needed.

If the deceased left a will, an executor named in the will handles the estate. If there's no will, an administrator is appointed (usually the nearest relative). Probate is the legal right to deal with the estate. You may need a Grant of Representation if there are significant assets. The process involves: identifying all assets and liabilities, paying any debts and taxes, distributing the estate according to the will (or intestacy rules). Small estates may not need probate: each bank sets its own limit for releasing money without a grant. For complex estates, consider a solicitor. In England and Wales the probate application fee is £526 if the estate is worth more than £5,000, and there is no fee for estates of £5,000 or less (gov.uk). Scotland uses a different process called confirmation.

Debts are paid from the estate before anything is passed on. Funeral expenses and the costs of dealing with the estate come first, then secured debts such as a mortgage, then other debts like credit cards and loans. Contact each lender to tell them about the death.

Family members are not personally responsible for the person's debts unless they were joint borrowers or guarantors. Joint debts usually pass in full to the surviving borrower. Do not pay debts from your own money unless you are sure you are liable. If there is not enough in the estate to pay everything, debts are paid in a set order and some are written off.

Executors can protect themselves against unknown creditors by placing a deceased estates notice in The Gazette and waiting at least two months before distributing. Many also wait six months from the grant, the time limit for most claims against the estate under inheritance law. If the estate may be insolvent or the situation is complicated, get advice from a solicitor or a free debt adviser.

After someone dies, it's also a prompt to review your own finances. Update your will if you were named in the deceased's will. Review beneficiaries on your life insurance and pensions. If you received inheritance, consider your tax position. Update your emergency fund if your household income changed. Consider getting a will if you don't have one. Review your own insurance needs. If you now have children, ensure you have life insurance. Update power of attorney documents if the deceased was your attorney.