What To Do After the Death of a Loved One and an Introduction to the Tell Us Once Scheme
In 2011, the government set up the Tell Us Once scheme to help make the act of dealing with the administration of an estate easier for grieving loved ones. While its use is optional, it can save time and the grief of having to call countless organisations to inform them about the death.
When someone close to you passes away, the legal implications will be the last things you want to think about. Trying to understand what you are to do next while grieving is tough, but Starck Uberoi are here to help. Here we explain clearly what must be done after someone dies, and the benefits of using the Tell Us Once scheme.
What is the first thing that I need to do after someone dies?
When someone passes away, their death should be registered at a registry office within 5 days. It can be registered either by a family member of the deceased, or someone who was present when the person passed away. The death should be registered at the registry office closest to the hospital or nursing home where they passed away, or their home if they died there.
When you register the death, you will need the medical certificate of cause of death. If you don’t have it because an inquest is being led into the deceased’s death, the coroner will issue a document directly to the registrar. You will get the real death certificate from the registrar when the inquest has been completed. You will also need:
- The date and place of the death
- The full name of the person (including the maiden name if they were a married woman. Any former married names or other names by which the deceased was known can also be recorded)
- Their address
- Where and when they were born (the town or county is sufficient if the exact address is not known. Only the country of origin is required for those born outside of the United Kingdom. The country is recoded according to its current name if this is different from how it was known at the date of birth)
- Their occupation
- Details of their married or civil partner, if they had one
- Whether they had any government pension or other benefits
Only after the death has been registered can you apply for probate or make funeral arrangements.
Who needs to be told about the death?
When someone has died, there are a number of organisations who need to be informed. This list includes:
- The HMRC
- The State pension department (DWP)
- The Drivers and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)
- The Passport Office
- The Council Tax Department
These organisations must be informed regardless of who has passed away, but there may be more people you need to inform. For example, if the deceased was (or left behind) a child under the age of 18, the Child Benefit Office must be informed of their passing. The gov.uk website includes a full list of additional organisations that may need to be told when someone passes away.
You do not have to contact all of these organisations yourself; you can instead use the government’s Tell Us Once service.
What does the Tell Us Once service do?
The Tell Us Once service exists to inform all of the necessary organisations about the deceased’s passing, rather than leaving you to tell them all yourself. When you go to register the death, the registrar will give you a unique reference number for the Tell Us Once service while you are there.
You will need some details about the deceased to hand when you use the service. These include:
- Their full name
- Their date of birth and the date they died
- The address they were living at
- The contact details of the executor or administrator of their estate
- The contact details and National Insurance number of their spouse or civil partner (or their next of kin if they had no surviving partner)
- If they died in a hospital, hospice or care home, the name and address of the place they died.
- Their vehicle registration and driving license number, if they drove a vehicle
- Their passport number and town of birth, if they owned a passport
- Information about any benefits they were receiving including pensions, tax credits
- Information about benefits they were receiving from their local council (such as council tax reductions) if applicable
- Information on any public or government pension schemes they were paying into, if applicable
Do I need to pay to use Tell Us Once?
No – the Tell Us Once service is free to use.
How long does it take for Tell Us Once to work?
It takes around ten minutes to register with Tell Us Once but may take longer if you have to find some information about the deceased. It is best to have everything to hand when you fill in the form.
Is there anyone Tell Us Once doesn’t tell?
There are a few organisations that Tell Us Once cannot inform, whom you will be required to tell yourself. These organisations include anyone the deceased had dealings with, such as banks or private pension companies. You should inform them as soon as possible to prevent any further payments being taken from the deceased’s account.
Utility companies also cannot be informed by Tell Us Once. If no-one else lives at the deceased’s property, only the deceased’s estate is liable for any unpaid debts and you may cancel any direct debits. The executor or administrator will be responsible for settling all debts using the deceased’s estate and closing necessary accounts.
Other creditors must also be informed of the deceased’s passing, so that they may claim against the estate. If the estate is distributed before any creditors have been informed, it can be complicated to settle their debt and this could incur additional costs for you. The best way to ensure who needs to know is informed is by placing an advert in the Gazette and your local newspaper – this will prevent creditors being able to claim after the estate has been distributed, as according to the 1925 Trustee Act.
You may require a Grant of Representation (GOR) to complete some of the tasks required.
What is a Grant of Representation?
A Grant of Representation (sometimes called a Grant of Probate) confirms that the holder is the appointed executor or administrator of the deceased’s estate, and grants them the legal authority to complete the necessary administrative tasks. If you have been named as the executor or administrator and want to know what you must do, read our blog post titled A Guide to Probate for Executors.
How Starck Uberoi Solicitors can help
Starck Uberoi Solicitors has a team of dedicated, experienced solicitors who can help you manage what comes next. Managing an estate is seldom a straightforward task, and by no means easy to do while grieving; our specialist solicitors can take much of the stress from you by taking over matters and ensuring they’re completed efficiently. We can assist with anything from applying for grant of representation to administration of an entire estate.
For more information on our services, please see the Wills and Probate page on our website. To book an appointment with a solicitor, speak to us on 020 8840 6640 or email solicitor@starckuberoi.co.uk. Our offices are based in Brentford, Ealing, London Belgravia and Canterbury, and are easily accessible via public transport. Our partner, Raminder Singh Uberoi, can also provide a Notary Public service at all of our offices.
