The First 5 Days, Who To Notify?

• Notify the family Doctor (if not already done so)
• Register the Death at the registrar’s office.
• Complete Form BD8 (if appropriate) when you register and send it to the Job centre Plus or Social Security office.
• Find the Will; this may be kept at home, in a bank or at a solicitor.
• Contact the executor of the will; this may be a relative or a third party (i.e. Solicitor)
• Begin funeral arrangements; the Will may be able to help you.
• If the person who has died was receiving any benefits or tax credits, advise the offices that were making the payments that the person has died.

What happens if there isn’t a Will?

If someone dies without making a will, they are said to have died ‘intestate’. A close relative of the deceased can apply to the probate registry to deal with the estate. In this case, they apply for a ‘grant of letters of administration’. If the grant is given, they are known as ‘administrators’ of the estate. Like the grant of probate, the grant of letters of administration is a legal document which confirms the administrator’s authority to deal with the deceased person’s assets. In some cases, for example, where the person who benefits is a child, the law states that more than one person must act as the administrator.

Who else should I notify?

• Employer
• Clubs, Associations, Social Groups, Trade Unions and places of worship
• Solicitor/Account
• The relevant Tax Office
• National Insurance Contributions Office (for those who are self-employed)
• Child Benefit Office (notify within 8 weeks)
• The Local Authority (Council Tax, Social Services)
• Voluntary Organisations that may have been providing help and assistance
• UK Passport Office
• DVLA (Vehicle Ownership, Car Tax, Driving Licences)
• General Insurance Companies (Car, House or Medical Insurance) (If the deceased was the first name on the policy, you need to check that you are still insured)
• Rental, Lease or Hire Purchase Companies
• Pension Providers and Life Insurance Companies
• Bank & Building Societies
• Mortgage Provider
• Credit Card, Store Card or Catalogue Companies.
• Landlord, Local Authority or Housing Association, if in rented property
• Utility Companies, Gas, Electric, Water, if the bill is in the deceased name TV or Internet Companies
• The Royal Mail, the deceased’s mail may need re-routing
• Dentist, Chiropractor, Osteopath, Hairdresser
• Creditors – anyone to whom the deceased owed money
• Debitors – anyone who owed the deceased money

Life Ledger

Life Ledger is a free easy-to-use service helping families deal with death notifications.

What is Life Ledger?
Life Ledger allows families to contact all of the businesses connected with the deceased from a single point, saving time and removing the need to have the same difficult conversation over and over. Life Ledger sends notifications to over 700 UK companies across sectors ranging from banks and pension providers to gas, water, telecoms and social media.

How it works?
Life Ledger is a free, easy-to-use service that makes notifying all the companies associated with the deceased easier.
For more information and to register, visit www.lifeledger.com.
● Register to create an account
● Add the deceased details and a copy of the death certificate.
● Add a surviving partner to transfer household accounts or insurance policies to
● Select the companies you want to notify, add the account or policy number, and they will do the rest.