What to Do When Someone Dies in United Kingdom: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Obtain Medical Verification and the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death

   Before a death can be registered, an authorized medical practitioner must verify the death and issue the official medical certificate, or the case must be cleared by the coroner or procurator fiscal [1][2].

   • Expected death in a hospital, care home, or at home: In England and Wales, an attending doctor completes the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD), which is then independently scrutinized and countersigned by an NHS Medical Examiner [1][2]. The Medical Examiner's office contacts the next of kin or informant to explain the recorded cause of death, answer questions about care, and confirm when the MCCD has been sent electronically to the local Register Office [2]. In Scotland, the attending doctor issues the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (Form 11), and in Northern Ireland, the doctor issues the MCCD for registration [1][3]. If an expected death occurs at home, call the person's GP or NHS 111 so a clinician can verify the death [1][2].
   • Sudden, unexpected, or unexplained death outside a hospital: If the death is sudden, accidental, unexplained, or occurs in a public place, call 999 immediately so emergency services and the police can attend [1][2]. When a doctor cannot certify a natural cause of death, the death is referred to the local Coroner (in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland) or to the Procurator Fiscal via the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (in Scotland) [1][2][3]. Civil registration waits until the Coroner or Procurator Fiscal issues formal release paperwork or an interim certificate of the fact of death after any necessary post-mortem inquiry [2][3].
2. 2

   Check Funeral Pre-Arrangements and Appoint a Funeral Director

   Before making financial commitments, check your family member's paperwork for a prepaid funeral plan, over-50s life insurance policy, or written funeral wishes [1][3].

   • Appointing an accredited funeral provider: You can contact a funeral director as soon as you are ready to arrange the transfer and care of your family member, even before civil registration is finalized (though the burial or cremation itself cannot proceed until registration or coronial clearance is complete) [1][2]. To find a provider adhering to inspected professional standards and transparent itemized pricing, you can search the directories of the National Association of Funeral Directors (phone: +44 121 711 1343; email: [email protected]) or the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (phone: +44 1279 726777; email: [email protected]) [4][5]. Clarvia provides directory information for orientation only and does not endorse, recommend, or rank individual funeral providers.
   • Statutory burial and cremation requirements: Your funeral director coordinates the booking of the cemetery or crematorium and receives the registrar's Certificate for Burial or Cremation (the Green Form in England and Wales, or Form 14 in Scotland) or the Coroner's Order for Burial / Cremation Form 6 before the funeral takes place [1][2][3].
3. 3

   Register the Death at the Local Register Office and Use Tell Us Once

   Once the Medical Examiner's office (or doctor/coroner) confirms that the medical certificate has been sent to the registrar, book an appointment at the local Register Office via GOV.UK (or mygov.scot in Scotland / nidirect in Northern Ireland) [1][2][3].

   • Statutory registration deadlines: You must register the death within 5 days in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (which begins from when the Register Office receives the MCCD from the Medical Examiner in England and Wales), or within 8 days in Scotland [1][2][3]. Provide the deceased's full name, date and place of birth, last address, occupation, NHS number, National Insurance number, and details of any spouse or civil partner [2].
   • Certificates issued at registration: The registrar issues the Certificate for Burial or Cremation free of charge for your funeral director, and you should purchase several certified copies of the official Death Certificate (at the statutory fee, currently £12.50 per copy in England and Wales) for banks, insurers, and probate [1][2].
   • Notifying government departments via Tell Us Once: During your registration appointment in England, Wales, or Scotland, ask the registrar for a unique reference number for the GOV.UK Tell Us Once service [1][2]. Tell Us Once notifies HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), the Passport Office, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), local councils, and public sector pension schemes in a single step [1][2]. (If a British national dies outside the UK, you should follow the consular bereavement guidance of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and register the death locally in the country of death [1]).
4. 4

   Claim Statutory Funeral Grants, Survivor Pensions, and Bereavement Benefits

   Depending on your relationship to the deceased and your household circumstances, contact the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP Bereavement Service phone: 0800 151 2012; or the International Pension Centre at +44 191 218 7777 if living abroad) to check benefit entitlements [1][6]:

   • Bereavement Support Payment: A surviving spouse, civil partner, or cohabiting partner (where there are dependent children or pregnancy at the time of bereavement) whose deceased partner paid qualifying National Insurance contributions (or died due to a work-related cause) while the survivor was under State Pension age may qualify for Bereavement Support Payment, which consists of an initial lump sum (£3,500 higher rate with children, or £2,500 standard rate) and up to 18 monthly payments (£350 or £100) [6]. Apply within 3 months of the death to receive the full 18 monthly payments (claims can be made up to 21 months after death for a reduced number of payments) [6].
   • Funeral Expenses Payment (or Funeral Support Payment in Scotland): If you receive qualifying means-tested benefits such as Universal Credit or Pension Credit and are arranging the funeral, you can apply to the Department for Work and Pensions (on Form SF200 within 6 months of the funeral) or Social Security Scotland for help toward burial or cremation fees and funeral costs [1][3].
5. 5

   Notify Banks, HM Revenue & Customs, and Apply for Probate or Confirmation

   To settle your family member's financial affairs, property, and tax obligations [1][7]:

   • Notifying banks, insurers, and pension providers: Provide certified Death Certificates to banks, building societies, mortgage lenders, life insurers, and private pension schemes [1]. Many UK financial institutions participate in the Death Notification Service, allowing you to notify multiple banks simultaneously, and banks may release small balances or pay the funeral director's invoice directly from the deceased's account before probate is granted [1].
   • Tax and Inheritance Tax (HMRC): If you did not use Tell Us Once, notify HM Revenue & Customs (Bereavement Helpline: 0300 200 3300; Inheritance Tax Helpline: 0300 123 1072) to finalize the person's Income Tax up to the date of death and check whether the estate owes Inheritance Tax (IHT, generally due within 6 months from the end of the month of death, using form IHT400 where required) [1][7].
   • Applying for Grant of Probate (or Confirmation in Scotland): Locate the original will [1][7]. If the estate includes sole property or financial assets above the banks' small-estate thresholds, the executor named in the will applies to HM Courts & Tribunals Service via GOV.UK for a Grant of Probate in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (or the nearest entitled relative applies for Letters of Administration if there is no will) [7]. In Scotland, the executor applies to the local Sheriff Court Commissariot for Confirmation [3][7].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   What to do when someone dies: step by step — GOV.UK
2. [2]
   Register the death - What to do after someone dies — GOV.UK
3. [3]
   What to do after a death in Scotland — Scottish Government (mygov.scot)
4. [4]
   National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) — National Association of Funeral Directors
5. [5]
   National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF) — SAIF
6. [6]
   Bereavement Support Payment — GOV.UK
7. [7]
   Applying for probate — GOV.UK