Informing services of the death
Following the death of a loved one, there can be a lot to do. There are some free services that can help you to notify relevant organisations.
Tell Us Once
Tell Us Once is a free service that lets you report a death to multiple government organisations in one go. These departments include:
- HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
- Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
- Passport Office
- Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)
- Veterans UK - to cancel or update Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments
- the local council - to cancel Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction (sometimes called Council Tax Support), a Blue Badge, inform council housing services and remove the person from the electoral register
Tell Us Once will also contact some public sector pension schemes so that they cancel future pension payments. They’ll notify:
- My Civil Service Pension
- NHS Pensions for NHS staff in England and Wales
- Armed Forces Pension Scheme
- Scottish Public Pension Agency schemes for NHS staff, teachers, police and firefighters in Scotland
- Local Government Pension Schemes (LGPS)
HMRC and DWP will contact you about the tax, benefits and entitlements of the person who died. For more information, read the Gov.uk guidance on the Tell Us Once service.
Your unique reference number
At the end of the death registration appointment the registrar will give you a unique reference number so you can access the Tell Us Once Service online or by telephone. You must use the service within 28 days of getting your unique reference number.
Death Notification Service
The Death Notification Service helps you to notify multiple financial organisations of a person's death at the same time for free.