What happens to the direct payment when somebody dies

If the individual receiving direct payments has died, a family member or authorised representative can notify Hampshire County Council by calling 0300 555 1386. The appropriate team will record the information and begin the process of closing the direct payment account.

As part of your contingency planning, it is helpful to identify who should contact adult social care in the event of your death.

Informing Hampshire County Council about the representative

If the person who died had a nominated or authorised representative managing their direct payment, you should inform the County Council. This person may not be the next of kin but could be someone formally appointed to help manage the direct payment, such as a family member, friend, or legal appointee (for example, someone with Power of Attorney or a court appointed deputy).

If no representative was in place, we may ask for details of someone close to the individual who can help us to manage the closure of the account and return of funds. This helps ensure the process is handled respectfully and in line with legal and financial responsibilities.

Unspent funds

Unspent funds must be returned. If there are any direct payment monies left after somebody dies, these must be returned to Hampshire County Council. This includes monies in a Virtual Wallet or a dedicated direct payment bank account.

Personal assistants and agencies

If the person employed personal assistants, you may need to give notice and arrange redundancy pay. The employer’s insurance helpline and payroll provider can support you with this.

If care was provided by an agency, check the contract for any notice period or final payments due. These costs will be considered before any remaining funds are returned.

The individual or authorised person will need to settle any other outstanding invoices for support, such as a payroll service, including those covering any agreed notice periods.

If the individual or authorised person utilises their direct payment through the Virtual Wallet, and should any direct debits or standing orders relating to the direct payment need to be cancelled, you should contact the Virtual Wallet team:

If the individual or authorised person utilises a bank account to receive and manage the direct payment, you should share a final bank statement for the direct payment account to ensure all the final calculations can take place.

An invoice to reclaim any direct payments will be issued within six weeks of notification of the death, for any direct payments to be returned. This is because direct payments are paid in advance.

Support with direct payments

If you have any questions about direct payments or require further information, contact the Direct Payment Support Service (DPSS).

The DPSS can not assist with setting up direct payments. To enquire about setting up a direct payment, make a request to the adults' social care team.

Direct Payment Support Service (DPSS)