Checklist What to do when someone dies

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Obtain a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) from a medical practitioner (together with a Medical Examiner (ME) in England and Wales).

Make an appointment with the local Registrar of Births and Deaths. In England and Wales, the ME will send MCCD direct to the Registrar, triggering the statutory 5 day registration period. In Scotland the death must be registered within 8 days of death.

Inform family and close friends

Gather important information and documentation (where relevant):

  • Medical Certificate of Death (MCCD)
  • Date and place of birth (Birth Certificate, if possible)
  • Date and place of death
  • Proof of address (e.g utility bill)
  • National Insurance number
  • NHS number
  • Tax reference number
  • Child Benefit number
  • Passport
  • Driving License
  • Council Tax
  • Date/s of Marriage/s, Civil Partnership, Divorce/s (If appropriate)
  • Details of spouse or partner (including their NI number)
  • Organ Donor information
  • Occupation
  • Did they have any Government Pensions or other benefits?

From the Registrar of Birth & Deaths you will need to obtain the following:

Death Certificate plus multiple certified copies (you will need certified copies to send to banks, legal and insurance companies)

A Certificate for Burial or Cremation (a ‘Green Form’), (GR021 in N. Ireland)

A Registration or Notification of Death Form (BD8) (3344SI in Scotland, 36/DB8 in N.Ireland). Fill in and send to the Dept of Works and Pensions

Inform the relevant Government Departments using the Government’s ‘Tell Us Once‘ service if it is available in your area, or individually if it is not:

  • Department for Work and Pensions (DWP Bereavement Service)
  • HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)
  • National Insurance (NI) Contributions Office
  • Child Benefit Office
  • Tax Credit Office
  • Passport Office
  • Personal, Workplace and Armed Forces Pensions
  • Local Council
  • Office of the Public Guardian to cancel or alter power of attorney
  • DVLA (if the person had a driving licence or to change vehicle registration details)

Below is a list of other organisations you may need to inform. Not all will be relevant to you and it is not exhaustive, but you can add to it as necessary.

  • Employer
  • Lawyer
  • Accountant
  • Financial Adviser
  • Banks, Pay Pal, Bitcoin, etc
  • Utility providers (electric, gas, water, etc)
  • Insurers (household, mortgage, life, health, car, pet, etc)
  • Mortgage provider
  • Credit card provider
  • Social media platforms
  • Car loan
  • TV and media subscriptions (Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc)
  • Books, audio books, music subscriptions
  • Online gaming subscriptions
  • Online photo/data storage
  • Home security systems
  • Landlord
  • Mobile phone
  • Landline telephone
  • Internet
  • Antivirus (Norton, etc)
  • Gym or health club membership
  • Loyalty cards
  • Trade Unions
  • Newspapers
  • Milk

Is there a Will and/or a Letter of Wishes? A letter of wishes may specify whether the person who has died would like to be buried or cremated.

Plan the funeral service or celebration of life. Please see the whiteballoon Planning a Funeral Checklist and Planning a Funeral Information for guidance.

Post a Notice of Death and/or Obituary, either in a newspaper or online.

The Executors (if there is a Will) or Administrators (if there is not a Will) will need to apply to the Probate Registry

Check your entitlement to Government support and benefits.

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