Vivid Ready

Documents, money and the hard things

When somebody dies

When somebody dies: do this now

There is no rush. Almost nothing has to happen in the first hours, and knowing that is the most useful thing here.

  1. Expected death at home: ring the GP surgery, the out-of-hours service, or the hospice or district nurse. Not 999.
  2. Unexpected death, or somebody found: ring 999. A referral to the coroner is routine, not a suspicion.
  3. Ring one person who can help and who is not in the household.
  4. Do not rush to move the body. A funeral director can be called hours later, when you are ready.
  5. Organ or body donation is the one genuinely time-critical thing. Raise it immediately if it was wished.
  6. Book the register office appointment. Do not delay it because a document is missing.
  7. Buy several certified copies of the death certificate at registration. Ten is not excessive.
  8. Use Tell Us Once for government and council services, then work through banks, insurers and utilities yourself.
  9. Check for a prepaid funeral plan and for written wishes BEFORE arranging anything.
Register within
5 days, or 8 in Scotland
Tell Us Once covers
Government and council, not banks
Funeral director
Not legally required
Prices
Vary widely. Ask three for written lists

The mistake that costs lives: Arranging the funeral in the first day or two, because it feels like the thing that must be sorted and because a firm is willing to take the details there and then. Nothing about it is urgent, prices vary very widely, and firms are required to display a price list you are entitled to ask three of them for. Families who decide in the first forty-eight hours routinely spend a great deal more than they meant to, and they do it at the moment they are least able to compare anything. Check for a prepaid plan first, which may already cover it, then take a few days. A direct cremation with a memorial held later is a legitimate choice rather than a lesser one.

There is very little that must be done in the first hours, and knowing that is the most useful thing on this page. Registration comes within days, most of the rest can wait, and one government service tells many organisations at once.

This page exists because a death is a situation people meet with no preparation and considerable urgency, and much of that urgency is imagined. Very little has to happen immediately, and knowing which things those are removes a great deal of pressure at the worst possible time.

It is written plainly and practically because that is what is useful at the time. It is not a substitute for the people around you, and asking for help is the first item rather than the last.

The first hours

There is no rush. Almost nothing must be done in the first hours, and it is entirely normal to sit with somebody, to make tea, and to ring one person before doing anything else.

Expected death at home, where the person was under medical care: ring the GP surgery, or the out-of-hours service, or the hospice or district nurse if they were involved. They will attend and confirm the death. There is no need to ring 999.

Unexpected death, or somebody found: ring 999. The death will be reported to the coroner, or the procurator fiscal in Scotland, which is routine and does not imply anything is wrong. It does mean things take longer.

In hospital or a care home, the staff handle the immediate steps and will tell you what happens next.

Then:

  • Ring one person who can help and who is not in the immediate household.
  • Do not rush to move the body. There is time. A funeral director can be called when you are ready, including hours later.
  • If the person wished to donate organs or their body, that is time critical and should be raised immediately.
  • Look after anybody else in the house, particularly children and anybody frail. See teaching children safety for the tone that helps.

Getting the certificate

A medical certificate of cause of death is needed before a death can be registered, and it is issued by a doctor.

In England and Wales, all deaths are now reviewed by a medical examiner before registration unless they are referred to a coroner. This is a scrutiny step, it is routine, and it can add a little time.

If the death is referred to a coroner or, in Scotland, the procurator fiscal, registration waits until they release it. That happens where a death was sudden, unexplained, or in certain other circumstances, and it is a normal process rather than a sign of suspicion. It can take longer, sometimes considerably, and you can ask for an interim certificate to get on with practical matters.

Registering the death

Book an appointment with the register office for the district where the death occurred. Many now do this by telephone or online.

Take, if you have them: the medical certificate, and the deceased's birth certificate, marriage or civil partnership certificate, NHS number, and proof of address. Do not delay the appointment because something is missing.

You will need to give: full name, including any former names, date and place of birth, occupation, address, and details of a surviving spouse or civil partner.

Buy several certified copies of the death certificate. Most organisations want to see an original or a certified copy, and buying them at registration is cheaper and far quicker than ordering them later. Ten is not excessive for an estate with several accounts.

You will be given the certificate for burial or cremation, sometimes called the green form, and information about Tell Us Once.

Tell Us Once

One notification, many departments. The register office gives you a reference and you use it once, online or by phone, and it informs a range of government and local authority services: HM Revenue and Customs, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Passport Office, the DVLA, the local council, and others.

It is available in England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland has its own arrangements, so ask at the register office.

It does not cover banks, insurers, utilities, pensions from private schemes, mortgage or credit providers, or subscriptions. Those must be told individually.

Make a list as you go. Every organisation, who you spoke to, the date, and the reference. It is tedious and it saves repeating conversations later.

The funeral

There is no legal requirement to use a funeral director, and most people do because it removes a great deal of work at a hard time.

  • Check for wishes. A will, a letter of wishes, a prepaid plan, or something the person said. Funeral wishes in a will are not legally binding and are usually followed.
  • Check for a prepaid funeral plan before arranging anything, because it may already be covered.
  • Prices vary very widely. It is entirely reasonable to ask two or three firms for a written price list, which they are required to display, and there is no obligation to take the first quote.
  • A direct cremation without a service is a legitimate and much less expensive option, and a memorial can be held separately whenever the family chooses.
  • Help with costs exists: the Funeral Expenses Payment for those on certain benefits, and support from some local authorities. Ask the register office or the funeral director, who will know.
  • Nothing has to be decided immediately. A funeral director will hold arrangements while the family decides.

If money is a difficulty, say so early. It is a common situation, there is help, and firms are used to the conversation.

The estate

Probate in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or confirmation in Scotland, is the legal authority to deal with the estate.

  • It is not always needed. Small estates and jointly owned assets frequently pass without it, and each bank has a threshold above which it will insist.
  • Ask each organisation what they require. They will tell you, and the answers differ.
  • The executors named in the will apply, or, without a will, the closest relatives under the rules of intestacy.
  • It takes months, routinely, and longer where anything is complicated.
  • A solicitor is not compulsory and is worth it for anything with property, a business, an unclear will, a dispute, or an estate of any size.

Meanwhile, practically:

  • Bills and rent still need dealing with. Tell the providers; most will pause and will not simply cancel a supply.
  • Do not distribute anything until the estate is settled and the executor is satisfied. Executors can be personally liable for getting it wrong.
  • Secure the property if it is now empty, and tell the insurer, because unoccupancy conditions apply. See securing a property you are leaving.
  • Cancel or redirect the post, which also reduces the risk of identity fraud.
  • Keep records of everything you spend on behalf of the estate.

When services are stretched

The situation this app is written for, where the ordinary process is slower than usual.

  • The deadlines still apply, and registrars will tell you what is possible. Ring rather than turning up.
  • Expect delays at every stage: certificates, registration, coroner, cremation and burial slots, and probate.
  • Ask what can be done remotely. A good deal of registration and probate work can be done by phone and online.
  • Keep the paperwork together and keep a written log, because delays mean repeating conversations with different people.
  • Do the urgent things and let the rest wait. Registration, the funeral, securing the property, and telling anybody who would otherwise not know. Almost everything else can be done in a month's time.
  • A community response matters more here than anywhere. Neighbours, faith groups and local organisations do a great deal in these circumstances. See community and mutual aid.
  • The library page on the hard pages covers the wider situation, including what to do when normal arrangements are genuinely not available. See the hard pages.

Looking after the people

The part that matters most and the part a checklist handles worst.

  • Grief has no schedule and no correct shape. Numbness, disbelief, anger, relief and laughter are all normal and often arrive together.
  • Practical help is the best help. Meals, lifts, childcare, dog walking, and sitting in a room without needing to talk. "Let me know if you need anything" is well meant and produces nothing; "I am bringing dinner on Thursday" produces something.
  • Children should be told plainly and honestly, in language they can hold, with the words dead and died rather than euphemisms that confuse them. They should be allowed to attend if they wish, and not made to. They will ask the same question repeatedly, and answering it patiently each time is the work.
  • Take the practical burden off the closest person, who is least able to make phone calls.
  • Look after yourself if you are the one organising. Eat, sleep, and let somebody else make a call.
  • Ask for help. The GP, Cruse Bereavement Support, Marie Curie, local hospice bereavement services and faith communities all provide support and are used to being contacted by people who are not sure they qualify. You do.

Write down the questions you want to ask before any appointment, because concentration is poor and people leave without asking the thing they came for.

Why this matters: the hard pages

Last reviewed 2026-08-03

Checked against 5 sources
  1. A death must be registered within five days in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and within eight days in Scotland
  2. In England and Wales all deaths not referred to a coroner are reviewed by a medical examiner before registration
  3. The Tell Us Once service allows a death to be reported once to many government departments and local authority services, and is available in England, Scotland and Wales
  4. Probate in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and confirmation in Scotland, may be required before an estate can be distributed, and small estates are frequently released without it
  5. There is no legal requirement to use a funeral director in the UK