This checklist covers what to do when someone dies in the UK, in the order GOV.UK gives: register the death, tell government, arrange the funeral, then value the estate, apply for probate if needed and deal with the estate. Registration comes first and has its own deadline in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, so start there.
Key points
✓GOV.UK says the doctor confirms the death, then a medical examiner checks the cause of death to make sure it is accurate.
✓In England and Wales you register the death within 5 days of getting the medical examiner's confirmation, including weekends and bank holidays. In Scotland it is within 8 days of the death where possible, and in Northern Ireland within 5 days.
✓Tell Us Once reports a death to most government organisations in one go. You cannot use it if the person was living in Northern Ireland or living abroad permanently.
✓The funeral can usually only take place after the death is registered, unless the death has been reported to a coroner.
✓Probate is not always needed. Contact the bank and other organisations the person used to find out, because every organisation has its own rules.
In the first few days
After someone dies, GOV.UK says their doctor must confirm the death before contacting the medical examiner, which can take a few days. The medical examiner is a senior doctor who was not involved in the person's care, and they check the cause of death to make sure it is accurate.
The medical examiner's office will then contact you to explain the cause of death and answer any questions you have. Speaking to them is voluntary.
You must wait for the medical examiner's office to confirm you can register the death.
If a death is reported to a coroner, the documents you need to register the death may be different.
The coroner releases the body for cremation or burial once they have carried out their examinations.
A coroner must hold an inquest if the cause of death is still unknown, if the person might have died a violent or unnatural death, or if they might have died in prison or police custody.
If you need proof of the death while you wait for an inquest to finish, ask the coroner for an interim death certificate.
A doctor confirms the death and a medical examiner checks the cause of death. You must wait for the medical examiner's office to confirm you can register.
2
Register the death
In England and Wales, register within 5 days of getting that confirmation, including weekends and bank holidays. If you need more than 5 days, tell the register office immediately. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own deadlines, set out below.
3
Collect the certificates
In England and Wales you get a certificate for burial or cremation, often called the green form, which you give to the funeral director, crematorium or burial authority before the funeral can take place. Copies of the death certificate cost £12.50 each from the General Register Office, and extra copies are the same price.
4
Use Tell Us Once
A registrar will explain Tell Us Once when you register the death. They either complete it with you or give you a unique reference number to use online or by phone, which you must use within 28 days. If you do not use Tell Us Once, you must let the relevant organisations know about the death yourself.
5
Arrange the funeral
You can pay for a funeral director to arrange the funeral or do it yourself. Check whether the person made arrangements, such as a prepaid funeral plan or life insurance, which you can check with local funeral directors.
6
Find the will and value the estate
If there is a will, the executors named in it can apply for probate. To work out whether Inheritance Tax is due, you need to estimate the value of the estate, which is the property, money and possessions of the person who died.
7
Deal with the estate
Pay any debts or taxes owed by the person who has died. You can then distribute the estate as set out in the will or the law.
Help with the costs
MoneyHelper says recent figures show that a funeral using a funeral director cost £4,285 on average. If money is a worry, help may be available:
Funeral Expenses Payment (England and Wales) if you or your partner get a qualifying benefit such as Universal Credit, Pension Credit or Housing Benefit. Apply within 6 months of the funeral. It will not usually cover all of the costs.
Funeral Support Payment (Scotland), which has replaced Funeral Expenses Payment there. It usually will not cover the full cost of the funeral but should help pay for some costs.
Funeral Expenses Payment (Northern Ireland), from the Social Fund if you are on a low income. Apply within six months of the funeral.
Money from a scheme the person had, such as a pre-paid funeral plan or insurance policy, or from the estate. Getting access to the estate means applying for a grant of representation, sometimes called probate.
A public health funeral (England and Wales): where no suitable arrangements for the body are being made otherwise, the local authority must arrange a burial or cremation, and it may recover its expenses from the estate.
Bereavement Support Payment, if your partner has died and you were under State Pension age and married, in a civil partnership or living with them as if married. It is not means-tested.
If you were living with your partner as if married, you also needed to be getting Child Benefit for a child living with you, to have been told you were entitled to it, or to be pregnant, unless you are applying for a backdated payment.
Claim Bereavement Support Payment within 3 months of the death to get the full payments. You usually need to claim within 21 months.
Our funeral costs guide explains these in more detail, including how to keep costs down.
Dealing with the estate
Probate is the legal right to deal with someone's property, money and possessions (their estate) when they die.
Contact the person's bank, mortgage company and other financial organisations to find out whether you need probate to get access to their assets. Every organisation has its own rules.
If there is a will, the executors named in it can apply for probate. If there is no will, the closest living relative can apply.
If the estate owes Inheritance Tax, you must report its value within one year using form IHT400, and you cannot apply for probate until you have done that.
Even if there is no tax to pay, you need an estimate of the estate's value for the probate application.
You may not need probate if the person only had savings, or if shares, money, land or property they owned jointly passes automatically to the surviving owners.
If there is no will, the intestacy rules decide who is entitled to a share of the estate. A partner who was not married or in a civil partnership with the person has no automatic right to inherit.
Probate rules are different in Scotland and Northern Ireland. In Northern Ireland a Grant of Probate is issued if the person left a will, and a Grant of Letters of Administration if there is no will.
Registration and certificates work differently outside England and Wales.
Scotland
In Scotland, register the death within 8 days of the death where possible, at any registration office in Scotland.
The registrar needs a medical certificate of cause of death, and you cannot register a death without one.
The registrar gives you a certificate of registration of death to show to the funeral director, and a shorter copy of the death entry. There is no charge for these documents.
Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland, a death should be registered within 5 days, except deaths referred to the coroner. You can register at any district registration office in Northern Ireland.
The doctor or hospital forwards the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death electronically to the General Register Office for Northern Ireland, and the registrar contacts you to arrange the registration.
The registrar issues a Certificate for Burial or Cremation to the funeral director.
Registering a death is free. Death certificates bought from the registrar at the time of registration cost £8.00 per copy.
If a death is referred to the coroner, funeral arrangements should not be made before the coroner has given consent.
If the person died abroad
You must register the death in the country where the person died. The hospital, local police, tour operator or funeral director can usually explain how to do this.
If you want a record of the death made in the UK, you can apply for a consular death registration.
Contact the travel insurance company of the person who died as soon as possible. Travel insurance may cover costs such as medical, repatriation, legal, interpretation and translation fees.
If the person lived in England, Scotland or Wales, you may be able to use Tell Us Once, even if they died abroad.
✗No: You do not have to register the death in the UK.
GOV.UK says the person's doctor must confirm the death before contacting the medical examiner, who checks the cause of death. You then wait for the medical examiner's office to confirm you can register the death. If the death is reported to a coroner, the documents you need to register it may be different.
How long do you have to register a death in the UK?
In England and Wales, you register within 5 days of getting the confirmation from the medical examiner's office, including weekends and bank holidays, and you must tell the register office immediately if you need longer. In Scotland the limit is 8 days of the death where possible. In Northern Ireland a death should be registered within 5 days, except deaths referred to the coroner.
What is Tell Us Once?
Tell Us Once is a service that lets you report a death to most government organisations in one go. You can use it if the person was living in England, Scotland or Wales, but not if they were living in Northern Ireland or living abroad permanently. A registrar either completes it with you or gives you a reference number, which you must use within 28 days.
Do I need probate when someone dies?
Not always. Contact the person's bank and other financial organisations to find out, because every organisation has its own rules. You may not need probate if the person only had savings, or if jointly owned assets pass automatically to the surviving owners. If there is a will, the executors named in it can apply for probate.
What does the UK government say to do when someone dies?
GOV.UK gives a step-by-step order: register the death, tell government about the death, arrange the funeral, check if you can get bereavement benefits, deal with your own benefits, pension and taxes, value the estate and check Inheritance Tax, apply for probate, then deal with the estate.
Know Your Rights UK. "What to Do When Someone Dies: UK Checklist (2026)." Know Your Rights UK, https://www.knowyourrightsuk.com/wills/what-to-do-when-someone-dies