Bereavement

What to do when someone dies

Register the death

The first thing to do is to register the death at the local Register Office. They will give you a death certificate that you can use to formally notify people, like us. We’ll take you through what to do. 

What to do first  

Let us know 

If you’re responsible for managing their affairs, speak to one of our advisers. We’ll ask for the death certificate, but don’t worry if you don’t have this yet, we can still help. 

 

I have a death certificate

I don’t have a death certificate

We’re here for you

We’re here to support you when it matters. If you have any questions, or need help with paying for funeral costs,  you can talk to us.  You can also use this number if you’d like to book an appointment in branch. 

Call: 0800 056 0073 (or +44(0)131 278 3705 if you’re outside the UK).

Lines are open 8am-8pm, every day. 

You can also call this number to book a branch appointment. 

Find your nearest branch

Bereavement Guide

There can be a lot to think about when someone dies. So, we’ve created a practical step-by-step guide to help you, should you need it. 

Bereavement guide (PDF, 3.3MB) opens in new tab

Support with estate administration​

As part of our wider group, we can introduce you to the Lloyds Bank Estate Administration Service.

If you need support and guidance with any aspect of administering an estate or if we are appointed as the Executor of a Will, please contact us on 0800 121 8713 (or +44 1733 286 482 if calling from abroad). Lines are open Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm. Calls may be monitored or recorded.

Our initial support and guidance is fee free and without obligation. If you think the service is right for you, we will explain our fees and charges to act as Executor or Administrator (England & Wales only) in an Estate. Fees and charges for our services are charged to the Estate.​

Things you need to do

  • Start with these 5 steps

    1. The medical certificate. You’ll be given a medical certificate by the hospital, GP or coroner. This is what you’ll need to register the death. 

    2. Register the death. Go to the Register Office that is local to the person who has died to register their death. It’s best you do this within the first few days. You can see which documents you need to register a death below. Or you can visit the government website for a helpful step-by-step guide.  

    3. The death certificate. You’ll be given a death certificate by the registrar. You can ask for multiple copies. 

    4. Find their will. The will tells you how the person wants their affairs, accounts and their funeral to be managed. If the bank is named as the executor call us on 0800 121 8713 (or +44 1733 286 482 if calling from abroad). Lines are open every day 8am-8pm. Don’t worry if there is no will in place you can still get in touch.

    5. Plan the funeral. You can use a funeral director to manage things for you, or contact your local council to help with the arrangements.

  • A will is a legal document that has been drawn up by the person who has died. It lets you know what they wanted to happen with their affairs. This may be in safe keeping with a solicitor, accountant or Bank.

    The will names an executor. This is the person who is responsible for legally administering the estate and carrying out their wishes. There should be at least one executor and you should let them know what’s happened as soon as possible. 

    If there’s no will, you can find out more information about what to do in this instance on the government website, as it can vary across the UK. 

  • Confirmation is the process used to get the legal right from the Sheriff Court to deal with a deceased person's estate. The process is different if there is a will or no will or if the estate is small. 

    In the rest of the UK, this process is known as probate.

  • If the account holder has money in their account, we can help you arrange payment for a funeral bill and other expenses. 

    Money in their account can be used for:

    • Funeral costs
    • Inheritance tax
    • Probate or confirmation fees
    • Repatriation 
    • Cost of Memorial or Headstone

    Let us know if you would like us to help you with this. 

Useful things to know

  • When you formally register someone’s death, you can show any one of these documents at your local register’s office: 

    • UK or foreign death certificate
    • Interim UK death certificate or coroners’ certificate 
    • Abbreviated extract of death 
    • Certificate/Grant of confirmation
    • Grant of probate or grant of representation (if you’re in England, Wales or Northern Ireland)
    • Letters of administration (if you’re in England, Wales or Northern Ireland).
  • If you’re the next of kin, an executor of the will or the personal representative, when you come into branch to discuss their accounts, we’ll need to see proof of your identity and the proof of death. There are options for you to choose from below. 

    If you’re visiting the branch and you’re also a customer, please bring your debit card or one form of ID with you.

    If you don’t have an account with us, please bring two forms of ID. At least one will need your address on it.  

    • Valid passport (full and signed) 
    • Northern Ireland Electoral Identity Card 
    • UK valid photocard full or provisional driving licence 
    • EEA valid photocard driving licence 
    • Disabled driver pass 
    • HMRC assessment or statement 
    • Recent council tax bill 
    • Local council rent card or tenancy agreement 
    • Recent utility bill.

    Use any of the following documents for proof of death:

    • UK or foreign death certificate 
    • Interim UK death certificate or coroners’ certificate 
    • Abbreviated extract of death 
    • Grant of representation
    • Certificate/Grant of confirmation 
    • Grant of probate (only in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland)
    • Letters of administration (only in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland).
  • Joint accounts

    If you’re the surviving account holder, you can keep using the account as normal. We’ll always notify you if anything changes with the account.

    Standing orders and Direct Debits

    If the account is only in their name, we’ll stop all payments and send you a full list of what’s been cancelled. You can use this list to contact the companies if you need to set any payments up again. 

    If the account is in joint names, we’ll keep all regular payments as they are. Let us know if you want to stop any. 

    Mortgage accounts

    If the mortgage is in joint names, we'll usually transfer it and the payments to the other person named on the account.

    If the mortgage was just in the deceased’s name, we won't take any payments for the first three months after you've reported the death. However, interest will continue to be added to the mortgage, so you might want to set up payments to stop any arrears on the account.

    If you want to keep the property, we can arrange an appointment with a mortgage adviser to talk through your options.

    Find out more information on accounts and mortgages in our Bereavement guide (PDF, 3.3MB).

    Investments and shares

    We’ll take you through what to do with their investments. Follow the steps outlined on our bereavement and investments page.  

    Outstanding loans

    If a loan was in the deceased’s name only and there’s money in their bank accounts, we’ll go through the repayment options with you when you get in touch.

    If a loan is in joint names, the other person named on the loan will need to continue with their monthly repayments.

    If the loan is covered by insurance, we’ll let you know how to make a claim.

    Credit card payments

    If the deceased person owed money on any credit cards, there are three things we can do:

    1. Money in their current or savings accounts can be used to pay the balance.
    2. If their credit cards are covered by payment insurance, we can help you make a claim.
    3. If neither of these are the right options for you, we’ll help you find a different way.

    When the credit cards are repaid, we’ll close the account.

    If there are other people named on the cardholder’s account, they won’t be able to use the credit card anymore.

    You can find more information on loans and credit cards in our Bereavement guide (PDF, 3.3MB).

  • Legal words and phrases 

    Assets
    Anything belonging to the deceased with a financial value, like money, investments, property, or personal possessions.

    Beneficiary
    Anybody that’s been left something in a will or trust.

    Confirmation
    The process used to get the legal right from the Sheriff Court to deal with a deceased person's estate.

    Estate
    All the assets owned by the deceased. 

    Executor
    The person, named in a will, who carries out the wishes of the person who has died.

    Grant of representation
    A legal document that outlines who can deal with the estate.

    Intestate
    A term used when someone dies without leaving a will.

    Liabilities
    This covers the debt left when someone dies, and the costs involved with settling an estate.

    Personal representatives
    The executors and / or administrators (England & Wales only) are called personal representatives as a group.

    Probate
    In England the confirmation is called probate.

    Will
    A legal document that says who benefits, and in what way, from the estate.

  • Once we’ve received the death documentation, we will close the account. Any funds held in the account will be transferred to the legal representative or executor. We will usually be in contact within 5 working days.

    We will make funds available if the representative needs to pay confirmation / probate fees, funeral expenses or inheritance tax. If anything else is needed, a colleague from our Bereavement team will contact the representative to discuss.

  • Citizens Advice

    Visit: citizensadvice.org.uk

    Grief Encounter

    Visit: griefencounter.org.uk

    Cruse Bereavement Care

    Call: 0808 808 1677

    Visit: cruse.org.uk

    Confirmation Scotland

    Call: 0131 334 0380

    Visit: mygov.scot/confirmation/

    Probate England and Wales

    Call: 0300 303 0648

    Visit: gov.uk/wills-probate-inheritance

    The Bereavement Register

    Call: 0207 089 6403

    Visit: thebereavementregister.co.uk/

    Help with what to do after someone dies 

    Visit: gov.scot/help and advice

    Information on reporting a death, wills, probate, or inheritance tax 

    Visit: gov.scot

    Tell Us Once

    Visit: mygov.scot/tell-us-once

    Death Notification Service

    Visit: deathnotificationservice.co.uk

Closing accounts

We can take care of it all if you are closing accounts with;

There are a few companies that are part of Lloyds Banking Group you’ll still need to tell separately:

Share dealing

If you’re looking after a share dealing account, please visit our bereavement and investments page.

If you have any questions or you’d like some help, you can call us on 0345 606 1188.

Our dedicated Bereavement team are available Monday to Friday, 8am - 5pm (closed weekends and English Bank Holidays).

If you need to call us from abroad, you can call us on (+ 44 113 292 0805). Call costs may vary depending on your service provider.

We may ask you to provide further information to help move things along. If prompted, please complete our Bereavement Form (PDF, 57 KB).

You can also use the free Death Notification Service to let other organisations know the account holder has passed away.

The government’s Tell Us Once service will contact relevant government services, including HMRC, for you.

Stop unwanted mail

To stop unwanted marketing mail you can add their name and address to the Bereavement Register. This will stop most marketing mail within six weeks.

You can also call them on 0207 089 6403

Bereavement Register

Important information

Calls may be monitored or recorded in case we need to check we have carried out your instructions correctly and to help improve our quality of service.