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Bereavement
By your side when dealing with a bereavement. It can feel like there’s a lot to do when someone dies. So, we’re here to help. This page has straightforward information to help guide you and support you with the money side of things.
What to do when someone dies
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
- Funeral costs
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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).
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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).
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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:
- Money in their current or savings accounts can be used to pay the balance.
- If their credit cards are covered by payment insurance, we can help you make a claim.
- 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).
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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.
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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
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.