The first 7 days after a death.

Day by day, in the order they actually unfold.

Almost nothing has to happen tonight. Three pieces of paper carry the formalities forward — the Medical Certificate, the Death Certificate, and the Green Form — and each has its own day.

This is the order they go in.

England, Wales and Scotland — the timings differ slightly; we've called out where. No email needed, no account.

This page covers the first week. For the whole picture — from the first day through to the first year — see what to do when someone dies.

Read the first week ↓Or download the PDF Longer reference

Today

Phase 01Today

The first hours

Almost nothing has to happen tonight. The list below is shorter than it looks. Most of it can wait until tomorrow.

Call the GP surgery (or NHS 111 out of hours). They will arrange a doctor to verify the death and complete the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD). You do not need to call 999.

Call 999. The paramedics will assess; the police may attend as a matter of routine. The death will be referred to the coroner. This is procedural — it does not mean anything is wrong.

The staff handle the immediate paperwork. They will tell you when the MCCD is ready to collect, usually within 24–48 hours. Your loved one will be moved to the hospital mortuary; you do not need to do anything tonight.

If the death was at home, leave them where they are. The doctor or coroner needs to see the scene. Once the doctor has been, the funeral director (whom you can call tomorrow) will collect them with care.

That is enough for tonight. Wider notifications can wait.

Banks, employers, the council, friends — none of that is urgent. Sleep if you can.

Days 2

Phase 02Days 2–3

Get the paperwork moving

Three pieces of paper carry everything forward — the Medical Certificate, the Death Certificate, and the Green Form. You collect them in this order. Everything else, including the bank and the council, queues behind these.

From the GP if death was at home, from the hospital bereavement office if it was in hospital. This is the document that lets you register the death. The doctor signs it; you collect it.

You cannot get the MCCD until the coroner releases the case. They may need a post-mortem. They will issue a Form 100A (no inquest needed) or interim certificate (if an inquest is opened). Registration proceeds from there. The coroner's officer is your contact — they will call you.

England & Wales: must register within 5 days. Scotland: 8 days. Northern Ireland: 5 days. Book online via gov.uk → 'Register a death'. Slots are usually available within 48 hours. Take the MCCD with you.

MCCD, the deceased's full name (and any maiden name), date and place of birth, last address, occupation, and details of any surviving spouse / civil partner. Their NHS number, passport, and birth certificate help if you have them — not essential.

£12.50 each in England & Wales (£10 in Scotland). Most families need 5–10. Banks, pension providers, life insurers and HMRC will each want an original. Cheaper to buy them now than to come back.

Issued by the registrar after registration. This is what the funeral director needs to proceed. Without it, no funeral can be held. Keep it safe — it has one job.

The registrar will offer this. It's a single online form that notifies HMRC, DWP, DVLA, the Passport Office, your local council, and the electoral register all at once. Saves about ten phone calls. The reference number is valid for 28 days.

Days 4

Phase 03Days 4–5

Funeral arrangements + first notifications

By now the paperwork foundation exists. The funeral director starts coordinating; you start telling the people and institutions that need to know.

Two or three quotes is reasonable, not five. Look at SAIF or NAFD member directories for accredited firms. Funeral plans (pre-paid) — check whether the deceased held one before booking; the provider's policy is in their paperwork.

Common locations: with their solicitor, at their bank, in a home safe, with the will-keeper if they used one (e.g. Farewill, Co-op Legal). If you can't find it, the National Will Register (Certainty) is searchable for £65. No will means intestacy rules apply — gov.uk has the explainer.

Most banks have a dedicated bereavement line. They will freeze the account, release funds for funeral costs (against the invoice from the funeral director), and start the executor process. Take a death certificate with you to a branch, or post a copy via secure delivery.

Salary may need to be repaid. Pensions vary: defined benefit schemes often pay a lump sum to nominated beneficiaries; SIPPs and personal pensions need an expression-of-wish form to be in place. The HR department or the scheme administrator handles this — you don't need to.

Each policy needs its own claim. The provider asks for a death certificate (original) and a claim form. Payouts usually arrive within 4–8 weeks once the paperwork is complete.

Streaming subscriptions, gym memberships, mobile phones.

Don't worry about utility bills yet — the property still needs to be lit and heated, and you may need to keep insurance in force until probate is granted.

Days 6

Phase 04Days 6–7

The first week of the rest of it

By day seven you should have the funeral booked, the basic notifications sent, and a clearer view of what's needed for the longer process. None of the next steps are urgent.

Tell the building insurer — many policies require a home not to be vacant for more than 30 days. Stop incoming post (Royal Mail's Bereavement Redirection service is free for 12 months). Empty the fridge.

Most UK funerals happen 1–3 weeks after death. The funeral director will guide the choreography. You don't need to make every decision yourself — they will offer a default order of service and you can deviate where it matters.

Probate takes 16+ weeks from application. There is no rush in the first month. What's useful now: gather the deceased's papers — bank statements, latest pension statement, property deeds, share certificates, ISA statements. The valuation work that eventually feeds the IHT400 starts here. We have a free calculator at /tools/probate-cost-calculator if you want to know roughly what's ahead.

Grief comes in waves and rarely arrives on schedule. Children especially can seem fine for weeks, then suddenly aren't. Cruse Bereavement Support (0808 808 1677) is free, UK-wide, and good at this. You don't have to be in crisis to call.

The first week is the most procedural week. After this it's mostly slower work — probate, accounts, distribution, the second-Christmas grief that nobody warned you about.

You don't have to read ahead. You can put this document down.

Reference

Things that come up.

Coroner involvement

Sudden, unexpected, suspicious, during surgery, or unexplained deaths are referred. The coroner takes priority — registration cannot proceed until they release the case. The coroner's officer is the family-facing contact.

Tell Us Once

Single notification covering: HMRC (income tax), DWP (state pension, benefits), DVLA (driving licence), Passport Office, local council (council tax, electoral register, blue badge), Veterans UK if applicable. Reference number is valid for 28 days from issue.

Bereavement Support Payment

DWP benefit for a surviving spouse / civil partner of working age. Up to £9,800 over 18 months for those with dependent children, less without. 3-month deadline for full backdate; 21-month total claim window. Form BSP1. /tools/bsp1 has the walkthrough.

Inheritance Tax thresholds (FY 2026–27)

£325,000 nil-rate band per person (transferable between spouses), plus £175,000 residence nil-rate band when a home passes to direct descendants. Estate tax (40%) only applies above the combined threshold. /tools/iht-calculator runs the exact numbers.

Probate online vs paper

Online application is faster and cheaper for most estates. £526 court fee. Paper PA1P (with will) or PA1A (without) for complex cases. /tools/pa1p has the walkthrough.

If you're an executor and feeling stuck

We have a longer free reference at /executors-companion — ten sections covering the first hour, the first day, the first month, and the months that follow.
No email required, prints to A4.

If you need to talk

People answer real phones.

None of these are us. We didn't write the lists below to convert you. They are good at what they do, and they pick up.

Samaritans116 12324/7, free from any UK phone, for any kind of distress

Cruse Bereavement Support0808 808 1677Mon–Fri 9.30am–5pm (8pm Tue–Thu), bereavement-specific

Sudden bereavement helpline (Brake)0808 169 1437For sudden / traumatic deaths, particularly road

Child Bereavement UK0800 02 888 40Mon–Fri 9am–5pm, families with bereaved children

NHS 111111Out-of-hours medical questions, including verifying a death at home

This document is a calm reference, not a solicitor's instruction. Every estate has things this list cannot anticipate. If you'd like a person walking through it with you, our specialist sessions are designed exactly for this stretch — calm, organised, faster than going it alone. For technical legal or tax matters, a regulated solicitor or chartered tax adviser remains the right call.

Prepared by Valoren · valoren.uk · Updated 2026-05.

Want your own household's version made? The Household Continuity Dossier renders your people, accounts, and wishes into a maintained record your executor or trusted person will actually reach for.

The library IHT calculator Probate cost calculator

The first 7 days after a death.

Day by day, in the order they actually unfold.

The first hours

Get the paperwork moving

Funeral arrangements + first notifications

The first week of the rest of it

Things that come up.

Coroner involvement

Tell Us Once

Bereavement Support Payment

Inheritance Tax thresholds (FY 2026–27)

Probate online vs paper

If you're an executor and feeling stuck

People answer real phones.

What to read next.

Lasting Power of Attorney

How IHT works (UK)

IHT400 — prepared draft

If this was useful, you might also need —

Executor's Companion

TUO Companion

BSP1 walkthrough

IHT400 walkthrough