What to do after a death
The first days after a death involve a specific sequence of official steps. These are the documents and guides for each one — in the order they need to happen, with nothing that can wait pushed to the front.
The first seventy-two hours: registration, who to tell, and what can safely wait — written for the moment when thinking is hardest.
Death must be registered within five days in England and Wales. This brief explains what to bring, where to go, and what the registrar will issue.
The free explainer for Tell Us Once: what the service covers, what it doesn't, and which organisations still need telling directly — read before you make the call.
A working companion for administering an estate — from the grant of probate to the final distribution and executor's discharge.
The grant of probate is the legal authority to administer the estate. This brief explains when it's needed, how to apply, and how long it takes.
Which IHT route does this estate actually need? Since 1 January 2022 an excepted estate reports on the probate application itself — this planner tests the estate by asset type and value, and sends you to the full IHT400 only when it is genuinely required.
A complete specimen reconciliation — one fictional estate, every beneficiary's entitlement confirmed and signed off, so you can see what a closed estate looks like on paper.
The Records Roadmap inventories the 30+ records every UK household has somewhere — wills, LPAs, deeds, pensions, insurance schedules, business filings, digital access — and shows the canonical location for each. The reference document the rest of the library points back to.