G-13 · Free DownloadEstate planning · England, Wales & Scotland

Trusted Person First Contact Card

Q: What is a trusted person — are they the same as an executor?

Not necessarily. The executor is named in the will and has the legal authority to administer the estate. The trusted person you give this card to may be the same person — but the card is designed for whoever will be the first responder in a crisis, which might be a partner, adult child, or close friend who isn't named as executor. The card tells them what to do immediately; the executor takes over the formal process once they're appointed.

Q: How is this different from a letter to a trusted person?

The Letter to Trusted Persons (produced from your Household Continuity Dossier membership) is the formal, drafted document that explains the whole picture — the record structure, the location of everything, the wishes behind the documents, and the next steps in full. The First Contact Card is the immediate-response version: what to do in the first 24 hours before anyone has read the full letter. The card and the letter are complementary — the card gets the trusted person through day one; the letter covers everything that comes after.

Q: Should this card be kept secret, or can the trusted person see it in advance?

The trusted person should know the card exists and where it is. They do not need to read it in advance if you're not ready for that conversation — but they must know it is there and be able to find it independently. A card that only the issuer knows about is useless. Consider telling them face-to-face: 'I've prepared a card with instructions for you — it's with my will, and I'll tell you where the will is.'

Q: What if the person has no will?

The card still works — the 'find the will' step becomes 'confirm there is no will,' which triggers the intestacy route (the law decides who inherits). Note this on the card in the specific instructions box, and give the executor section to a family member willing to act as administrator. The First 24 Hours steps and the do-nots are the same whether or not there is a will.

Q: Does filling this in create any legal obligation?

No. The card is a planning guide and first-responder aid. It does not grant legal authority to anyone. It does not change who inherits. It does not create any obligation on the trusted person to act. It simply tells them what to do if they choose to help — and gives them the information they need to do it without making avoidable mistakes.

For the person you trust most — what to do in the first 24 hours, who to call, where the file is, and what not to do before the estate is formally administered.

The first few hours after a death are the ones where well-intentioned errors happen. This card prevents them.

Download free PDF

A5 PDF · No account required · Planning guide only — not legal advice

Planning guidance, not legal authority. This card tells your trusted person what to do in the first 24 hours and prevents common early mistakes.

It does not grant any legal authority to act on behalf of the estate. The executor or administrator appointed by the will (or, without a will, by the court) has legal authority; the trusted person supports them.

§1

The first-24-hours gap

Most estate-planning advice focuses on what happens weeks after a death — probate, IHT, asset distribution. Almost none of it addresses the first 24 hours, when the people closest to the deceased are at their most distressed, least informed, and most likely to make irreversible mistakes.

The errors that happen

Bank accounts closed before an executor is appointed. Assets distributed before the estate is valued.

Digital accounts deleted. Standing orders cancelled that were covering essential bills. None of these are malicious — they happen because no one told the trusted person what not to do.

What the card does

It gives the trusted person a clear sequence of actions for the first 24 hours, five explicit do-nots, the location of everything they need, and the contacts to call. One card, carried by the right person, prevents the most common errors.

§2

What the card covers

Six numbered steps for the first 24 hours — in priority order.

Confirm and notify next of kin

Before calling any institutions — who else needs to be told immediately? Partner, adult children, close family, closest friends.

The emotional network comes before the administrative one.

Get the death certified

At home: call the GP to attend and certify.

In hospital: the hospital handles this. A Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) is needed before anything else in the formal process can move.

Halt obvious outgoings

Subscriptions you can pause immediately (streaming, gym) without disrupting essential services.

Leave bank direct debits alone until you know what they cover — some pay for utilities and standing insurance.

Don't touch the bank accounts

An executor or administrator must be appointed before bank accounts can be dealt with.

Accessing funds before that appointment can create legal problems even with good intentions.

Find the will

The card records where it is.

If the person used a solicitor, the solicitor's details are on the card. The will names the executor — that person leads the formal process.

Must be done within 5 days of the medical examiner's office confirming you can register, in England and Wales (8 days in Scotland).

Book an appointment at the register office with the MCCD. You'll need certified copies — request at least six.

The card also covers the six sections of information the trusted person needs:

This card belongs to — Three fill lines: who the card is for, who issued it, and when it was prepared.

The card travels with the trusted person — not kept at the issuer's home.

First 24 hours — in order — Six numbered steps in priority sequence.

Each step is a single clear action, not a checklist cluster. The numbering guides the trusted person through a genuinely disorientating moment without requiring judgment calls.

Do not — until the estate is formally administered — Five explicit prohibitions.

Estate administration is full of well-intentioned errors — distributing assets before the estate is settled, or closing accounts that needed to stay open for a creditor. These do-nots prevent the most common ones.

Where the household dossier is — Five fill lines: Valoren portal login detail, physical binder location, solicitor contact, will location, and emergency cash location.

This section is the one that makes the card genuinely useful rather than just reassuring.

Key contacts to call — Five fill lines: executor or solicitor, GP, funeral director, main bank, and one open-format contact.

These are the first five calls; everything else can wait for the will and the certified copies.

Specific instructions — An open text box for anything not captured by the structure — specific wishes about the funeral, instructions about pets, a location not covered by the fields, a number only the trusted person should know.

§3

The do-nots — what to hold off

Estate administration is full of well-intentioned errors made in the first few days. The card includes these five explicit prohibitions to prevent them.

Do not — until the estate is formally administered

✗Give away, sell, move, or let anyone else take any assets — however obvious it seems

✗Close bank accounts or transfer funds before the executor is formally appointed

✗Cancel direct debits until you know what each covers

✗Delete or clear digital accounts, emails, or devices

✗Notify HMRC or DWP without the death certificate in hand

✗Sign anything or make any legal commitment on behalf of the deceased

§4

Who to give it to, and how

The card is only useful if the trusted person knows it exists and can find it independently. Two things are necessary.

Step 1

Tell them it exists and where it is

The trusted person doesn't need to read the card in advance.

They need to know: 'I've prepared a card for you. It's with my will at [location]. If something happens to me, find that card before you do anything else.'

Step 2

Keep it with the will

The card and the will are meant to work together — the will names the executor and the card tells the trusted person where to find it. Store them at the same location. Your solicitor, your fire safe, or a named physical location the trusted person can reach.

§5

Download the card

FreeA5 PDFEstate planningEdition 2026

Trusted Person First Contact Card

Six sections: first 24 hours in order, the do-nots, where the household dossier is, key contacts, and a specific instructions box. A5 print-ready.

Download — First Contact Card (PDF)

Planning guide only. Not legal advice. Not a substitute for a will or formal estate planning.

Take it with you

Take the first-contact card with you.

We'll email you the first-contact card as a PDF — for when you're at a printer, or to pass to the person who'll need it. The download above stays free either way.

Working for a hospice, charity, council or carers' service? You're welcome to link the card, print it, or put it in a bereavement pack — free, no permission needed, nothing expected in return. See everything that's free

§6

Go further — the full handover pack

This card is the immediate-response version. Two products extend it into a complete handover pack.

The Household Continuity Dossier£195 (£99/yr)

Includes the Letter to Trusted Persons — a drafted letter that explains the full picture: the record structure, where everything is, the wishes behind each document, and the recommended sequence for the weeks after.

Prepared using the records in your portal. Works alongside this card.

Valoren portal — Trusted Person setup£195 (£99/yr)

The People, Authority & Contacts record captures your trusted person's details and wires them into the executor briefing output.

When the time comes, the briefing shows the executor exactly who the trusted person is and how to reach them. The card becomes part of a larger, maintained system.

See The Household Continuity Dossier Start your estate record

§7

Questions, answered plainly

Not necessarily. The executor is named in the will and has the legal authority to administer the estate. The trusted person you give this card to may be the same person — but the card is designed for whoever will be the first responder in a crisis, which might be a partner, adult child, or close friend who isn't named as executor.

The card tells them what to do immediately; the executor takes over the formal process once they're appointed.

The Letter to Trusted Persons (produced from your Household Continuity Dossier membership) is the formal, drafted document that explains the whole picture — the record structure, the location of everything, the wishes behind the documents, and the next steps in full. The First Contact Card is the immediate-response version: what to do in the first 24 hours before anyone has read the full letter.

The card and the letter are complementary — the card gets the trusted person through day one; the letter covers everything that comes after.

The trusted person should know the card exists and where it is. They do not need to read it in advance if you're not ready for that conversation — but they must know it is there and be able to find it independently. A card that only the issuer knows about is useless.

Consider telling them face-to-face: 'I've prepared a card with instructions for you — it's with my will, and I'll tell you where the will is.'

The card still works — the "find the will" step becomes "confirm there is no will," which triggers the intestacy route (the law decides who inherits). Note this on the card in the specific instructions box, and give the executor section to a family member willing to act as administrator.

The First 24 Hours steps and the do-nots are the same whether or not there is a will.

No. The card is a planning guide and first-responder aid. It does not grant legal authority to anyone. It does not change who inherits. It does not create any obligation on the trusted person to act. It simply tells them what to do if they choose to help — and gives them the information they need to do it without making avoidable mistakes.

The portal stores your records, your trusted person's details in the People, Authority & Contacts record, and your executor's contact in the Civil Dossier record. With Household Continuity Dossier membership, the Letter to Trusted Persons is prepared using those records — so the formal letter and this card reference the same people, the same file location, and the same contacts.

The card is the paper anchor; the portal is the maintained record behind it.

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