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Reference · FreeNotifying institutions · United Kingdom

UK bereavement contacts

Who to tell, how they want to be told, and what they will ask you for. Each entry is read from that organisation’s own bereavement page — not from a directory, and not from memory. No account required.

14 organisationsplus the 2 services that reach several at oncechecked 20 August 2026

The register

16 records, 6 sectors — the mark tells you which before you read the name.

Government2Multi-institution service1Bank9Building society1Insurer2Telecoms1
Provenance of everything below

Every entry was read from that organisation’s own live bereavement page on the date stamped against it, and links straight back to it. Nothing here comes from a third-party directory, a search snippet, or memory. Last read 20 August 2026.

We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting as agent for any organisation listed. Routes and phone numbers change. A weekly script re-checks every link and flags one that has moved — but it cannot edit an entry; a person re-reads the page and re-stamps it. If an entry and the source page disagree, believe the source page and treat ours as stale.

Where a route could not be read from an organisation’s own page, that organisation is left out and named as left out, with the reason — 5 of them, listed under the directory.

Two services tell several organisations at once

Start here, because telling one service is less work than telling fourteen. Between them these two cover most of government and many of the banks — but neither covers everything, and the gap is where people lose weeks. Read the limits as carefully as the routes.

Government

Tell Us Once

Checked20 August 2026Record01 of 16

Set up by the registrar when you register the death — they either complete it with you or give you a unique reference number to use online or by phone.

How to tell them
  • OnlineGOV.UK Tell Us Once service, using the reference number the registrar gives you
  • PhoneThe registrar gives you the number to call (Relay UK available; a BSL video relay service exists)
  • In personAt the register office, when you register the death
One submission reaches
  1. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
  2. Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
  3. Passport Office
  4. Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)
  5. The local council
  6. Veterans UK
  7. Social Security Scotland
  8. Some public-sector pension schemes, including the Armed Forces, Civil Service, Local Government (LGPS) and NHS schemes
Have ready
  1. The Tell Us Once reference number from the registrar
  2. The surname of the person who died and the date they died
  3. Name, address and contact details of the executor or administrator
  4. If there is a surviving spouse or civil partner: their name, address, telephone number and National Insurance number or date of birth
  5. If not: the name and address of the next of kin
  6. If they died in a hospital, nursing home, care home or hospice: the name and address of that institution
  7. Their National Insurance number if they were paying into or drawing from a listed public-sector pension scheme
Worth knowing
  1. It does not reach banks, building societies, insurers, utilities or telecoms — those still have to be told one by one.
  2. You must use the service within 28 days of getting your reference number.
  3. Available only if the person was living in England, Scotland or Wales. Not available for Northern Ireland, or if the person lived abroad permanently.
  4. The death must have been registered, or reported to a coroner with a final or interim death certificate in hand.
  5. You need permission from the surviving spouse or civil partner, next of kin, executor or administrator before giving their details.
Multi-institution service

Death Notification Service

Checked20 August 2026Record02 of 16

One free online submission notifies every member bank and building society at the same time.

How to tell them
  • OnlineFree online form at deathnotificationservice.co.uk
Have ready
  1. Details of the person who died, entered on the online form (the service lists what it needs before you start)
Worth knowing
  1. Notification only. Santander’s own bereavement page states plainly that the service tells them of the death but you still have to complete their bereavement form before an account can be closed or transferred — expect the same of other members.
  2. Validation checks mean the notification reaches the institutions on a published timetable rather than instantly: for a Monday submission, by 4pm Tuesday if sent before noon, by 4pm Wednesday if sent after noon.
  3. The service’s own guidance: if the case is urgent or complex — money or property needing release from the estate quickly — speak to the bank or building society directly first.
  4. If someone has already notified the service about the same person, it stops you and directs you to its contact centre.
  5. Members are listed on the service’s own site; it does not cover every institution.
deathnotificationservice.co.uk— their own page, and the authority

The directory, organisation by organisation

Nothing here is hidden behind a click. Every route, every set of opening hours and every document list is on the page, so you can search it, print it, or read it on a phone in a hospital corridor.

Bank

9 entries
Bank

Barclays

Checked20 August 2026Record03 of 16

Online notification form (their stated first route — no call or visit needed), or phone, branch, or post.

How to tell them
  • Online“Notify or add documents” form on the page — you can return later to add documents
  • Phone0800 068 2238, then option 2 for the bereavement teamPage cites its standard Monday-to-Friday line hours
  • PostBereavement Service Centre, Barclays Bank PLC, PO Box 1495, Pallion Trading Estate, Sunderland SR5 9YB
  • In personAny Barclays branch
What they ask for
  1. The death certificate provided by the registrar — original or photocopy. Interim death certificates, coroner’s certificates, and non-UK certificates translated into English are also accepted
  2. An account settlement form, confirming who is legally responsible for the estate and where money should be sent
  3. A grant of probate, grant of confirmation or letters of administration if the sole accounts total more than £50,000
Worth knowing
  1. They issue a bereavement reference number beginning BRV — quote it on every later contact.
  2. Sole accounts are frozen within 24 hours of notification; joint accounts stay open in the survivor’s name.
  3. No probate is needed for joint accounts.
  4. Barclays Partner Finance is not notified automatically — it has to be told separately.
barclays.co.uk/what-to-do-when-someone-dies— their own page, and the authority
Bank

HSBC UK

Checked20 August 2026Record04 of 16

Online “Share bereavement details” portal, available 24 hours a day — their stated quickest route. Phone and branch alternatives.

How to tell them
  • Online“Share bereavement details” portal — submit a notification, then use the reference number they send to upload documents later
  • Phone0800 085 1992 (+44 (0)114 252 0249from outside the UK)08:30–18:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00–14:00 Saturday, excluding public holidays
  • In personAny HSBC UK branch
What they ask for
  1. The customer’s death certificate
  2. The will, or a grant of probate, if you are named executor and want to open an executor bank account
  3. A grant of probate or letters of administration where they decide one is needed — they tell you, rather than publishing a balance at which it applies
Worth knowing
  1. HSBC publishes no balance threshold for probate, unlike most banks here. Their bereavement support guide says the bereavement support team decides case by case: “Each case is reviewed individually before we will let you know either way,” and they reserve the right to change that decision if information changes.
  2. Third-party guides sometimes quote £50,000 and £25,000 limits for HSBC. Neither figure appears on their bereavement page or in either of their own bereavement guides — checked 2026-08-20. The only sum in those guides is a £30,000 Jersey worldwide-estate rule, which is a different thing entirely.
  3. The portal lets you upload the death certificate, will or grant of probate without re-entering your details.
hsbc.co.uk/help/life-events/bereavement— their own page, and the authority
Bank

Lloyds Bank

Checked20 August 2026Record05 of 16

Online bereavement form — their stated quickest route. Phone alternative, seven days a week.

How to tell them
  • OnlineOnline bereavement service linked from the page
  • Phone0800 015 0012 (+44 (0)1733 261630from abroad)8am to 6pm, 7 days a week
What they ask for
  1. The death certificate — their page asks for an original copy from the registrar. An interim death certificate or a coroner’s certificate is also accepted
  2. A grant of probate or letters of administration where one is needed; they tell you whether it is
Worth knowing
  1. You do not need the official death certificate to make the first notification — their page says telling them early helps protect the accounts from fraud.
  2. A separate line, 0800 056 0171 (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm), is for cases where Lloyds itself is named as executor.
  3. Their page notes the grant of probate usually takes 8 to 16 weeks to come back from the Probate Registry, and administering an estate 9 to 12 months.
  4. Being told about a death at Lloyds does not tell other organisations outside Lloyds Banking Group.
Bank

Halifax

Checked20 August 2026Record06 of 16

Online bereavement form — their stated quickest route. Same group bereavement line as Lloyds.

How to tell them
  • OnlineOnline bereavement form linked from the page
  • Phone0800 015 0012 (+44 (0)1733 261630from abroad)8am to 6pm, 7 days a week
What they ask for
  1. The death certificate — an interim death certificate or a coroner’s certificate is also accepted
  2. A grant of probate where one is needed; their page says they may not need to see it, depending on the products held
Worth knowing
  1. Halifax, Lloyds Bank and Bank of Scotland share one Lloyds Banking Group bereavement route — one notification covers the group’s own brands, but not organisations outside it.
  2. 0800 056 0171 (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm) is the line for cases where Lloyds or Bank of Scotland is named as executor.
  3. Mortgage payments remain due, but their page states they do not expect payments to be made for up to 18 months from the date of death while probate is obtained — the amount owed increases in the meantime.
Bank

NatWest

Checked20 August 2026Record07 of 16

Online form — their stated fastest route. Phone, webchat and branch alternatives, all open to next of kin, executors and solicitors.

How to tell them
  • Online“Complete online form now” on the page
  • Phone0800 161 5903 (Relay UK: 18001 0800 161 5903)9am–5pm Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays
  • In personAny NatWest branch — documents can be accepted there
What they ask for
  1. The death certificate and the will, where you have them — the form asks whether you hold them
  2. Documents can be handed in at a branch, and webchat will help you find the best way to send them
Worth knowing
  1. Anyone can complete the form, but their page states the estate can only be closed after they have spoken to the closest next of kin or the executor.
  2. Webchat is available Monday to Friday 8am–5pm — a wider window than the phone line.
natwest.com/life-moments/bereavement.html— their own page, and the authority
Bank

Santander UK

Checked20 August 2026Record08 of 16

Online form, phone, branch or post — four published routes.

How to tell them
  • Online“Notify us online” form on the page
  • Phone0800 587 58708am–6pm Monday to Friday, 9am–2pm Saturday, closed Sunday
  • PostTheir Bereavement Centre — the page gives the address alongside the documents it wants sent there
  • In personAny Santander branch
What they ask for
  1. Proof of death: the original death certificate, a certified copy or a photocopy. An interim death certificate or a coroner’s certificate is also accepted
  2. A grant of representation or probate if the total value of all sole-name accounts is more than £50,000
  3. Funeral or florist invoices and the original death certificate, if you want funeral costs paid from the account
Worth knowing
  1. Santander is a Death Notification Service member, but their own page is explicit: the service only tells them of the death — you still have to complete their online or postal bereavement form before an account can be closed or ownership transferred.
  2. Funeral director or florist costs can be paid from the account before a grant of representation or probate is issued.
  3. Any remaining borrowing balance is passed to their probate partner, who usually makes contact within 30 days.
Bank

TSB

Checked20 August 2026Record10 of 16

Online form — their stated fastest route, but photo ID is mandatory to complete it. Phone, video call and branch alternatives.

How to tell them
  • OnlineOnline bereavement form (DocuSign) — needs a smartphone or tablet with a camera, photo ID, and an email address
  • Phone0345 835 7834
  • In personAny TSB branch, or a face-to-face video call, bookable online and available 7 days a week
What they ask for
  1. Photo ID — a driving licence or passport — photographed for the online route. Without it you have to notify another way
  2. An email address, so they can contact you about the accounts
  3. The death certificate, original or a copy
  4. A funeral invoice, if applicable
Worth knowing
  1. The online form expires after 60 minutes for security; your information is saved and you sign back in with Government ID to continue.
  2. Any next of kin or executors you name on the form are emailed a copy to sign digitally — account closure begins once everyone has signed.
  3. There is a separate online route for legal-service representatives.
tsb.co.uk/bereavement.html— their own page, and the authority
Bank

Monzo

Checked20 August 2026Record11 of 16

Online form at monzo.com/bereavements, or email. No phone route is published on their own bereavement pages.

How to tell them
  • OnlineForm at monzo.com/bereavements — your email is verified first, then you can share details and upload documents
  • Emailbereavements@monzo.com
What they ask for
  1. The email address on the account
  2. A scanned copy or clear photo of the death certificate — most formal UK and international records are accepted, translated into English if the document is not in English
  3. The grant of probate, letter of administration or will
  4. If you are the next of kin: your relationship to the person who died, and proof of identity — a driving licence or passport
Worth knowing
  1. They state they reply within 3 business days.
  2. Anyone can tell them about a death, but on repaying money their bereavement guide says they take directions only from the executor of the estate, the next of kin, or a solicitor working on behalf of either.
  3. They publish no balance threshold for probate — no monetary figure appears on their bereavement page or in their own bereavement guide, checked 2026-08-20.
  4. Their page says to share what you have; you are not expected to have everything at first contact.
monzo.com/bereavements— their own page, and the authority
Bank

Starling Bank

Checked20 August 2026Record12 of 16

Phone or email, 24 hours a day, seven days a week — documents follow by email or post.

How to tell them
  • Phone020 7930 445024/7
  • Emailhelp@starlingbank.com — address it to the Bereavement Team
  • PostBereavement Team, Starling Bank, 5th Floor, London Fruit and Wool Exchange, 1 Duval Square, London E1 6PW
What they ask for
  1. A copy of the death certificate or coroner’s certificate
  2. A certified copy of your photocard driving licence or passport — certification is not needed if you are yourself a Starling customer
  3. A grant of probate or letters of administration if the account balance is more than £30,000
Worth knowing
  1. Once they have the documents they usually transfer the money within 2 working days; anything owed to Starling is settled first.
  2. Third-party guides widely quote a £10,000 probate threshold for Starling. Their own page says more than £30,000 — checked 2026-08-20.
starlingbank.com/faq/customer-support/bereavement— their own page, and the authority

Building society

1 entry
Building society

Nationwide Building Society

Checked20 August 2026Record09 of 16

Online form (via DocuSign) — their stated first step. Phone, branch and post alternatives.

How to tell them
  • Online“Tell us securely online now” — a DocuSign form
  • Phone0800 464 30 18Monday to Friday 9am–5pm, Saturday 9am–12pm, closed Sundays and bank holidays
  • PostBereavement Services, Specialist Customer Support, Nationwide Building Society, Swindon, Wiltshire SN38 3FN
  • In personAny Nationwide branch, at any stage of the process
What they ask for
  1. The death certificate — original or a copy, by post or brought into branch
  2. The name, address and, where relevant, contact details of the person telling them, and their relationship to the person who died
  3. The personal representative’s name and address
Worth knowing
  1. You do not need the death certificate to make the first notification — their page says the bereavement services team will try to verify the death through the government database, and you send the certificate when you have it.
  2. Expect a letter within 10 working days, containing an account summary, what they have done to protect the accounts, and an account closure form.
  3. You do not have to be the named personal representative to tell them.
nationwide.co.uk/help/challenging-times/bereavement— their own page, and the authority

Insurer

2 entries
Insurer

Aviva

Checked20 August 2026Record13 of 16

Online notification form, or phone if you would rather give the details by voice.

How to tell them
  • OnlineBereavement notification form on the page
  • Phone0345 268 2194Monday to Friday 9:00am–5:00pm
What they ask for
  1. The full name, date of birth and address of the person who died — a policy number helps but is not required, as they can usually locate the record
  2. Your own details and your relationship to the person who died
  3. Details from the death certificate or the grant of probate, if they ask for them later in the process
Worth knowing
  1. Their page warns that if they cannot confirm your identity there are policy details they will not share, though they will still take the notification.
  2. Nothing is needed at first contact beyond the person’s identifying details — documents are requested only if the claim needs them.
Insurer

Legal & General

Checked20 August 2026Record14 of 16

Online death-notification form, but the route splits by product — pick the right form before you start.

How to tell them
  • OnlineDeath Notification Form for annuity and retired-institutional customers at the URL above. A pension-savings policy — a 10-digit number starting with 2 — is notified through their Contact Us page under 'Pension Savings' instead
What they ask for
  1. Details of the annuity or policy and of the person who died
  2. Your relationship to them, chosen from the form’s list
  3. The surviving spouse’s, civil partner’s or partner’s details, where they are not the person notifying
  4. Who should receive correspondence, where that is neither the spouse nor the notifier
Worth knowing
  1. Their /existing-customers/bereavement/ address redirects to the general Contact Us hub, which routes by product — there is no single bereavement phone line published on the form page.
  2. Starting on the wrong branch is the common failure here: the annuity form says explicitly to go back to Contact Us if the policy is a pension-savings one.

Telecoms

1 entry
Telecoms

BT

Checked20 August 2026Record15 of 16

Online form, or phone — the widest published hours of any entry here.

How to tell them
  • OnlineBereavement form on the page — you need the account number or the BT landline or mobile number
  • Phone0800 169 16638am–9pm Monday to Friday, 8am–8pm Saturday, 9am–6pm Sunday
What they ask for
  1. The account number, or the BT telephone number — mobile or landline. A recent bill is useful for the account number and last bill amount
  2. No death certificate: their page states plainly, “We don’t need to see the death certificate.”
Worth knowing
  1. Decide before you contact them whether you want the account closed or the account holder’s name changed — the form asks.
  2. This is the one entry in this directory where the institution’s own page says no death certificate is needed.

Government

1 entry
Government

DVLA

Checked20 August 2026Record16 of 16

Tell Us Once covers the driving licence and vehicle tax — but vehicles and personalised registrations still need telling separately.

How to tell them
  • OnlineVia Tell Us Once, where it is available in your area
  • PhoneContact DVLA through the help route on the page
  • PostDVLA, Swansea SA99 1AB — enclose the driving licence with your letter if you have it
What they ask for
  1. Your relationship to the person who died
  2. The date they died
  3. Their name, address and date of birth
  4. Their driving licence, if you have it
  5. No death certificate: their page states, “You do not need to send a death certificate.”
Worth knowing
  1. Tell Us Once cancels the licence, removes the person as keeper of up to 5 vehicles, and ends the vehicle tax.
  2. You must still tell DVLA separately when you sell a vehicle, when you keep a vehicle — even temporarily and even if it is not being used — and if you want to keep a personalised registration number, which has to be done before the vehicle is sold.
  3. The postal route is for where Tell Us Once is not available in your area.
gov.uk/tell-dvla-about-bereavement— their own page, and the authority
Left out on purpose

These organisations are missing because their route could not be read from their own page on the date we checked — not because they have no bereavement team. Go to their own site rather than trusting a number from anywhere else.

  1. British Gas — bereavement pages render client-side; no route text retrievable to verify on 2026-08-20
  2. Sky — deceased-account-holder help article renders client-side; no route text retrievable to verify on 2026-08-20
  3. TV Licensing — bot protection returned an Incapsula block / redirect loop on 2026-08-20 — route not verifiable
  4. Royal London — the bereavement page routes by policy type to one of ~10 different numbers; no single publishable route could be pinned on 2026-08-20
  5. EDF — no bereavement URL resolved on 2026-08-20

Three things nearly all of them want

Gather these once and most of the list becomes routine. Everything below is drawn from the entries above — no organisation is characterised beyond what its own page says.

The death certificate

Almost every entry here wants it, and most accept a photocopy, an interim certificate or a coroner's certificate rather than the original. Two say they do not need it at all — BT states so outright, and DVLA's page says not to send one. Nationwide and Lloyds will take the first notification before you have it.

Proof you can act

Above a balance threshold, banks stop taking your word for it and want the grant of probate or letters of administration. The threshold is set by each bank, not by law: Barclays and Santander publish more than £50,000, Starling more than £30,000. HSBC publishes no figure at all — its guide says each case is reviewed individually and the bereavement team tells you. So check the bank you are actually dealing with; one bank's number never transfers to another.

Proof of who you are

Photo identification is a hard gate on some online routes rather than a formality. TSB's form cannot be completed without a photographed driving licence or passport, and Starling wants a certified copy unless you bank with them. Aviva warns that if it cannot confirm your identity, there are policy details it will not share.

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How this list is kept honest

A wrong phone number in a bereavement directory is worse than no entry at all. So the method is deliberately narrow, and the limits are published alongside the list rather than buried.

  1. Every route was read from the organisation’s own live page — not from a directory, a search result, or memory.
  2. Where a route could not be read, the organisation is left out and named as left out, with the reason.
  3. Each entry carries the date it was read. That date is the claim; the source link is the proof.
  4. A weekly script re-checks every link, flags a page that has moved, and flags a phone number that no longer appears on the page.
  5. That script cannot edit an entry. It surfaces; a person re-reads the page and re-stamps it.
  6. Verification earned its keep twice. Widely-repeated third-party guides put one bank’s probate threshold at £10,000; that bank’s own page says £30,000.
  7. And the second catch was our own draft. It carried £50,000 and £25,000 limits for HSBC until we checked: neither figure is on HSBC’s bereavement page or in either of their own bereavement guides, which say each case is reviewed individually instead. The entry was corrected before this page went up.

Go further — the order to do this in

This page tells you where to write. It does not tell you when. The free executor checklist sequences the whole twelve months — notifications sit in its 7–28 day phase, after the death is registered and before probate.

Questions, answered plainly

No. It is a directory of each organisation's own published bereavement route, read off their own page and dated. Valoren is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting as agent for any organisation listed.

Every entry links to the source page so you can check it yourself, and each carries the date we last read it. Where a route could not be read from the organisation's own page — because it renders client-side or sits behind bot protection — we left them out rather than copying a number from a third-party directory.
No. Tell Us Once reaches government, not commerce. It notifies HMRC, DWP, the Passport Office, DVLA, your local council, Veterans UK, Social Security Scotland and several public-sector pension schemes.

It does not reach banks, building societies, insurers, utilities or telecoms. Those still have to be told one by one, or through the Death Notification Service where the institution is a member. This is the single most common misunderstanding about the service.
No — it notifies, it does not close anything. Santander's own bereavement page states it plainly: the service tells them of the death, but you still have to complete their own bereavement form before an account can be closed or ownership transferred.

Treat it as the way to stop the accounts being live, then expect a second, institution-specific step for each one. The service also warns that if money or property needs releasing urgently, you should speak to the bank directly first.
Because each bank sets its own. There is no statutory figure at which a bank must see a grant of probate — it is each institution's own risk policy, which is why the published numbers here run from £30,000 to £50,000.

Some publish no figure at all: HSBC's own bereavement guide says each case is reviewed individually and the team tells you either way. Never assume one bank's figure applies to another — and be wary of third-party lists quoting a threshold the bank itself does not publish. We found exactly that on two entries here.
More than one, because the organisations here do not agree. Barclays, Santander and Nationwide accept a photocopy. Lloyds’ page asks for an original from the registrar, and Starling wants a certified copy of your own photo ID alongside it.

BT and DVLA say they do not need the certificate at all. Since several want a document in hand at the same time, one certificate becomes the bottleneck — and the organisations that need nothing are the exception here, not the rule.
Check the source link first — it is the authority, not this page. Every entry shows the date we last read the organisation's own page, and a weekly script re-checks each link and flags a route that has moved or a number that no longer appears.

What that script cannot do is edit an entry. A person re-reads the page and re-stamps it, because a robot writing a phone number into a bereavement directory is exactly the failure this format exists to prevent. Organisations are missing where we could not read their route from their own page — the data file names them rather than quietly omitting them.
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