Things to consider
What you need to do
Losing someone can feel overwhelming – let us guide you through the first steps. Use our online form to notify us, upload documents now or add them later if needed. You can contact us in other ways to notify us when someone dies.
What you need to do
Next steps after dealing with us
1. Register the death
Where possible, do this at the register office in the area where the person died. Doing this means you’ll usually get the death certificate quicker.
A death needs to be registered within five days in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and within eight days in Scotland.
The government website has useful information on how to find a registry office and which documents you’ll need to take.
The registrar will give you the certified copy of the death certificate. Buying extra copies of it might be useful as most organisations you’ll need to notify will need to see it before settling any affairs.
2. Find out if there’s a will
If there’s a will, it will name one or more people as personal representatives (also known as ‘executors’) who will be responsible for carrying out the deceased’s wishes.
If there isn’t a will, this is known as ‘intestacy’. In this case, the next of kin usually becomes the administrator of any possessions, money or property they leave behind, often referred to as ‘the estate’.
If we’ve been appointed as an executor by the person who has died, please let us know as soon as possible, by calling our bereavement team on 0800 068 2238(1).
3. Arrange the funeral
In some cases, the government can help with funeral costs – you can check to see if you’re eligible.
If you’d like, and there’s enough money in the deceased’s accounts, we can send a payment to the funeral director to cover the funeral cost.
4. Contact other organisations
You might need to tell other organisations about the person’s death, such as building societies, utility companies and the Department for Work and Pensions. The government’s Tell us once service informs most of its departments for you when you complete a single online form.
For TV, phone and broadband subscriptions, you’ll need to contact the provider to see if you can cancel any outstanding payments, or to transfer the contract to your name.
5. Manage the estate
Probate is a term used when applying for the right to distribute the assets of a deceased person’s estate.
If there’s a will, you might need to apply for a Grant of Probate, which is a legal document giving you the authority to deal with a deceased person’s affairs.
If there isn’t a will, the legal document is called Letters of Administration.
In Scotland, in either case, the document is called a Certificate of Confirmation.
We’ll let you know if we need any of these documents.
Watch out for bereavement scams
Sadly, scammers target bereaved families in many different ways.
The ‘long-lost relative’ scam
A scammer might use a death as an opportunity to ‘reconnect’ with a bereaved family, claiming to be owed money.
Never rush to make a payment, always check that anyone asking for money is genuine.
Obituary scams
Scammers use information posted in obituaries to target bereaved families. Always think carefully about how you make an announcement about the death of a loved one. Information like date of birth, mother’s maiden name, middle names and street addresses can all help a scammer to target you.
Insurance bereavement scams
Scammers have been posing as insurance agents who say you’re entitled to a large sum of money, but that you need to pay a premium to access the cash.
If this happens, don’t be pressured into making a payment then and there – no real insurance company will insist you do this. If you’re on the phone, end the call. Find a number for the company from a reliable source – not the one you got with the correspondence you received. Call them and ask whether the large sum of money really exists.
Someone genuine will never mind you checking to make sure they’re not a scammer.
What to do when someone dies
What we’ll do next
Once you’ve notified us, we’ll make the process of closing the accounts as smooth as possible.
Financial and emotional support
Life after loss
We’ll give you practical help to get you through the first weeks and months following a bereavement, and tell you about free services that can help you cope with your loss.
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Get help or contact us
Choose how you prefer to let us know when someone dies.
Phone
If you’ve already let us know and want to talk to us about it, you can call us on 0800 068 2238(1) (option 2) to speak directly to a dedicated advisor from our bereavement team. Please use (option 1) if you would like to notify us by phone.
We’re available Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm, and Saturdays, 9am to 2pm.
Book an appointment
To speak to us via video or at a branch, book an appointment. For video calls, we’ll confirm the required documents and how to send them.
If you’ve already contacted us and need to follow up, call 0800 068 2238(1) (option 2) Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm, and Saturdays, 9am to 2pm.
Death notification service
You can also notify a number of banks and building societies about a person’s death at the same time using the Death Notification Service.
You can also send a letter to Bereavement Service Centre, Barclays Bank PLC, Leicester, LE87 2BB.
If you have a personal reference number, beginning with BRV, please add it to any pages you send us.
Important information
Lines are open Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm and Saturday 9am to 2pm. Closed on bank holidays. Call charges.(Return to reference)