Financial and emotional support

Life after loss

BEREAVEMENT

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.

1. Funeral costs

You can use any money remaining in the deceased’s account to cover funeral costs. You’ll need to show us a certified copy of the death certificate, an estimated invoice or the full balance from an itemised invoice on the funeral director’s headed paper. We can release this money before closing the account.

Take the invoice to a branch or send it to us, including your personal reference number beginning with BRV, and we’ll transfer money or send a cheque to the funeral director.

We can reimburse you for any funeral payments you’ve already made – just show us the final invoice and a receipt confirming payment.

If there isn’t enough money in the deceased’s account to cover the funeral cost, help might be available from the government – find out if you’re eligible.

2. Other costs

Please contact us on 0800 068 2238(1) (option 2) to discuss any urgent costs you need to pay. You’ll need your personal reference number beginning with BRV.

3. Inheritance Tax

Depending on the value of the estate and who it is left to, Inheritance Tax might need to be paid. There are certain exemptions for money and assets passing to a spouse, civil partner or charity.

To find out about Government support, and options for paying inheritance tax, please visit their website.

4. Executor accounts

An Executor account allows the estate’s executors or administrators to gather all the deceased’s finances in one place.

Only the estate’s executors or administrators can open an Executor account – they’ll need to book an appointment all together at one of our branches.

They’ll need to provide

  • A copy of the grant of probate or letters of administration
  • Proof of their ID, like a passport or driving licence
  • Proof of their address

People who live outside the UK can’t open an Executor account.

Book a branch appointment

If you’d like to speak to someone about an existing Executor’s account, please contact us on 0800 068 2238(1) and select option 6.

5. What to do when money is owed

If the person that’s passed away has any loans, overdrafts or a Barclaycard with us, we’ll pay off what they owe from their current account and savings accounts, after allowing money for priority bills such as a funeral. We’ll then release any money that’s left to the executor or administrator.

If there’s not enough money in the account to pay off everything that’s owed, we may ask our bereavement partner, Phillips & Cohen, to work with the estate to pay off the debt. Phillips & Cohen is the UK’s only dedicated deceased account management business. They offer support and guidance that can help resolve outstanding accounts. 

Only the estate is responsible for paying the debt – if there’s no money available, the executor or administrator won’t be asked to cover what’s owed by the person who passed away. If you have any questions about this, please get in touch with our bereavement team on 0800 068 2238(2)

If you’re worried about making payments to your accounts – whether these were joint accounts or have always been in your sole name – we’re here to help. You just need to get in touch.  

Jargon buster

Check our glossary for an explanation of any legal terms you’re unfamiliar with.

Things to consider

Life after loss

From registering the death to dealing with the person’s financial affairs, we’ll support you at every step, ensuring you have the guidance and care needed at this difficult time.

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.

Notify us when someone dies or send us a document

Notify us when someone dies, or if you’ve already told us about it, we might ask you to provide supporting information. You can send us documents online or by post or take them to a branch.

Was this page useful?

Your feedback helps us improve - please let us know by selecting yes or no

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

  1. Lines are open Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm and Saturday 9am to 2pm. Closed on bank holidays. Call charges.(Return to reference)

  2. Lines are open Monday to Friday from 7am to 8pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 5pm.. To maintain a quality service, we may monitor and record phone calls. Call charges.(Return to reference)