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Step two

Tell Us Once

A free government service that reports a death to most departments and council services at once. It is the single biggest time-saver in the whole process, and most people have never heard of it.

Published 3 min read

Of everything in this guide, Tell Us Once is the item most likely to save you a genuinely tedious fortnight, and it is the one most people arrive not knowing exists.

What it does

You report the death once. The service then notifies, on your behalf:

  • HM Revenue and Customs — tax, tax credits, child benefit
  • The Department for Work and Pensions — state pension, Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Attendance Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Carer’s Allowance and the rest
  • The DVLA — driving licence, and vehicle records
  • HM Passport Office — passport cancellation
  • The local council — council tax, housing benefit, blue badge, libraries, adult social care, the electoral register, council housing
  • Veterans UK, where there was a service pension
  • Public sector pension schemes, where the person was a member

You are shown the list before anything is sent, and you decide what is shared.

How to use it

At the register office. The registrar sets it up during the registration appointment and either completes it with you there and then or gives you a reference number. This is the easiest route and it costs nothing extra.

Online or by telephone, afterwards, using that reference number. Both work; the telephone route is slower but more forgiving if you are missing a detail.

What you need to hand

  • The Tell Us Once reference number from the registrar.
  • The deceased’s National Insurance number and date of birth.
  • Driving licence number and passport number, if you can find them. Not fatal if you cannot.
  • Details of any benefits or state pension they were receiving.
  • The name, address and contact details of the next of kin.
  • The name and address of the executor or the person dealing with the estate.
  • Details of anybody who was receiving a benefit on their behalf — a carer, an appointee.

What it does not do

This is where people come unstuck. Tell Us Once is a government service. It does not touch anything private, which means you still have to notify, yourself:

  • banks and building societies
  • credit cards, loans and any outstanding finance
  • private and workplace pension providers
  • life insurance, and any other insurer
  • utilities, broadband and mobile phone providers
  • the landlord or the mortgage lender
  • the GP surgery and any hospital appointments
  • employers
  • subscriptions, memberships, and online accounts
  • the Royal Mail redirection service, if the property is being cleared

A Death Notification Service run jointly by many UK banks and building societies covers several of the largest financial institutions in a single online form, and is worth ten minutes of anybody’s time for the same reason Tell Us Once is.

In Northern Ireland

Tell Us Once does not operate in Northern Ireland. Instead there is a Bereavement Service telephone line that handles social security notifications in one call, and the registrar will give you the details. Other departments and the council are notified separately.

Then what

The private-sector notifications, probate and the estate are covered in probate and paperwork . If money is short in the meantime, help with funeral costs sets out what you may be entitled to — and several of those claims are triggered by the same conversation with the DWP that Tell Us Once starts.

  • Use it within 28 days

    The reference number the registrar gives you expires. After that you can still notify everybody, but individually, which is exactly what the service exists to spare you.

  • It is free and it is not a sales call

    No department will try to sell you anything. It is a data-sharing service, and you choose what is shared.

  • It does not touch banks

    Banks, building societies, insurers, pension providers, utilities and landlords are all yours to notify separately. Tell Us Once is government only.

Questions people ask us most

What is Tell Us Once?
A free service that reports a death to most government departments and local council services in one go, instead of requiring you to write to each of them. You use it either at the register office appointment, online, or by telephone, using a reference number the registrar gives you.
Who does it actually notify?
Typically: HM Revenue and Customs, the Department for Work and Pensions, the DVLA, the Passport Office, the local council (council tax, blue badge, libraries, housing benefit, adult social care, electoral register), Veterans UK where relevant, and public sector pension schemes. The exact list varies slightly by council, and you are shown what will be shared before anything is sent.
Is Tell Us Once available everywhere in the UK?
It operates in England, Wales and Scotland — though not every single local authority participates, and the registrar will tell you if yours does not. Northern Ireland does not have Tell Us Once; it has an equivalent Bereavement Service, which is a single telephone call handling the social security and related notifications.
What do I need to use it?
The reference number from the registrar, and details of the person who died: National Insurance number, date of birth, driving licence and passport numbers if you have them, details of any benefits or state pension, and the name and address of the next of kin, the executor, and anybody who was getting a benefit for them such as a carer.
Will using it stop payments I should still be receiving?
It stops payments the person who died was receiving, which is the point — continuing to receive their benefits or state pension after death creates an overpayment that must be repaid, and that is a far worse problem than stopping them promptly. It does not stop benefits paid in your own right, and where a death makes you newly eligible for something, the DWP contact that follows is the beginning of that conversation.
What if I miss the 28 days?
Nothing bad happens, but you lose the shortcut. You then notify each department separately: HMRC, the DWP bereavement service, the DVLA, the Passport Office and your council, each with its own process. It is a long afternoon rather than a disaster.

Keep reading

Other pages in this guide

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