First Month

Planning the funeral, notifying key services and claim benefits

What to do when someone dies in the UK: a step-by-step guide

This guide explains what to do in the first days, weeks and months after a death in the UK. It is written for the person taking on the practical tasks: a spouse, an adult child, an executor, a close friend. It assumes you are in England or Wales, with notes on the differences for Scotland and Northern Ireland.

10 min read

What happens to council tax when someone dies in the UK

Council tax does not automatically stop when someone dies. Whether you owe anything, and for how long, depends on who was living at the property, whether they owned or rented it, and how quickly the estate is settled. Get it right and there may be nothing to pay for months. Get it wrong and charges can accumulate, or a refund you are owed goes unclaimed.

7 min read

Death certificates UK: how many you need and where to use them

This guide covers how death certificates are issued, how many to order, where they are needed, what they cost, and how to get more copies if you need them later.

7 min read

Tell Us Once: what it covers and what families still need to do

Tell Us Once is a free government service that lets you report a death to multiple public sector organisations at the same time. Instead of contacting each department individually, you provide the information once and the service distributes it on your behalf.

5 min read

Bereavement leave UK: what employees and employers need to know

This guide covers the current statutory position, what most employers offer in practice, the specific rights that exist for parents who lose a child, what to do if your employer's policy falls short, and what is changing under the Employment Rights Act 2025.

7 min read

View all guides

First Month

Planning the funeral, notifying key services and claim benefits

What to do when someone dies in the UK: a step-by-step guide

What happens to council tax when someone dies in the UK

Death certificates UK: how many you need and where to use them

Tell Us Once: what it covers and what families still need to do

Bereavement leave UK: what employees and employers need to know

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