The Death Notification Service (DNS): what it is, who is signed up, and how to use it

The Death Notification Service is a free online service that lets you notify multiple UK banks, building societies and financial institutions of a death in one step. It is operated by Equiniti in collaboration with UK Finance, the trade body for the UK banking and finance industry. As of April 2026, more than 40 firms are signed up, including most of the major high-street banks.

In practical terms, the DNS is the private sector counterpart to the government's Tell Us Once service. Tell Us Once handles HMRC, the DWP, the DVLA and your local council in one notification. The DNS handles a meaningful proportion of UK retail banks.

The DNS is a useful service. It is not, however, a complete solution. Around half of UK current account providers are still not signed up, and the service does not extend to insurers, utilities, mobile or broadband providers, pension companies or most investment firms. This guide sets out exactly what the DNS does, who is currently signed up, how to use it, and what its limits are.

What the DNS is

The DNS is an online portal at deathnotificationservice.co.uk. Anyone with the right to act on behalf of the deceased (the executor, administrator, next of kin, or someone they have authorised) can register, fill in a single notification form, and select which member organisations to notify. The portal does the verification work in the background and sends the notification to each selected organisation. Each organisation then contacts the executor or next of kin separately with their bereavement process.

The DNS does not close accounts itself. It is a notification gateway. After the notification, the bank's bereavement team takes over. They will tell you what documents they need (usually the death certificate, your ID and proof of your authority to act), what their small estates threshold is, and how to either close or transfer the accounts.

The service launched in 2018. By the end of its first 18 months it had handled over 100,000 notifications. By 2024 it had passed 600,000. Around half of all UK deaths now generate a DNS notification.

How the DNS works

There is no fee for using the DNS. The participating institutions cover the operating cost.

The process has four steps:

1. Register an account at deathnotificationservice.co.uk. You will need a valid email address.

2. Provide your details as the person notifying. You will be asked your relationship to the deceased and to confirm you have the authority to act.

3. Provide the deceased's details. Full name, date of birth, date of death and last address are required. Any account numbers you have to hand are useful but not essential.

4. Select the organisations to notify from the live list of members within the form. You can select as many as apply.

Once you submit, the DNS performs identity and fraud checks against the General Register Office's death records. This is what makes the service secure: only genuine, verified deaths are passed through. The data is then routed to each selected institution.

Each member institution will then contact the person who notified, usually within 10 working days, to confirm receipt and to outline next steps. If the deceased did not have an account with a selected institution, the institution will confirm that and close the matter on their side. If they did, they will start their bereavement process.

The DNS helpline is 0333 207 6574, available Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5.30pm, for help with the form or the registration process.

Who is signed up

The DNS membership has expanded steadily since launch. As of April 2026, the participating organisations include the major high-street banks, several building societies, a number of credit card providers, motor finance lenders, private banks, and Equiniti's own shareholder services. Most of the major UK banking groups (Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group, NatWest Group, HSBC UK, Santander UK and Nationwide) have been signed up since launch.

The membership covers most household-name banking brands, but not every brand under every group. App-based and digital banks are inconsistently represented. Some smaller building societies, credit unions and specialist lenders are not signed up.

Because the membership changes, the live list within the DNS portal is the only authoritative reference. The form will show you the current list of selectable members when you reach the relevant step. We do not maintain a separate list because it would be out of date within months.

If you are looking for a specific bank or financial provider and they are not on the DNS list, you have two options: contact them directly through their bereavement team (every UK bank has one), or use a paid alternative service like Life Ledger or Settld which cover a wider range of institutions including utilities and insurers.

Is the DNS legitimate?

This is one of the most common queries about the service. The DNS is operated by Equiniti, a regulated financial services company that has been the registrar for many UK listed companies for decades. It was set up in collaboration with UK Finance. It is not a private commercial service trying to upsell estate administration; it is a free notification gateway funded by its member institutions.

A small number of confusingly named third-party services exist that claim to be "death notification" providers but are actually paid administration services. Always go directly to deathnotificationservice.co.uk rather than clicking through search results or sponsored links, and check that the URL is correct before entering any details.

If you are worried about identity fraud (a reasonable concern after a death), the DNS itself is one of the protective measures. By registering with the DNS, you ensure that participating financial institutions know the deceased has died and can flag the accounts as deceased on their internal systems, reducing the window for fraudulent applications.

What the DNS does not cover

This is the section most families need before they decide what to do next.

Insurers

No insurance company is signed up to the DNS. Life insurance, home insurance, car insurance, travel insurance, pet insurance and health insurance providers all have to be contacted directly. This is a significant gap because life insurance is often the largest single payout the estate receives.

Pension providers

Pension companies are not on the DNS. Personal pensions, SIPPs, workplace pensions and annuities have to be contacted individually. Tell Us Once handles a number of public sector pension schemes (NHS, civil service, armed forces, teachers, police, firefighters, Local Government Pension Scheme), but private and workplace pensions sit outside both services. Our guide on what happens to a pension when someone dies covers the steps for each type, and the Pension Tracing Service can help locate old workplace schemes.

Utilities

Gas, electricity, water, broadband, mobile and TV providers are not on the DNS. Each has to be notified separately, and each has its own bereavement team and process.

Subscriptions and digital services

Streaming services, software subscriptions, app store accounts, social media platforms and online retailers are all outside the DNS. Apple, Google, Microsoft, Meta and others have specific bereavement processes that the executor needs to use directly.

Some banks and most fintechs

A number of UK current account providers are not signed up to the DNS. Several app-based banks and challenger banks operate their own bereavement processes through their app or website. The DNS will not capture these.

Loyalty schemes, memberships and store cards

Tesco Clubcard, Nectar, Boots Advantage Card, store credit cards, gym memberships, professional bodies and trade associations are all outside the DNS.

NS&I

Premium Bonds and other NS&I products require direct notification to NS&I. They have a dedicated bereavement service. Our guide on what happens to Premium Bonds when someone dies sets out the process.

How to use the DNS effectively

Three practical tips.

Start with a complete list. Before you log into the DNS, gather as much as you can about the deceased's accounts: bank statements, debit and credit cards, any building society passbooks, ISAs, investment accounts. The DNS form is much more useful when you can confidently tick the right organisations.

Tick the parent group as well as the brand. Many UK banks have multiple brands. If the deceased held a Halifax account, also tick Lloyds Banking Group. If they had a First Direct account, also tick HSBC UK. The institutions know how to route within their own brands, but a single tick is more reliable than two related ticks.

Use the DNS as a starting point, not an ending. Even with the DNS submitted, you will need to contact insurers, pension providers, utilities and subscriptions individually. Plan for the DNS to handle perhaps 30 to 40 percent of the notifications you need to make, and the remainder to require direct contact.

What happens after you submit

Each member institution selected on the form will contact you separately within 10 working days. The format varies. Some banks send a letter. Some email. Some open an online case in their bereavement portal and send you a link. The institution will tell you:

• Whether they have located an account in the deceased's name

• What documents they need to begin closing or transferring the account

• Their small estates threshold (the amount they will release without probate)

• Their estimated timescales

If the institution finds an account, the bereavement process begins. If they do not find one, they will confirm that no further action is needed.

This is one of the practical strengths of the DNS: it tells you whether the deceased had an account at each member institution. If a relative had not banked with someone for many years and you are not sure whether the account is still open, the DNS confirmation is both a notification and a useful discovery mechanism.

If you do not hear back from a selected institution within two weeks, contact them directly. Occasionally notifications are missed or routed to the wrong team. The DNS helpline cannot resolve issues at individual institutions but can confirm whether the notification was successfully passed through.

DNS, Tell Us Once and the Bereavement Register

These three services are sometimes confused. They cover different things.

Tell Us Once handles central and local government departments: HMRC, DWP, DVLA, Passport Office, local council, several public sector pension schemes. The full list is on gov.uk, and our Tell Us Once guide sets out what it does and does not cover.

The Death Notification Service handles a number of UK banks, building societies and financial institutions.

The Bereavement Register and the Deceased Preference Service stop direct marketing mail. Our companion guide on stopping mail and reducing identity fraud after a death explains how each works and when to use them.

You will likely use all four. None substitutes for the others. Together they cover government, banking and direct marketing, which is roughly half of the typical bereavement admin workload. The remaining half (insurers, pensions, utilities, mobile, broadband, subscriptions, digital accounts) requires direct contact with each provider.

Common questions

Is the DNS free? Yes, completely free. The participating financial institutions cover the cost.

Do I need a death certificate to use the DNS? No. The DNS verifies the death against the General Register Office's records and does not require you to upload a certificate. The individual banks may ask for one as part of their own follow-up process.

Can I use the DNS if I am not the executor? Yes, if you have authority. You will be asked to confirm your relationship to the deceased and that you are acting with appropriate authority (executor, administrator, next of kin, or with their permission).

Can solicitors or professionals use the DNS? Yes. The service is regularly used by solicitors and professional executors. Around one in six notifications come from professionals.

How long do banks take to respond? The DNS commits member institutions to responding within 10 working days. Most do so within five.

What if my bank is not on the list? Contact the bank directly through their bereavement team. Every UK bank has one, even if they are not DNS members. The bank's website or main customer service number can route you to the right team.

Will the DNS close accounts and release funds automatically? No. The DNS is a notification gateway only. Account closure, fund release and any related processes are handled by each individual bank.

Can I use the DNS for someone who died years ago? Yes. There is no time limit. If you are dealing with a delayed estate or a forgotten account, the DNS can still be used.

Will using the DNS trigger probate? No. Probate is a separate process applied for through the Probate Service at gov.uk. The DNS does not trigger or replace it. Some banks will release funds below their small estates threshold without probate, regardless of how the death was notified.

How Legacy Trail can help

The DNS handles a meaningful share of the financial notifications, but it is one piece of a larger puzzle. Legacy Trail handles bank, insurer, pension, utility, subscription and digital account notifications in one place, including DNS submission alongside direct contact with the providers it does not cover.

If you want to handle the rest of it without contacting every organisation individually, Legacy Trail can do the private sector work in one place. We find the accounts, notify the providers, and confirm closures back to you. The visible part of bereavement admin is hard enough. The hidden part does not have to be.

legacytrail.co.uk