How to find bank accounts of someone who has died in the UK
Where a deceased person's bank accounts usually turn up, what banks need from you, and the free and paid searches for lost and dormant accounts in the UK.
Where do a deceased person's bank accounts usually turn up?
Most accounts are found in the person's own records rather than in any database, so the first job is a careful search of their paperwork and devices before you contact anyone. Recent statements and letters from banks and building societies are the obvious starting point, although the forgotten accounts tend to hide in less obvious places.
Building society passbooks and old cheque books, including the stubs, which show which account each cheque was drawn on.
Annual interest statements and ISA statements, including old ones, because a savings account that was rarely touched may have left little other paperwork.
Statements for the main current account, where a standing order or regular transfer out often points to a savings account somewhere else.
Premium Bond certificates, NS&I letters and prize notifications.
Self Assessment tax returns, which show whether the person declared savings interest and can prompt questions about where it came from.
Paperwork from old employers, because share schemes and savings plans run through work sometimes left money with a provider the family has never heard of.
Write down every bank and building society name you come across, with any account numbers, sort codes or reference numbers, because that list is what every later step works from. Our guide to unclaimed money from deceased relatives covers the other places money can sit, such as pensions, shares and Child Trust Funds, so this guide stays with bank and savings accounts.
Which clues point to accounts the family did not know about?
The person's post over the following months is often the most reliable clue, because banks write to the last address they hold, and an annual statement or a letter about an interest rate change can be the first sign of an account nobody in the family knew existed. Keep everything that arrives, including envelopes from organisations you do not recognise, and note the sender before you throw anything away.
Phones and email accounts matter just as much now that so many accounts are run online. Banking apps on the person's phone, emails telling them a statement is ready and saved passwords can all point to providers, and searching the inbox for words such as "statement", "account" and "interest" is a quick way to build your list. Logging in as the person is not the way to deal with an account, however, so use what you find to identify the provider and leave the account itself to that bank's bereavement team.
Will a bank tell you if the person had an account?
A bank will deal with the people entitled to handle the estate once it has proof of the death, but you first need to know which banks to ask, which is where the Death Notification Service helps. It is free and lets you notify several member organisations in one go, and if the person held a live account with one of them, that organisation will contact you within 10 working days, whereas a member that holds no account will not write back. Which? points out that not every provider is signed up, so a lack of reply only tells you something about the members you selected.
Where you know or suspect a particular bank, you can contact its bereavement team directly. Banks' bereavement pages typically say that only the next of kin, the executor or another personal representative can deal with the accounts themselves, and ask for the death certificate (an original, or a certified copy at some banks) together with proof of identity for the person dealing with the estate. Our guide to notifying a bank after a death covers the documents and timescales, and our guide to the Death Notification Service explains who is signed up and how to use it.
How do you find lost bank accounts and dormant bank accounts?
For accounts that have gone quiet for years, My Lost Account is the free central search, which brings together the tracing schemes of UK Finance, the Building Societies Association and NS&I. One application goes to the banks and building societies you select, and the service says you will receive a response within three months, whilst NS&I says it aims to confirm accounts within a month. It looks only for accounts that providers have classed as lost (generally those untouched for around 15 years), so it is not the tool for an account the person was still using, and it covers personal bank, building society and NS&I accounts rather than pensions, shares or insurance.
That makes it a good search to run early and then leave in the background whilst you deal with the accounts you already know about. Our guide to My Lost Account and what it does not find goes through the application step by step, including what to do when an account was held with a bank that no longer trades under the same name.
What happens to money in a dormant bank account?
It still belongs to the account holder, and after a death it belongs to their estate, however long it has been left. Under the Dormant Bank and Building Society Accounts Act 2008, an account is dormant once there have been no customer-initiated transactions on it for 15 years, at which point a bank taking part in the scheme can transfer the money to a reclaim fund, and the explanatory notes to the Act say the customer's right to repayment carries on against that fund. Taking part is voluntary for banks, and the government's factsheet on the Dormant Assets Scheme says that dormant assets remain the property of their owners, who can reclaim the money in full at any time.
The claim goes through the bank rather than the fund. Reclaim Fund Ltd, which runs the scheme, says it holds no customer account information and cannot reunite anyone with their money directly, so you should contact the organisation where the account was originally held. It also says it will never contact customers directly, which is useful to know if a letter or call claiming to be from the fund ever arrives.
How do you trace NS&I savings and Premium Bonds?
NS&I runs its own tracing service, and you can use it for someone who has died as long as you are legally entitled to act for them, for example as their executor. You can apply online or by post using NS&I's tracing form, by letter or through My Lost Account, and you need a separate application for each person you are tracing. The NS&I tracing page asks for the person's full name, their address and any previous addresses, any previous names, roughly when the account was opened and roughly how much was invested, and NS&I aims to confirm accounts within a month of receiving the application, although it can take longer at busy times.
Can a credit report show the person's accounts?
It can show some of them, once probate has been granted. Equifax says that once probate is obtained, the executor or administrator can request a copy of the deceased person's credit report, and that the report records the credit agreements and liabilities that are outstanding, which makes it more useful for finding credit cards, loans and finance agreements than for finding savings. The ICO names Equifax, Experian and TransUnion as the three main credit reference agencies in the UK, so it is reasonable to ask the other two what they need from an executor as well.
A credit report also helps with the other side of the estate, because it gives you a list of lenders who need to be told about the death and whose balances belong in the estate valuation.
Should you redirect the person's post?
Redirecting their post to your own address is often worthwhile when the person lived alone, because letters from banks you have not yet found will then reach someone who opens them rather than piling up at an empty property. Royal Mail says you can arrange a redirection for the mail of someone who has died, but not online: you apply at a Post Office or by post using its Special Circumstances form, and you need to show the documents Royal Mail asks for. Royal Mail's redirections run for 3, 6 or 12 months, and a longer period gives you a better chance of catching statements that only arrive once a year.
When is a paid account search worth it?
A paid search earns its cost when the free routes leave obvious gaps, for example when the person kept little paperwork, banked mostly online or moved house several times, or when the executors live far away and cannot easily sort through the post. The free services overlap without joining up, because the Death Notification Service only reaches its members and My Lost Account only finds accounts already classed as lost, whilst a credit report shows credit rather than savings.
Legacy Trail's Account Discovery Service is a one-off paid search for accounts the family does not know about, which covers current accounts, savings and ISAs as well as pensions, loans, finance, credit cards, mortgages, insurances, utilities and telecoms, and it then notifies the providers on your behalf. Before it starts, it needs a copy of the death certificate, confirmation of your authority to act for the person who died and an identity check, and there is an optional guided telephone service with a UK case manager if you would rather talk it through. The current price is on our pricing page, and it is worth trying the free routes above first if the person's affairs look simple.
What to do next
Gather the person's statements, passbooks, cheque books and tax papers, and list every bank and building society name you find.
Check their phone and email for banking apps and statement emails, and add those providers to the list.
Arrange a Royal Mail redirection if nobody is living at the address, and keep every letter that arrives.
Notify the banks on your list, and use the Death Notification Service for any that are members.
Run a My Lost Account search and an NS&I trace for older accounts, and allow up to three months for replies.
Once you have the grant, ask for a copy of the person's credit report.
Add every account you find to the estate valuation, and if one turns up late, follow our guide on what to do if you find accounts after probate has been granted.
The same search through bank statements often turns up regular premiums too, and our guide to finding out if someone had life insurance explains how to follow those up. Once you know where the accounts are, Legacy Trail's free notification service can tell those companies about the death for you, and the Account Discovery Service is there if you would rather have a fuller search done on your behalf.
Frequently asked questions
Start with their post, statements and phone, then use the free Death Notification Service to notify member banks and building societies in one go. A member that holds a live account will contact you within 10 working days, whilst one that holds no account will not reply.
No public database lists every live bank account for families to search. My Lost Account is the nearest thing for older accounts, but it only searches accounts that banks, building societies and NS&I have classed as lost.
Under the Dormant Bank and Building Society Accounts Act 2008, an account counts as dormant after 15 years without any customer-initiated transactions. The money can then be moved to Reclaim Fund Ltd, although the right to claim it back stays with the owner or their estate.
Yes. The executor or administrator claims through the bank or building society that held the account rather than through Reclaim Fund Ltd, and the government says owners can reclaim dormant money in full at any time.
Yes, once probate has been granted. Equifax says the executor or administrator can request a copy, and because the report records outstanding credit agreements and liabilities, it is better for finding debts than savings.
Yes. The service says there is no need to pay a fee to find old accounts, and that you will receive a response within three months, whilst NS&I aims to confirm its own accounts within a month.
This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Individual circumstances vary. If you are dealing with an estate, consider taking advice from a solicitor who specialises in probate. For other guidance specific to your circumstances, speak to a funeral director, Citizens Advice, or a regulated financial adviser.