What happens to bills when someone dies
When someone dies, their bills do not stop. Gas, electricity, water, broadband, TV Licence, council tax: each one continues until someone contacts the provider and tells them. The accounts stay open, the charges keep running, and if a direct debit was paying them, it may keep going too until the bank is notified.
Which bills keep running after a death?
Every bill in the deceased's name keeps running until you contact the provider, because no household account closes automatically on death. Any direct debit paying it keeps collecting until the bank is told.
Who pays each type of bill, and from when:
Gas and electricity: the estate pays from the date of death, and the account transfers to a new occupier or closes when the property is sold.
Water: the estate pays from the date of death, with a final bill raised when the property is sold, transferred, or a new occupier registers.
Broadband and landline: the estate pays anything owed at the date of death, and early termination fees are waived in almost all cases.
TV Licence: nothing further is payable once the licence is cancelled, and TV Licensing refunds the unused months from the date you notify it.
Council tax: a remaining adult occupant pays from the date of death, and on an empty property the estate pays only once the exemption ends.
Mobile phone and subscriptions: the estate pays anything owed at the date of death, and each contract has to be cancelled separately.
Who pays the bills when someone dies?
Outstanding bills at the date of death are liabilities of the deceased's estate, and the executor settles them from estate funds before distributing anything to beneficiaries. That covers gas, electricity, water, broadband, council tax and every other account in their name.
Family members are not personally liable for a deceased person's bills unless they were joint account holders or co-signed the contract. If your name is not on the bill, the debt is not yours. See what happens to debt when you die for how bills rank against other liabilities.
If an account was in credit at the date of death, that credit is an asset of the estate, and the refund belongs in the estate account rather than a personal one.
Charges falling due after the date of death are ongoing estate expenses, paid from estate funds as they arrive. Keep every bill and receipt for the probate accounts.
What happens to utility bills when someone dies?
Utility bills continue after a death, and the supplier needs a meter reading taken as close as possible to the date of death, because that reading is the basis for the final bill. Photograph the meters as soon as you can.
Then contact the energy supplier, using the number on a recent bill or the Ofgem energy supplier finder if you do not know who supplies the property. The supplier notes the date of death, bills up to that reading, and closes or transfers the account.
If the energy account was in credit, that money belongs to the estate, and the supplier refunds it, usually within 4 to 8 weeks. If it was in debit, the balance is a liability of the estate.
Do not cancel the supply to an empty property, and never disconnect the water. The home still needs heating and power while it is cleared, and burst pipes cause significant damage.
Water in England and Wales comes from a regional monopoly, so the supplier is set by where the property is, and Water UK lists every provider at wateruk.org.uk. Give a reading if the property has a meter, though many homes are charged on rateable value instead.
Property detail sits on two other guides: energy and water bills in a property they owned covers standing charges and the estate account, and energy and water bills in a rented property covers when the tenancy ends and who pays until it does.
How do you change the name on utility bills after a death in the UK?
You change the name on utility bills after a death by contacting each provider, saying the account holder has died, and asking to transfer the account into your name rather than close it. You do not need probate, and most providers arrange it without a gap in service.
Ask for a transfer wherever someone is staying in the property, because with broadband it usually means no new contract and no setup fee. Give a meter reading on the day the account changes hands, so both final and first bills are accurate.
Have ready the account holder's full name and address, the account number from a recent bill, the date of death, your name, and your relationship to the person who died.
What happens to council tax after death?
Council tax after death depends on who is left in the property: an empty home qualifies for an exemption, and a home with one remaining adult qualifies for a discount. Council tax is charged per property, not per person, so the bill changes rather than stops.
Two rules matter for council tax and death. The council tax death exemption, known as Class F, applies to a property left empty because its sole occupant has died. In England it runs from the date of death until probate is granted, plus up to 6 months after the grant, and it ends sooner if the property is sold, transferred, or someone moves in. Scotland has a broadly equivalent exemption, running until Confirmation (Scotland's version of probate) is granted, plus up to 6 months. It is administered by individual councils rather than under a single Class F (South Lanarkshire Council; GOV.UK). Northern Ireland has no council tax at all, charging domestic rates instead. Neither Class F nor the 25% discount applies there in the same form (LITRG).
The second rule is the 25% single person discount for a sole remaining adult. Claim it from the council, because it is not applied automatically, and most councils backdate it to the date of death.
Some councils apply the exemption automatically, others require a formal application, so contact the council either way. Tell Us Once notifies the local council automatically (GOV.UK), but it covers the notification, not the account changes that follow. For rented homes and what happens when the exemption ends, see council tax after a death.
What happens to broadband, the TV Licence and subscriptions?
Every major UK broadband provider has a bereavement process, and early termination fees are waived in almost all cases when the account holder has died. Ofcom requires providers to treat bereaved customers with care.
Bereavement contacts for the main providers:
BT: 0800 169 1663, or the online bereavement form at bt.com. Cancel, or transfer the account to someone at the property.
Sky: no bereavement number is published online; select "Get in touch" then "Call us" at sky.com to reach the dedicated team. Cancel, or continue the contract in another name.
Virgin Media: 0800 952 2302, or the online bereavement disconnection form. Virgin can cancel or transfer the account.
Vodafone: 0808 005 7450, a dedicated free bereavement line (Vodafone). Cancel, or transfer the contract to someone else.
For other providers, check the website for a bereavement or sensitive situations contact. If the property is empty, cancel the service and return any routers or set-top boxes.
A TV Licence covers a single address and is not transferable. If nobody left in the household watches live television or uses BBC iPlayer, cancel it using the bereavement contact form at tvlicensing.co.uk and claim a refund for the unused months, calculated from the date you notify TV Licensing. Anyone still watching at the address needs their own licence. A colour TV Licence costs £180 a year as of August 2026 (TV Licensing).
Streaming services and memberships need cancelling one by one, because stopping a direct debit does not end the contract. See cancel a deceased person’s subscriptions for the main services.
What order should you deal with the bills in?
Notify the bank first, because once it knows the account holder has died it freezes outgoing payments, including the direct debits paying household bills. See what happens to a bank account when someone dies for how quickly that happens.
Freezing the account is not the same as telling the providers. Each still needs contacting separately, because a missed direct debit generates overdue notices even when a death is involved, as direct debits and standing orders after a death explains.
Notify energy and water next, so the date-of-death meter readings are recorded before anything else changes. Broadband, the TV Licence and council tax follow in any practical order, because none needs same-day action.
Keep a record of every contact: the date, who you spoke to, and what was agreed. You will need it for probate.
What documents do you need to notify a provider?
Most providers accept a photocopy or scan of the death certificate, and you will not usually need to send the original.
Death certificate: a copy or scan, accepted by almost every provider.
Account numbers: taken from a recent bill or the online account.
Meter readings: for gas and electricity, dated as close to the date of death as possible.
Your details: your name and your relationship to the person who died.
Proof of authority: an executor letter or grant of probate if asked, though most providers act on next of kin notification.
Order copies early, because several organisations may want one at once. See how many death certificates you need before deciding how many to buy.
Frequently asked questions
No. Family members are not personally liable for a deceased person's bills unless they were joint account holders or co-signed the contract. If your name is not on the bill, the debt belongs to the deceased's estate, and the executor pays it from estate funds.
No. You do not need probate to move a household bill into your name. Contact the provider, say the account holder has died, and ask to take over the account. Most providers arrange the transfer without a gap in service, on next of kin notification alone.
Keep the final utility bills, refund letters and provider correspondence at least until the estate is settled and the probate accounts are agreed, because they evidence estate expenses. HMRC can request the records used to value the estate up to 20 years after Inheritance Tax is paid. Keeping this paperwork that long is the safer approach (GOV.UK).
No. Tell Us Once notifies government departments and the local council, including the council tax office, but it does not contact energy suppliers, water companies, broadband providers or TV Licensing. You still need to notify every utility provider yourself, and ask for each account to be closed or transferred.
Yes, in almost all cases. Every major UK broadband provider has a bereavement process, and early termination fees are waived when the account holder has died. Ofcom requires providers to treat bereaved customers with care. Ask for the bereavement team, and return any routers or set-top boxes.
Yes. In England, a property left empty after the death of its sole occupant is exempt from council tax under the Class F exemption, from the date of death until probate is granted, plus 6 months after the grant. Contact the council, because some require an application.
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.