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.

This guide explains what happens to household bills after a death, what you need to do, and in what order.

The two situations you may be in

How you handle bills depends on what happens to the property.

If you lived with the person who died and are staying in the property, most bills can simply be transferred into your name. You contact each provider, tell them the account holder has died, and ask to take over the account. You do not need probate to do this, and most providers will arrange it without any gap in service.

If the person lived alone and the property is now empty, the picture is more complicated. Bills need to be managed until the property is sold or transferred to a beneficiary. That can take months, sometimes longer. During that time, someone (usually the executor) is responsible for ensuring the accounts are handled and final bills are settled from the estate.

Both situations are covered below.

Energy: gas and electricity

Take meter readings as soon as you can after the death. Photograph them. These readings become the basis for the final bill, so accuracy matters.

Once you have the readings, contact the energy supplier. You can find their number on a recent bill, or use the Ofgem energy supplier finder if you are not sure who supplies the property. Tell them the account holder has died and give the meter readings.

The supplier will:

• Note the date of death

• Calculate a bill up to that meter reading

• Either close the account (if the property will be empty) or transfer it to a new account holder

If the account was in credit, that money belongs to the estate. The supplier will refund it, usually within four to eight weeks. If the account was in debit, that becomes a liability of the estate, to be settled before assets are distributed to beneficiaries.

You do not need to cancel the supply to an empty property. Keep the gas and electricity connected. The property may need heating, lighting and power during the clearance process and while it is being prepared for sale or transfer. You will close the accounts properly once the property changes hands, with fresh meter readings taken on completion.

Water

Water in England and Wales is supplied by a regional monopoly. You have no choice of supplier. It is determined by where the property is. If you do not know the supplier, Water UK lists all providers at wateruk.org.uk.

The process is the same as energy: contact the supplier, tell them the account holder has died, and give a current meter reading if the property has a meter. Many domestic properties in the UK are still charged on rateable value rather than metered usage, in which case readings are not required.

Do not cancel the water supply to an empty property. Disconnecting water can cause significant damage. Pipes need to be flushed periodically, and a live water supply is needed for cleaning and maintenance while the property is being cleared or sold. You can read more about what happens to the water supply in our guide here.

Broadband and landline

Every major UK broadband provider has a bereavement process. In almost all cases, early termination fees are waived when the account holder has died. You should not be charged to cancel a contract mid-term due to a bereavement.

Contact details for the main providers:

• BT: 0800 169 1663, or use the online bereavement form at bt.com. You can cancel or transfer the account to another person at the property.

• Sky: 0333 202 0912. Sky has a dedicated bereavement team. You can cancel or continue the contract in another name.

• Virgin Media: 0800 952 2302, or complete the online bereavement disconnection form. Virgin can cancel or transfer the account.

• Vodafone: Contact the bereavement team through the main customer service line on 03333 040 191.

For other providers, check their website for a bereavement or sensitive situations contact. Ofcom requires providers to treat bereaved customers with care, and most have written policies.

When you call, have ready: the account holder's name, address, account number (from a recent bill), and the date of death. A death certificate may be requested, usually as a scan or photocopy.

If someone else in the household needs to keep the service, ask to transfer the contract rather than cancel it. Transferring avoids any gap in internet access and usually means no new contract or setup fee.

If the property is empty, cancel the service. There is nothing to keep connected. Any equipment provided by the supplier (routers, set-top boxes) will need to be returned. The supplier will either send packaging or arrange a collection.

TV Licence

A TV Licence covers a single address. If the person who died held the licence and nobody else in the household needs to watch live television or use BBC iPlayer, you can cancel it and claim a refund for the unused months.

To cancel, go to tvlicensing.co.uk and use the contact form for bereavement. You will need the licence number if you can find it, along with the account holder's name and address. TV Licensing will calculate the refund based on the date you notify them and the unused period remaining on the licence.

If someone else at the address will continue to watch live TV or use BBC iPlayer, they need to either take over the existing licence or purchase a new one. A TV Licence is not transferable between people, so the simplest route is to cancel the deceased's licence and buy a new one in the new account holder's name.

The current licence fee and further guidance are at tvlicensing.co.uk/contact.

Council tax

Council tax is charged per property, not per person. When someone dies, the council tax office should be notified.

If you shared the property and are staying, the council will need to update the account. You may be entitled to a single person discount if you are now the sole adult resident. The discount is 25%, and it applies automatically once the council is updated.

If the property is empty because the occupant has died, council tax is exempt for up to six months. After six months, most councils will resume charging, often at a reduced rate. Some councils offer further exemptions or discounts for longer periods, but this varies by local authority. Contact the relevant council directly to confirm what applies.

Tell Us Once, the government's death notification service, notifies the local council automatically when you use it. If you have already completed Tell Us Once, the council should have been informed. It is still worth confirming directly, since Tell Us Once covers the notification but not the specific account changes or discount applications that follow.

What order should you deal with these?

Notify the bank first. Once the bank knows the account holder has died, it will freeze outgoing payments including direct debits. This stops automated payments to all providers. It also means providers need to be told separately, because missed direct debits can generate overdue notices even when a death is involved.

After the bank, notify energy suppliers and water early. These are essential services connected to the property, and you want a clear record of the date-of-death meter readings before anything else changes.

Broadband, TV Licence, and council tax can follow in whatever order is practical. None of them require urgent same-day action in the way that energy accounts do.

Keep a record of every contact you make: the date, the name of the person you spoke to, and what was agreed. You will need this for probate.

Who pays outstanding bills?

Outstanding bills at the date of death are liabilities of the estate. The executor is responsible for settling them before distributing assets to beneficiaries. This applies whether the bills are for gas, electricity, water, broadband, council tax, or anything else.

If an account was in credit, the credit is an asset of the estate. Refunds should be paid into the estate account.

Family members are not personally liable for a deceased person's bills unless they were joint account holders or co-signed the contract. If you were not named on the bill, you are not responsible for the debt.

During probate, bills on an empty property (energy, water, council tax) will continue to accumulate. These are ongoing estate expenses and should be paid from estate funds as they arrive. Keep all correspondence and receipts, as they form part of the probate accounts.

Documents you will need

Most providers will accept a photocopy or scan of the death certificate. You will not usually need to provide the original. Having the following to hand will speed up each conversation:

• Death certificate (copy)

• Account numbers from recent bills

• Meter readings for gas and electricity

• Your name and your relationship to the deceased

• Proof of your authority to act, if asked (executor letter or grant of probate, though most providers will act on next-of-kin notification without formal probate documentation)

If managing these notifications feels like too much to take on at once, Legacy Trail can handle the process for you in one go. We will find the accounts, contact the organisations, and manage the notifications so you do not have to deal with each one separately.