Tell Us Once: how to report a death to government in one go

After someone dies there are many organisations to inform. The free government Tell Us Once service lets you do this for most government bodies at once — in a single contact online or by phone. It is for people who lived in England, Scotland or Wales (including those who died temporarily abroad), but not for people who lived in Northern Ireland or permanently abroad.

How do you get access to Tell Us Once?

The registrar explains the service when you register the death. They will either complete the notification with you or give you a unique reference number so you can use the service yourself — online or by phone. If an inquest is underway, you can get a reference number by showing an interim death certificate from the coroner.

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Is there a deadline?

Yes. GOV.UK states you must use the service within 28 days of getting your unique reference number. The clock starts from the date you receive the number, so do not delay.

Which organisations will Tell Us Once notify?

The service notifies: HMRC (personal tax, cancelling benefits such as Child Benefit); DWP (cancelling Universal Credit, State Pension and other payments); the Passport Office (cancelling a British passport); DVLA (cancelling a licence, removing the person as keeper of up to five vehicles, ending vehicle tax); the local council (cancelling Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction and a Blue Badge, and removing the person from the electoral register); Veterans UK; Social Security Scotland (Scottish payments); and public sector pension schemes including the Armed Forces, Civil Service, Local Government and NHS schemes.

What does Tell Us Once not handle?

It does not notify banks, mortgage and insurance providers, utilities or private (workplace) pensions — you must contact those separately. You also have to tell DWP separately if a child has died and you receive benefits as their parent or carer: Tell Us Once only stops the deceased person’s own payments.

What to prepare in advance?

You will need the person’s details: date of death, address, National Insurance number, passport and driving licence numbers, information about benefits and pensions they received, and contact details for next of kin and whoever is dealing with the estate. If Tell Us Once is not available in your case, you must notify all those organisations yourself.

Can you use the service by phone?

Yes. Tell Us Once works online and by phone — use whichever suits you. By phone an adviser asks the same questions and enters the details for you; this helps people who find the website difficult. The reference number from the registrar works for both options.

What should people in Northern Ireland do?

Tell Us Once is not available for people who lived in Northern Ireland, so you must notify organisations separately. The same applies to those who lived permanently abroad. In these cases prepare a list in advance: DWP, HMRC, the Passport Office, DVLA, the local council, banks, pension and insurance companies — and contact each with a copy of the death certificate.