Tell Us Once: How to Report a Death to UK Government Bodies

Tell Us Once is a free GOV.UK service that reports a death to most government organisations in one go, so you do not have to contact HMRC, the DWP, the DVLA and the Passport Office one by one. The registrar gives you a unique reference number when the death is registered, and you must use the service within 28 days of getting it. It does not cover banks, insurers, utility companies or private pensions.

What is Tell Us Once?

Tell Us Once lets you give the details of a death once, after which the information is passed to the government bodies that need it. It is run through GOV.UK and covers England, Scotland and Wales.

You start it at the register office. Depending on the office, the registrar will either complete the service with you at the appointment or give you a unique reference number and a phone number to use later. Relay UK and British Sign Language video relay options are available.

Who can use it?

You can use Tell Us Once if the person who died was living in England, Scotland or Wales. That includes someone who died abroad temporarily, such as on holiday or a business trip. The death must have been registered, or reported to a coroner with a final or interim death certificate issued.

You cannot use it if the person lived in Northern Ireland or was permanently living abroad. For a Northern Ireland death, nidirect.gov.uk explains who to tell.

What do you need before you start?

Have these details ready. The service asks for:

• the person's surname and date of death
• the name, address and contact details of the executor or administrator, or of the next of kin if there is no estate representative yet
• details of the surviving spouse or civil partner, including their name, address, phone number and National Insurance number or date of birth
• details of the hospital, care home or other institution, if the person died in one

These details are optional but help match records correctly:

• passport number, driving licence number and vehicle registration numbers
• details of any council tax or local services, such as a Blue Badge
• information about benefits, State Pension or public sector pensions
• the person's National Insurance number

You do not need every item. Complete it with what you have rather than letting the deadline pass.

How do you use Tell Us Once, step by step?

1. Register the death. Our UK death registration guide explains timing and who can register. You must wait for the medical examiner's office to confirm you can register, and then you have 5 days, or 8 days in Scotland.
2. Take up the registrar's offer. Ask whether they will complete Tell Us Once with you or give you the reference number.
3. Note the reference number and the date. The 28 days run from the day you get the number.
4. Gather the details above, then use the online service or the phone number the registrar gave you.
5. Keep the confirmation you receive, and keep a note of anything the service tells you to do next.

If a coroner is involved, you can use Tell Us Once once you hold an interim or final death certificate. Our guide on interim and full death certificates explains the difference.

Which organisations does it tell?

What does Tell Us Once not cover?

GOV.UK is clear that you must contact these yourself:

• banks and building societies
• mortgage providers
• insurance providers
• companies the person had contracts with, such as utilities
• landlords or housing associations
• personal or workplace pension schemes
• employers
• the Student Loans Company

Our guides on notifying banks after a death, pension providers and other government notifications take you through each.

If a child died, you also need to tell the DWP separately about benefits for the parent or carer.

What if you miss the 28 days or cannot use it?

If the deadline passes, or if the person lived in Northern Ireland, you will need to contact the organisations yourself. GOV.UK lists the main contacts:

• HMRC: the Bereavement Helpline, or form P1000 to tell them who is dealing with the estate
• DWP: the Bereavement Service on 0800 151 2012 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm), to cancel benefits and check eligibility for funeral help
• DVLA and HM Passport Office: contact each directly. The Passport Office has a form called "What to do when a passport holder dies"
• Social Security Scotland: 0800 182 2222, for Scottish Government benefits
• Child Benefit Office: within 8 weeks of a parent's or child's death

Private organisations always need telling directly, whether or not you used Tell Us Once.

What to do next

1. Use Tell Us Once as soon as you have the reference number, even if some details are missing.
2. Make a list of the private organisations that still need telling: banks, insurers, pension providers, utilities and the employer.
3. Check what help you may be entitled to, such as Funeral Expenses Payment or Bereavement Support Payment.