What to Do When Someone Dies

When someone close to you dies, it can be hard to know what to do and in what order. The days immediately after a bereavement can feel overwhelming: grief, shock and practical demands all arrive at once. This guide walks you through the key steps, in the right sequence, so that you can focus on what matters most. If you would like someone to talk it through with, call us on 01233 659 796; we are happy to help.

The first steps at a glance

The sections below explain each step in detail.

Getting the medical certificate

Whether the death happened in hospital, at home or in a care home, a doctor records the cause of death and a medical examiner reviews it. The medical examiner's office then sends the certificate directly to the registrar and lets you know you can register. They will also offer to discuss the cause of death with you. Do ask questions if anything is unclear.

If the death was sudden, unexplained or unnatural, it is referred to the coroner (a judicial officer who investigates deaths that occur in certain circumstances). You cannot register the death until the coroner has finished. If an inquest (a formal court hearing to establish how a person died) is opened, ask the coroner's office for an interim death certificate: you can use this for probate and to notify organisations. Hold off booking a firm funeral date while a coroner's investigation is ongoing, though you can begin planning the ceremony.

It is worth knowing that the medical examiner process, introduced in September 2024, was designed to give families more transparency and to make the certification process more consistent across England and Wales. If you have questions about the cause of death recorded, the medical examiner's office is your first port of call.

Registering the death

You should register within 5 days of being told you can register. Book an appointment at a register office, ideally in the area where the person died. Take the person's details: full name (including previous names), date and place of birth, occupation, address, and details of their spouse or civil partner.

Who can register? Usually a relative, someone present at the death, someone living in the house where the death occurred, or the person arranging the funeral. The register office can advise if you are unsure.

The registrar will give you:

How many death certificates should you order? As a general rule of thumb, count the number of banks, building societies, insurers and pension providers you know of, and add two or three spares. It is significantly cheaper to buy copies at registration than to order them later.

You do not have to do all of this yourself

Squiggle can take on as much or as little of the estate administration as you wish, from arranging the Grant of Probate to handling everything end to end, while you focus on your family. Book a call with a consultant or call 01233 659 796.

Finding the Will and arranging the funeral

Find the original Will as soon as you can: it may name executors (the people legally responsible for carrying out the Will's instructions) and contain funeral wishes, and it determines who deals with the estate. If you cannot find one, check with local solicitors and Will writers and search the national Will register (Certainty). The person may also have had a pre-paid funeral plan.

If there is no Will at all, the estate will be dealt with under the intestacy rules (the legal rules that govern who inherits when someone dies without a Will). See our Intestacy: Who Inherits Without a Will factsheet for more on this.

Most families appoint a funeral director. Ask for a full breakdown of costs and check they belong to a trade body (NAFD or SAIF). We can recommend trusted local funeral directors if that would help.

Be aware that funeral costs are usually paid out of the estate, though the estate funds may not be immediately accessible. Some banks will release money to pay a funeral bill directly to the funeral director from the deceased's account; it is worth asking. Keep all receipts; funeral costs are a legitimate expense of the estate.

Step-by-step checklist for the first two weeks

Use this checklist alongside the sections above. Tick off each item as you go; it can help to give yourself a clear sense of what has been done and what still needs attention.

- Contact a funeral director to arrange collection of the person
- Let close family and friends know
- Secure the person's home (lock up, cancel milk deliveries, notify neighbours)
- Find or locate any pre-paid funeral plan documents

- Confirm with the medical examiner's office when you are able to register the death
- Book an appointment at the register office
- Locate the Will (check at home, with solicitors, on the Certainty register)
- Notify the person's employer or pension provider of the death

- Collect death certificates (order enough copies)
- Hand the green form to the funeral director
- Use Tell Us Once to notify government departments
- Contact banks to let them know (accounts are usually frozen until probate, but many banks will, at their discretion, release money for funeral costs)
- Notify mortgage lender, landlord or housing association if applicable
- Contact insurers (home, car, life)

- Meet with the executor(s) named in the Will
- Compile a list of all assets and liabilities
- Begin the estate administration process; see our
factsheet
- Consider whether you need professional support

A worked example: what this looks like in practice

Imagine Margaret, who lived alone in Ashford. She died in hospital after a short illness. Her daughter, Helen, was her next of kin.

The hospital informed Helen that a medical examiner would review the cause of death. Within two days, the medical examiner's office called to say the certificate had been sent to the register office and Helen could now book an appointment.

Helen booked an appointment for the following day, registered the death, and ordered six certified copies of the death certificate, one each for the bank, building society, pension provider, insurer, and two spares. She handed the green form to the funeral director Margaret had already chosen.

Helen then used Tell Us Once to inform the relevant government departments. She found Margaret's Will in a folder at home; it named Helen as executor and left everything to Helen and her brother equally. Helen called Squiggle, we talked through the estate, and we took on the administration so Helen could focus on the funeral and her own family.

This is a hypothetical example for illustration only.

Administering the estate

Everything the person owned, property, money, possessions, is their estate, and it must be administered: debts and taxes paid, accounts closed, property dealt with, and the remainder passed to the right people. Depending on the estate, the executors may need to apply for a Grant of Probate: the court document that proves the executors' right to deal with the estate. Banks and the Land Registry usually require it for larger accounts and any property.

This is where many families feel out of their depth. You can do it yourself, but executors are personally liable for mistakes. Squiggle can take on as much or as little as you wish. See our Estate Administration factsheet for what is involved, or call us on 01233 659 796; the first conversation is free and without obligation.

Common mistakes to avoid

Not ordering enough death certificates. It is a small cost at registration and a bigger cost, and delay, later.

Closing accounts or moving money too early. Once a death is registered, accounts are typically frozen. Do not attempt to move money without the appropriate authority (usually the Grant of Probate). Doing so can create serious complications for the estate.

Throwing away paperwork. In the weeks after a bereavement, it is tempting to clear things quickly. Hold on to all financial documents, correspondence and receipts until the estate is fully administered.

Assuming there is no Will. People keep Wills in many places, filing cabinets, solicitors' offices, safety deposit boxes, or registered on the Certainty national Will register. Always search thoroughly before assuming someone died without one.

Missing the registration deadline. You have 5 days from being told you can register. Missing this without good reason can cause complications. If there are genuine reasons for delay, contact the register office.

Forgetting digital accounts and subscriptions. Cancel subscriptions, and think about online accounts, email, social media and any digital assets. See our Digital Assets After Death factsheet for guidance on this often-overlooked area.

Not using Tell Us Once. It is easy to forget and results in unnecessary correspondence (including potential benefit overpayments that the estate may be asked to repay) if government departments are not notified promptly.

Questions? Book a free call

Pick a time that suits you and your local Squiggle consultant will call you. No charge, no obligation. Book a call or call 01233 659 796.

Talk to Squiggle: 01233 659 796 | hello@squiggleconsult.co.uk | www.squiggleconsult.co.uk | Book a free call: meet.squiggleconsult.co.uk

This factsheet is general information for England and Wales, not legal, tax or financial advice. Last reviewed: June 2026.