The Death Notification Service in the UK: who it covers and how to use it - at a glance
Prewritten article summary, not personalised advice or a live service.
- DNS notifies selected participating financial organisations. Check the live member list; use direct contact for absent firms or urgent help.
- A DNS website account is optional, but email confirmation requires one. This is separate from the deceased's financial accounts. Sending a notification does not establish entitlement to financial-account information.
- DNS sets out contact within ten working days from notification only if a live financial account is found. This is not a universal reply or completion promise. A firm with no account will not reply. Record silence as "no reply", not proof of no account or closure.
Which organisations can I notify?
Check the official current member list for the exact financial organisation or brand and any exclusions. Not every bank or financial firm is covered. Use direct contact if the firm is absent. DNS is separate from Tell Us Once, which reports a death to government organisations.
Go to who is signed upDo I need a DNS website account or death certificate?
A DNS website account is optional, but email confirmation requires one. This choice is about using the DNS website, not whether the deceased held a financial account.
Proof of death is not required just to send the notification; the financial firm may request it later.
Anyone can notify, but an acknowledgement does not authorise access to substantive financial-account or estate information. Those details are for the authorised person dealing with the estate.
Go to how to use DNSWhat if I hear nothing after notifying a firm?
Record "no reply" in your own notes. If you are certain the deceased held an account with that firm and still have no contact after ten working days from notification, contact it through its official route. If you are unsure whether there was an account, ask the firm if you need confirmation. Silence is not proof of no account or closure; a firm holding no account will not write back. Discuss urgent issues with the firm directly without waiting.
Submitted
Keep the date, chosen organisations and any reference actually supplied. Sending the notice does not give you access to account or estate details.
Awaiting or received reply
If a live financial account is found, DNS sets out contact within ten working days from notification. This is not a promise of a reply to every notifier or completed work. You may receive an acknowledgement; substantive account or estate details and next steps go to the person the firm recognises as authorised to deal with the estate.
Next action
Note any requested proof and who follows up through the official route. The authorised contact follows the firm's proof and authority requests. Notification or acknowledgement is not closure or money released; an accepted closure request is not confirmation of closure or money release.
Opens planned-service information. The public service is not yet open; this does not submit details, create a record or begin work.