How to find accounts after someone dies
Where should you look first?
Start with the lowest-friction evidence: recent post, bank statements, email inbox search, mobile phone bills, old filing folders, password manager clues, tax documents, pension letters, insurance documents, and household bills.
The aim is not to solve every account immediately. The first job is to build a probable-provider list. Later, each provider can be checked, prioritised, and resolved.
What account categories should you check?
Use five broad categories. This structure helps avoid relying only on memory. Many accounts are not obvious from one place.
- Banks and building societies
- Insurance, pensions, and investments
- Utilities and telecoms
- Loans and credit cards
- Other services and subscriptions
How do you find pensions?
If you do not know the pension provider, the UK Pension Tracing Service can help find contact details for workplace or personal pension schemes. You may still need to contact the provider directly and prove your authority before they discuss the account.
How do you avoid missing subscriptions?
Search for recurring payments in bank statements and email receipts. Look for words such as subscription, renewal, premium, membership, invoice, receipt, Apple, Google, PayPal, Stripe, Amazon, insurance, broadband, mobile, cloud, storage, charity, gym, and streaming.
Some recurring payments are Direct Debits or standing orders. Others are card subscriptions, app subscriptions, PayPal agreements, or annual renewals.
What should you do before contacting providers?
For each possible provider, record the provider name, account holder name, likely account type, evidence found, urgency, and the next action. Do not send documents until you know the provider's bereavement process and what proof they require.
How ELT will help after launch
Every Little Thing is being built to help families find the practical admin footprint: the accounts, providers, documents, subscriptions, bills, policies, pensions, and utilities that may need action after a death. April early access will focus on turning scattered clues into a structured list.
Source notes
- GOV.UK — Find pension contact details — Official Pension Tracing Service contact route.
- MoneyHelper — How to find old or lost pensions — Practical guidance on tracing pension providers.
- The Death Notification Service — Free service for notifying participating financial organisations.
Frequently asked
- Can I find every account from bank statements?
- Bank statements are useful, but they may not show everything. Some accounts have no recent payment, use another bank, renew annually, or sit in paper/email records.
- How do I find a lost pension?
- GOV.UK's Pension Tracing Service can help find contact details for workplace or personal pension schemes. It does not tell you the value of a pension.
- Should I access the person's email or phone?
- Only do what you are legally and practically allowed to do. If there are prepared access instructions, follow the boundaries carefully. This guide is not legal advice.
- What is the safest first step?
- Build a provider list before taking action. Then prioritise urgent housing, money, insurance, essential services, and provider notifications.
- Can ELT scan accounts now?
- ELT is preparing for release in April. Do not upload sensitive documents here; you can join early access and receive a practical checklist now.