What to do after a death in the UK

What should you do first after someone dies?

Start with the immediate official and care-setting steps. If the person died in hospital, the hospital bereavement team will usually explain what happens next. If they died in a care home or hospice, staff can normally guide the first calls. If they died at home, the next step depends on whether the death was expected and whether a doctor, NHS service, or emergency service needs to be involved.

Once the medical cause of death process is under way, the death can usually be registered. Registration is the point that unlocks several next steps, including the certificate for burial or cremation, often called the green form.

What can wait for a few days?

Most private admin does not need to be solved in the first hour. Banks, utilities, insurers, pensions, employers, subscriptions, phone providers, council tax, housing, and digital accounts are important, but they usually sit after the immediate registration and funeral paperwork.

The useful thing in the first few days is to create one list. Write down the providers you already know about, documents you have seen, accounts family members mention, and any bills or letters that arrive. That list becomes the start of the practical admin map.

What does Tell Us Once do?

Tell Us Once is the UK government service that lets you report a death to most government organisations in one go, where the service is available. A registrar will explain it when you register the death, or give you a reference number so you can use it yourself online or by phone.

Tell Us Once is useful, but it is not the whole admin job. It does not usually notify private providers such as banks, utilities, insurers, phone companies, private pensions, subscriptions, employers, landlords, or digital services.

What private admin may still remain?

Private admin usually includes finding accounts, identifying bills and subscriptions, notifying providers, closing or transferring services, finding pensions and policies, checking refunds or overpayments, and deciding what needs proof or approval.

This is where many families get stuck. The work is scattered across paperwork, post, email, bank statements, phones, online accounts, and provider bereavement processes.

How ELT will help after launch

Every Little Thing is being built to help families find what exists, resolve what needs action, and get practical support for paperwork, people, and costs. The release is planned for April. For now, this guide is practical information, and the early-access option lets families receive a checklist without sending payment or sensitive documents.