Tell Us Once: how it works

Tell Us Once is a free government service that saves you from having to report the same death to one department after another. You give the details once, and it passes them on to most of the government organisations that need to know. It works in England, Scotland and Wales but not in Northern Ireland, which has its own service.

Key points

• Tell Us Once is available if the person lived in England, Scotland or Wales, including if they died while temporarily abroad.
• It is not available if they lived in Northern Ireland or had moved abroad permanently.
• The registrar offers it when you register the death, or gives you a reference number to use online or by phone within 28 days.
• It notifies government bodies only. Banks, insurers and utility companies are not included.

Who can use Tell Us Once

The death must be registered, or reported to a coroner or procurator fiscal with a final or interim death certificate issued. You can also use it when a child or baby has died. If you get benefits as their parent or carer, you must tell the DWP separately.

How to get a reference number

When you register the death, the registrar will explain Tell Us Once. They will either:

• go through it with you there and then, or
• give you a unique reference number so you can do it yourself online or by phone. The registrar gives you the number to call, and Relay UK and a British Sign Language video relay service are also available.

You must use the reference within 28 days of getting it. If an inquest means the death can’t be registered yet, get an interim death certificate from the coroner and then ask a registrar for a reference number.

What you’ll need

Have these details about the person who died ready:

• their surname and date of death
• the name, address and contact details of the executor or administrator dealing with their estate
• if there’s a surviving spouse or civil partner: their name, address, phone number, and National Insurance number or date of birth
• if not, the name and address of the next of kin
• the name and address of the hospital, care home, nursing home or hospice, if they died in one

It also helps to have:

• their passport number and town of birth
• their driving licence number and any vehicle registration numbers
• their local council and any council services they used, such as Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction
• their Blue Badge number
• the benefits or State Pension they received, and any Armed Forces pension or compensation
• their National Insurance number. This is needed if they were in certain public sector pension schemes, and it helps organisations match records faster.

You need permission from the surviving spouse or civil partner, next of kin, executor or administrator, or anyone claiming joint benefits with the person, before you give their details.

Which organisations Tell Us Once contacts

HMRC and the DWP will then contact you about the person’s tax, benefits and entitlements. If benefits were overpaid after the death, they may need to be repaid from the estate.

Tell Us Once only reports the death of the person who died — it doesn’t change anything about you. If you’re widowed and decide to change your own name, you’ll need to tell organisations yourself; see changing your name after a bereavement.

What Tell Us Once doesn’t do

You will still need to contact:

• banks, building societies and credit card companies
• mortgage lenders, landlords or housing associations
• insurers
• utility, phone and broadband providers
• personal and workplace pension schemes, unless they are one of the public sector schemes above
• the Student Loans Company, if the person had a student loan
• HM Land Registry, if the person owned land or property and you need to update the records
• the DVLA again, if you sell a vehicle or keep and tax it in your own name
• HMRC again, if the person owed business taxes such as VAT

Our when someone dies checklist includes a full list of organisations to tell.

If the person lived in Northern Ireland

Contact the Department for Communities Bereavement Service. It records the date of death and tells each office that paid the person benefits. It also checks whether you can claim Bereavement Support Payment, a Funeral Expenses Payment or a Child Funeral Fund payment. After that, tell the other organisations yourself. nidirect lists them, including your tax office, Land and Property Services if the person paid rates, the passport office and the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA).

If you can’t use Tell Us Once in England, Scotland or Wales

Contact each organisation directly:

• DWP Bereavement Service: 0800 151 2012 (Welsh language: 0800 731 0453), Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. It cancels benefits and the State Pension and checks whether you can get help with funeral costs.
• HMRC: call the Bereavement Helpline, or fill in form P1000 if you can’t call.
• HM Passport Office: fill in the form for when a passport holder dies.
• DVLA: tell them about the driving licence and any vehicles.
• Social Security Scotland: 0800 182 2222, for Scottish benefits.
• the person’s local council and pension providers.

Next steps

• If you haven’t yet registered, see how to register a death
• Order enough death certificates for the organisations that need one
• Find out whether you need probate
• Check help paying for a funeral and bereavement pay
• Go back to what to do when someone dies