When someone dies, it can feel like there are suddenly so many things that you need to do — or that you need to know about.
On this page, we provide guidance on the practical things that normally happen in the first days and weeks after someone dies. We also have a step-by-step checklist for you to refer to.
The moment of death
The exact moment that someone dies is not always clear. You may notice that:
- they stop breathing
- their face suddenly relaxes
- they may look peaceful.
You cannot know how you will react when someone dies. This is true even if their death had been expected.
Caring for someone's body after death
What happens next may depend on whether the person died at home, in a hospice, a care home or in a hospital.
Customs or preferences when someone's died
If there is a healthcare professional with the person when they die, they will check the care plan. This is to see if they need to follow any religious or other customs. You can tell them if there’s anything they should or should not do. They will try to follow your wishes within their own professional judgement.
Care after death when someone dies at home
Care after death may include washing the person’s body, dressing them in clean clothes and arranging their hair. This is sometimes called ‘last offices’ or ‘laying out the body’.
You can ask a healthcare professional to provide the care after death. You may want to stay for this. Some people ask if they can help. Or you may prefer not to be in the room. You should do whatever you feel comfortable with. There is no right or wrong decision.
For religious or personal reasons, you may not want a healthcare professional to lay out the body. This should be in the care plan, but you can ask the healthcare professional about this.
Leave any equipment, such as a syringe driver or catheter, in place. A healthcare professional will remove it after the death has been verified.
Care after death when someone dies in a hospital, hospice or care home
If someone dies in a hospital, hospice or care home, a registered nurse is responsible for caring for their body. The nurse, or care home manager, may delegate some of this care to a trained professional, like a healthcare assistant.
You may wish to help with personal care of the person’s body. You can ask the healthcare professional about this. There may be a reason why this is not possible, but the healthcare team will try to respect your wishes.
Returning medication and equipment
It’s important to dispose of any leftover medicines safely. You should not keep them, throw them in the bin or flush them down the toilet. People usually return any leftover medication to a pharmacy.
Any needles should be put in a safe container. You can ask the nurse or another healthcare professional about how to do this.
You can also ask a member of the healthcare team about how to return equipment. For example, how to return a walking aid or a hospital bed.
It can be upsetting to remove someone’s medication and equipment. If you’re finding it difficult, you can ask a healthcare professional for help.
What to do when someone dies: a step-by-step checklist
When someone dies, a healthcare professional can explain what happens next. If the person died in a hospice, hospital or care home, then the staff should explain the next steps.
1. Tell the person's nurse or GP
Someone who is there when the person dies needs to tell their nurse or GP. If they died in a hospice, hospital or care home, they need to tell the team who was looking after them.
2. A healthcare professional verifies the death
A trained healthcare professional needs to verify the death to confirm that the person has died. This is known as 'formal verification of death' in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is called 'confirmation of death' in Scotland.
3. Take care to respect the wishes of the person who died
If possible, everyone should respect any wishes the person had about how their body is cared for. This includes respecting any religious or cultural practices.
4. A doctor certifies the death
A doctor does this by completing a medical certificate of cause of death. This is not the same as the death certificates you can get when you register the death.
5. Arrange for the person's body to be collected
You can contact the funeral director, if you will be using one. They will usually come and collect the person’s body.
6. Register the person's death
The death needs to be registered at a register office. The registrar will register the death and issue a certificate for burial or cremation. You give this to the funeral director or the cemetery or crematorium, if you are not using a funeral director.
7. Get copies of the death certificate
The registrar can give you certified copies of the death certificate. You will need to pay for these.
8. Tell organisations about the death
You may need to tell some organisations about the person's death, for example:
- employers and colleagues
- government departments
- bank, credit card and mortgage companies
- insurance companies
- utility companies, such as gas, water, electricity and telephone
- the person's landlord (if they were a tenant)
- Royal Mail
- TV and internet companies.
You can use the Tell Us Once service, or the Bereavement Service in Northern Ireland. They can report a death to most government departments in one go (see Tell Us Once – England, Scotland and Wales below).
9. Find out whether the person who died had a Will
A Will can tell you who the named executors are. The executors are the people who sort out the person's affairs and deal with their estate.
A Will may also have the person's instructions for their funeral. If you cannot find the Will, the solicitor they used should have a copy.
10. Deal with the person's estate and apply for probate
Look at the relevant government website for information about dealing with a person’s estate. This includes what to do if the person did not leave a Will:
There's more support available from organisations like Citizen's Advice, MoneyHelper or the Bereavement Advice Centre.
11. Stop the person's benefits
You do this by using:
- the Tell Us Once service if the person who died lived in England, Wales or Scotland
- the Bereavement Service if they lived in Northern Ireland.
Tell Us Once – England, Scotland and Wales
This service allows you to report a death to most government organisations in one go. It is available in England, Scotland and Wales.
The organisations that Tell Us Once will contact include:
- the person's local council – for Housing Benefit, Council Tax, Blue Badge schemes, to inform council housing services and remove the person from the electoral register
- HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) for personal tax and to cancel, for example, Child Benefit and tax benefits
- the Department for Work and Pensions to cancel benefits and entitlements, for example Universal Credit or State Pension
- HM Passport Office
- Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
- Veterans UK – to cancel or update Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments
- Social Security Scotland – to cancel benefits and entitlements from the Scottish Government.
Tell Us Once will also contact some public sector pension schemes, including:
- My Civil Service Pension
- NHS Pensions for NHS staff in England and Wales
- Armed Forces Pension Scheme
- Scottish Public Pension Agency schemes for NHS staff, teachers, police and firefighters in Scotland
- Local Government Pension Schemes (LGPS).
How to use Tell Us Once
The registrar will tell you how to use the Tell Us Once service when you register the death. They will either:
- complete the Tell Us Once service with you
- give you a unique reference number so you can use the service yourself online or by phone.
The registrar will give you a number to call. This includes Relay UK if you cannot hear or speak on the phone. If you're a British Sign Language (BSL) user, there's a video relay service you can use online.
You must use the Tell Us Once service within 28 days of getting your unique reference number.
If there is an inquest into the person's death you will need to ask the coroner (or procurator fiscal in Scotland) for an interim death certificate. You can then notify the registrar about the death and use the Tell Us Once service.
See the step-by-step guide to using Tell Us Once using the link below. It includes information on the things you will be asked about the person who has died when you use this service.
Bereavement Service – Northern Ireland
Tell Us Once is not available in Northern Ireland. Instead, family members can use the Bereavement Service on 0800 085 2463. It's a single point of contact for reporting the death to the Department of Communities. It will:
- forward details to any department that paid benefits to the person who died
- help you to access any other benefits that you may be able to get at this time.