Using Tell Us Once to Notify Government After a Death

What Tell Us Once Does

Tell Us Once is a free service run by the UK government. It allows you to report a death to a wide range of government departments and local council services in a single transaction, rather than contacting each one separately.

Without Tell Us Once, notifying every relevant agency individually can take hours over multiple days, requiring repeated retelling of the same information at a time when that is the last thing you want to do. The service is designed to reduce that burden.

It is available in England, Scotland, and Wales. Northern Ireland has a separate process (see below).

Who It Notifies

When you complete Tell Us Once, the following are automatically informed:

Central government

• HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) — to stop tax credits, end self-assessment obligations, and begin processing any final tax liability or refund
• Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) — to stop any benefits or State Pension the deceased was receiving
• DVLA — to cancel the deceased's driving licence and update vehicle records
• HM Passport Office — to cancel the deceased's passport
• Veterans UK — if the deceased was receiving a war pension or Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payment
• Public sector pension providers — if the deceased was receiving a pension from the NHS, Civil Service, teachers' scheme, or other public sector body

Local government

• Your local council — to update council tax records, cancel any council benefits (such as Council Tax Reduction), and remove the deceased from the electoral roll
• Housing benefit records — if the deceased was receiving Housing Benefit through the council

What You Will Need

Gather the following before you start — the process is quicker and smoother if you have everything to hand:

• The deceased's date and place of birth
• The deceased's National Insurance number (usually on a P60, payslip, tax letter, or the physical NI card)
• The deceased's driving licence number and the licence itself (to return to DVLA)
• The deceased's passport number and the passport itself (to return to HM Passport Office)
• Details of any benefits, pensions, or tax credits they were receiving (reference numbers if available)
• Your own details and your relationship to the deceased
• The unique reference number you are given when you register the death — this is how Tell Us Once is accessed

How to Use It

Step 1 — Register the death

Tell Us Once is accessed via a unique reference number given to you when you register the death at a register office. You cannot use Tell Us Once without first registering the death.

Step 2 — Access Tell Us Once

At the register office, the registrar will explain Tell Us Once and give you either:

• A reference number to use the service online at gov.uk, or
• A phone number to complete it over the phone with an adviser

You have 28 days to use the reference number before it expires. There is no need to complete it at the register office — you can do it later when you are ready.

Step 3 — Complete the service

Work through the online or phone process. You will be asked which organisations you want to notify, and for relevant details about the deceased (NI number, driving licence, passport, etc). You can choose to notify all or only some of the organisations listed.

Step 4 — You are done

Each organisation will be notified and will take the appropriate action — cancelling payments, updating records, and so on. Some may contact you separately if they need additional information or need to return something to you (such as a final tax calculation from HMRC).

What Tell Us Once Doesn't Cover

Tell Us Once is a significant time-saver, but it does not cover everything. You will still need to contact the following separately:

• Banks and building societies — each must be notified individually; most will require a certified death certificate
• Private pension providers — contact each provider directly; they may have death benefit or survivor provisions to process
• Mortgage lender — notify immediately; they will advise on what happens to the mortgage
• Insurance companies — life insurance, home insurance, car insurance
• Utility companies — electricity, gas, water, broadband, phone
• The deceased's employer — if they were still working, or if there are final pay or pension rights to claim
• Subscriptions and memberships — streaming, clubs, professional bodies
• Digital accounts — Facebook, Google, Apple, and other platforms

Northern Ireland

Tell Us Once is not available in Northern Ireland. Instead, a similar service is provided by NI Direct, operated by the Northern Ireland government. When you register a death at a district office in Northern Ireland, the registrar will explain the local process for notifying relevant agencies.

For more information, visit nidirect.gov.uk.