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Two Together: Save £100!
Save £100 when you purchase two funeral plans together. Call us for more details.
Buy now, pay in January
Buy your funeral plan today and pay in January for peace of mind this Christmas. Click here for full T&Cs.
15 minute read
Understanding what to do when someone dies is never easy. The legal, financial and practical matters can leave many feeling overwhelmed. This article is designed to guide you through the essential steps immediately following the loss of a loved one. From registering the death to planning the funeral, we are here to help you feel prepared to handle these responsibilities.
Experiencing the passing of a loved one is a profound moment that often leaves us at a loss about what to do next. You might want to take some time to say goodbye before following this guide.
If someone dies at home and the death was expected, you will need to contact their GP. They will confirm the death and begin any required paperwork.
If the death occurs outside of regular GP surgery hours, you can wait until the next day or use their emergency number. If you don’t know the GP, or if there is no emergency number, call NHS 111 for assistance. You may be asked a few questions about the deceased like their name, date of birth, address as well as your contact telephone number to call you back.
Do not be alarmed if they do not arrive immediately, it may take a few hours. You can spend time with your loved one and ask family and friends to join you during this time.
If the person who has died was under the care of a hospice or palliative team, you may need to call them instead of the GP. The team caring for the person who has died should provide the numbers for you to call in this instance.
When someone has died at home, you may wonder how you can look after them before your funeral director arrives to take over their care. Sometimes families feel they would like the funeral director to attend very quickly, and sometimes families prefer to have some time with the person at home.
If you would like to take some time with your loved one before they are collected, you may wish to understand how best to care for them during this time. It is important to say that this isn’t essential, and you shouldn’t perform any care for someone if you do not feel comfortable doing so.
However, one of the most important things you can do to care for someone who has died at home is help to keep them as cool as possible. This can feel at odds with what you think you should be doing, but it is one of the best ways to keep someone safe. Turn off any radiators in the room the person is in, and keep heavy blankets off the person until their body has had time to naturally cool down. Someone feeling very cool can feel quite alarming, but it is completely natural and normal and no cause for concern.
When someone dies in a hospital or hospice, medical staff will be there to help. The same is likely true when someone dies in a care home. If the cause of death is clear, a medical certificate will be issued quickly. You can then authorise your chosen funeral director to take the deceased into their care directly from the hospital or hospice.
When dealing with a death abroad, the process varies by location. For specific advice by country, you can use the government website.
First, you must register the death in the country where it occurred. You may need assistance from the local embassy or consulate; they can guide you through the process and help with language barriers. The foreign death certificate, accompanied by a certified English translation, can be used for legal matters such as probate, accessing pension benefits, or claiming life insurance.
To obtain a death certificate abroad, you may need:
Check whether the deceased had travel or life insurance that includes repatriation costs as it can greatly ease the logistical and financial burden. You can find this information through their bank, credit card company, or employer if the travel was work-related. Without insurance, you will need to select a funeral director or an international repatriation service to handle the arrangements.
If you plan to bring your loved one back to the UK, consult with the embassy about the regulations and paperwork required. Once the body is in the UK, you will need to take the death certificate to the register office in the area where the funeral is taking place.
The Medical Certificate of Death (MCCD) is an official record and is required to enable you to register the death. Either the attending GP (if the death occurred at home, hospice or at a care home) or the Bereavement/Patient Affairs Office (if the death occurred at a hospital) will provide this form to the appropriate registry office.
You must register the death within five days of the person passing away in England and Wales (eight days in Scotland). This is done at the registry office in the area where the deceased passed away.
The registrar will need the MCCD which will be sent to them from the Medical Examiner. A representative from the registry office may then contact you as next of kin once they have received the MCCD, or you can register the death by booking an online appointment. Please bear in mind that processes may vary depending on the registry office. If you have any questions, we recommend you call your local registry office for guidance.
The Registrar will require the following information from you:
Once the death is registered, the registrar will issue a Death Certificate. You can request multiple certified copies which are necessary for legal, financial, and insurance purposes. However, there is a fee for every copy.
The registrar will also provide you with a certificate for burial or cremation (i.e. the ‘Green Form’ or the GR021 in Northern Ireland). This form enables the funeral to go ahead. They may send this form directly to your chosen funeral director or hand it to you.
The registrar’s office will also provide you with a unique ‘Tell Us Once’ reference number. This online service enables you to inform most government departments of the death with one form. This is not available in Northern Ireland, but there is a helpful guide on the NI Direct website. If this service is not in your area, you may need to inform the following government departments individually:
Below is a list of other organisations you may need to inform. Not all will be relevant to you and it is not exhaustive, but it is a helpful place to start:
To figure out the value of an estate you will need to total the worth of everything the person owned when they passed away— this includes cash, property, and other valuable belongings. In the UK, there is a tax-free threshold of £325,000. Anything over that amount will be subject to inheritance tax.
It’s important to get the estate’s value right, so it’s recommended that you make a detailed list of all the person’s assets and subtract any debts they had. Also, if the person had given away any significant gifts in the last seven years of their life or left things to their spouse, partner, or a charity, these actions could change the tax situation.
To determine if there’s any inheritance tax to pay, and to ensure compliance with legal requirements, you can use tools such as the online inheritance tax checker provided by the government. This page can also provide you with more detailed information on how to value the estate.
To manage the finances and assets of someone who has died, you may need to apply for probate. Not everyone will need this, it often depends on how much that person owned when they passed and whether they left a will.
To find out if it is necessary, you can check with banks and see if the deceased owned any property alone. If the person who died only had savings and owned land with others, you may not need probate.
If you do need probate, you will also need to value the estate and check if you need to pay inheritance tax first. If there’s a will, the person named as the executor has to apply for probate. If there is not a will, the closest living relative can apply. You can find more details and apply for probate on the government website.
When someone dies, it’s essential to address their benefits, pensions, and taxes to ensure all financial matters are settled correctly.
Benefits such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), and others do not automatically stop upon death. You’ll need to inform the appropriate government offices. If your partner or spouse was the one who died and they were claiming benefits for the family, you may need to apply again under your name.
Pension arrangements can vary, but some may continue to provide for a spouse or dependents. Contact the pension provider to understand the next steps and whether any benefits will continue.
You must also notify the appropriate government departments about the death to manage tax matters, including potential inheritance tax. To inform these government departments in an easy and fast way, you can use the Tell Us Once service.
If someone loses the capacity to make decisions, maybe due to sickness or an accident, they can appoint one or more people to act on their behalf. This legal arrangement is called lasting or enduring power of attorney.
Power of attorney stops being valid when they pass away. At that point, handling their estate is governed by their will or, if there is no will, by standard legal regulations. If you need to check whether someone has a power of attorney, you can look this up through the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG). You can email or mail them a form using the information on the government website.
When someone dies without a will, they’re said to have died “intestate,” which means the rules set by law decide who inherits money, property and possessions.
A relative or close friend can volunteer to manage this. They need to get a “grant of letters of administration,” which is a legal document that authorises them to manage the estate. The specifics of who inherits what and how much will depend on the value of the estate and the family structure. To find out more about inheritance, you can use this guide on the government website.
If your right to stay in the UK depended on a relationship with someone who has died, you might need to reassess your visa status.
When a partner or family member passes away, you may qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain if your partner was a British citizen or had settled status. This allows you to continue living, working, and studying in the UK, and you might even qualify for public funds and eventually apply for British citizenship.
For more detailed information on eligibility, the application process, and necessary documents, or if your situation involves other visa types, read the UK government’s official guidance.
Bereavement affects everyone uniquely, and various resources are available to help manage grief and find support. Organisations like Cruse Bereavement Support and the National Bereavement Service are useful places to go for insights into the grieving process.
You can also access counselling and support through group or one-to-one sessions. Sue Ryder offers online bereavement support, including a community to talk to and video chat counselling. AtaLoss also provides a free live chat with a bereavement counsellor. If you also need guidance with practical or legal matters, Citizens Advice is a useful resource.
When someone we love passes away, planning their final farewell can be a helpful part of the grieving process. As you navigate through this difficult time, it may be helpful to check if the deceased left any specific wishes for their funeral— perhaps through a note, detailed instructions in their will, or a prepaid funeral plan. You can organise a funeral alongside taking care of any necessary legal and practical matters.
After the death has been verified by a medical professional, you can begin making funeral arrangements. You do not need a death certificate to arrange a funeral, but the death must be registered before the funeral can take place. The first step to arranging a funeral is to select a funeral director. They will take the deceased into their care, and you can start to organise the details. If a coroner’s investigation is needed, the funeral can only go ahead once all necessary tests have been completed and the coroner has released the body.
There are a few options for handling the body after death, the common choice is between cremation or burial. There are other options available to you like natural burials and direct cremation.
Aura is here to help you through this process. We specialise in direct cremation services that offer minimal fuss and compassionate care. We can provide services to those who need us now and those looking to set up a prepaid funeral plan for the future.
We also offer the opportunity to add an intimate service to the direct cremation. Alternatively, you can plan a celebration of life separately in your own time and to your loved one’s unique wishes.
Your chosen funeral director will oversee the collection and care of the body. For a burial, the body is typically embalmed and dressed for a viewing or service. For cremation, embalming is usually not necessary. Each step is handled with respect and sensitivity to carefully honour the person who has passed. You can read more about how Aura cares for your loved ones or get in touch if you have any questions.
A post-mortem examination may happen if the death was unexpected or suspicious and in this case, consent is not needed. A post-mortem may also occur by request from the family to find out the cause of death or if the hospital wishes to do medical research. In both of these cases, consent is needed from the family.
If the coroner is investigating the death through a post-mortem examination, this can impact how long it takes to arrange a funeral. This is because the body cannot be released until the coroner’s investigation is complete and permission for burial or cremation is granted.
However, you can be given an ‘interim’ certificate to begin practical and financial arrangements while the coroner’s inquest is ongoing.
If you have any other questions about practical and legal matters or need help arranging a funeral, please do not hesitate to contact us.
