Someone Has Died, What Do I Need to Do First?

When somebody dies, grief can arrive at the same moment as a list of things that apparently need doing.

If you have never dealt with a death before, it can feel as though everybody else knows the process and you do not.

You do not need to understand probate, pensions, bank accounts and the whole estate today. The first steps are much smaller.

First: what happens to the person who has died?

What happens immediately depends on where and how the person died.

If they died in a hospital, hospice or care setting, staff will normally explain the immediate arrangements.

If somebody dies at home and the death was expected, the healthcare professionals involved in their care can explain what happens next. If the death is unexpected or the circumstances are unclear, different procedures can apply and the death may need to be reported to a coroner.

Follow the instructions of the healthcare, emergency or coroner service involved rather than trying to arrange everything yourself.

The cause of death is now independently scrutinised

In England and Wales, the medical examiner system is part of the process for deaths that are not investigated by a coroner.

GOV.UK explains that after a doctor confirms the death, a medical examiner checks the cause of death. The medical examiner is a senior doctor who was not involved in the person’s care.

Their office will tell you when the death can be registered and can explain the recorded cause of death.

You do not necessarily register the death immediately

Wait until the medical examiner’s office confirms that registration can take place, unless a different process applies because the coroner is involved.

Current GOV.UK guidance says the death should then be registered within 5 days of that confirmation in England and Wales. If you need longer, contact the register office immediately.

This is an important change from the older idea that every death simply had to be registered within five days of the death itself.

Find out whether there is a will, but do not start distributing things

At an early stage, it is useful to establish whether a will exists and who is named as executor.

That does not mean the executor should immediately give away possessions or divide money.

The estate may contain debts, tax issues, jointly owned assets or property, and probate may be needed before some assets can be dealt with.

Choose one place for paperwork

Create a physical folder, box or secure digital record.

Keep the death certificate information, registrar paperwork, funeral information, will, letters, account details and notes of calls together.

Write down who you spoke to and when. Grief can make memory and concentration unreliable, and the same organisation may need to be contacted more than once.

Tell Us Once can remove some of the repetition

When the death is registered, the registrar can explain Tell Us Once.

This government service can notify a range of public bodies, including HMRC, DWP, the Passport Office, DVLA and the local council.

It does not notify every private organisation. Banks, utilities, insurers, employers and most private pension providers may still need separate contact.

What can wait?

You usually do not need to empty the home, cancel every account, sell property or decide what happens to every possession immediately.

Some notifications should be made promptly, particularly where continuing pension or benefit payments could create overpayments. But much of the wider administration can be worked through in stages.

Make the next list, not the whole list.

Last reviewed

6 September 2026

Important informationThis guide provides general information and is not intended to provide legal, financial, medical or other professional advice. Procedures can differ depending on where the person died, where they lived, whether a coroner is involved and the circumstances of the estate. Check current official guidance and seek advice from an appropriately qualified professional where needed.