Helping families and carers

 

We have put together a guide with information from outside organisations to help navigate the steps and support available in the event of a bereavement.

 

Governmental guidance and support is available to assist with any advice including:

·         Registering the death 

·         Arranging a funeral

·         Telling the relevant government departments about the death (one notification)

·         Checking if there are bereavement benefits and:

o   Dealing with their own benefits, pension and taxes

o   Checking if an application must be made to stay in the UK 

·         Dealing with the estate of the deceased.

 

The Tell Us Once service allows you to report a death to most government departments with one communication. 

These are:

·           HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to deal with personal tax (you need to contact HMRC separately for business taxes such as VAT)

·           The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to cancel benefits and entitlements, for example universal credit or state pension

·           The Passport Office to cancel a British passport

·           The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to cancel a licence and remove the person as the keeper of up to five vehicles (contact DVLA separately if you keep or sell a vehicle or keep a personalised number plate)

·           The local council to cancel housing benefit, council tax reduction (sometimes called council tax support) or a blue badge, to inform council housing services and to remove the person from the electoral register

·           Veterans UK to cancel Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payment.

 

If the registrar confirms that the service is available, then you will be given the contact telephone number and a unique reference code which must be used within 84 days. 

Before contacting the Tell Us Once service, you will need the following details of the person who died:

·      Date of birth

·      National Insurance number

·      Driving licence number

·      Vehicle registration number

·      Passport number

and any:

·           Benefits or entitlements they were receiving – for example, a state pension

·           Local council services they were receiving – for example, a blue badge

·           Details of any public sector or armed forces pension schemes they were receiving or paying into

as well as:

·           The name, address, telephone number and the National Insurance number or date of birth of any surviving spouse or civil partner 

·           The name and address of their next of kin – if there is no surviving spouse or civil partner or their spouse or civil partner is not able to deal with their affairs

·           The name, address and contact details of the person or company dealing with their estate (property, belongings, and money), known as their ‘executor’ or ‘administrator’

 

Should the Tell Us Once service not be available in your area or you do not wish to use it then you will have to inform the various government departments yourself. This is in addition to banks, building societies, insurance companies, television companies, utility companies and landlords or housing associations. 

 

Bereavement support

In England, there are several organisations supporting bereavement including some that offer specific support dependent on the nature of the loss.

·         www.childbereavementuk.org

·         www.ataloss.org

·         www.cruse.org.uk

·         www.suicidebereavementuk.com

·         www.ssafa.org.uk