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What to do when someone close to you dies
A step-by-step guide
We hope this guide answers any questions you might have.
It gives you practical information on how to notify and
confirm a death, what happens to someone’s accounts when
they die, what you’ll need to close their accounts and how to
get help with funeral costs.
We also appreciate that sorting out these issues may be the
last thing on your mind. So if you’d like to talk to someone to
help you through the steps you need to take, have a look at the
‘contact us’ page at the back of this leaflet. It tells you how you
can get in touch.
To help you remember everything you need to do, we’ve
included a checklist at the back too.
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Contents
The legal terms and phrases explained Page 4
Registering the death Page 5
Letting us know Page 6
Letting other financial providers know Page 7
Help with expenses Page 8
The will and the estate Page 9
Dealing with their tax and benefits Page 10
What we need to see to close a Nationwide account Page 10
What happens to the accounts they held Page 11
Debt with Nationwide Page 16
Payment information Page 16
Checklist Page 19
Useful websites Page 22
Contact us Page 23
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The legal terms and phrases explained
There are many legal terms used when someone dies. Here’s some of the most common
ones you’re likely to come across.
Administrator
The person appointed when either no will can be found or there is no executor to carry out
the intentions of the will.
Beneficiary
Someone who is entitled to receive a specific gift, sum of money or share of the estate.
Death Certificate
This is either the medical document issued by a qualified doctor, certifying the death of a
person and stating the cause if known, or more commonly the legal document you get
afterwards from a registrar, confirming the date, location and cause of the person’s death.
Estate
A person’s estate includes everything they own and everything that’s registered in their name.
Executor
The person or persons named in a will to deal with the estate following a person’s death.
Grant of Probate
This is the official document that confirms to the executors that they have authority to act
and which validates the will. Where there’s a will, this will be a ‘Grant of Probate’. Where
there’s no will, it will be ‘Letters of Administration’. In Scotland, this is known as ‘Certificate
of Confirmation’.
Inheritance Tax
A tax on the estate that generally applies when someone dies and when the value of their
estate is above a specific threshold. The tax is paid before the estate can be distributed to
the beneficiaries.
Intestate/Intestacy
When someone dies without leaving a valid will in place.
Letters of Administration
This is the official document that appoints people to handle a person’s estate, where there is
no will, no executors appointed in the will, no executors still living, or no executors willing to
carry out the executor’s duties.
Personal representative
This is the executor or administrator managing the deceased’s estate.
The personal representative is responsible for administering the estate, which means they
need to collect all the assets and pay all bills and debts that need to be paid. Depending on
how much money and assets the person who died had, the personal representative may
need to apply for a Grant of Probate – if so, then no accounts can be closed until they have
this document.
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Probate
Probate is the legal process of dealing with someone’s estate after they’ve died. It involves
collecting all of the person’s assets; their money, property and belongings – as well as
settling debts and paying any taxes due, then sharing out what’s left as directed in the will.
It’s usually the executor of their will who administers the estate, shares out its assets and
clears its debts. To get authority to do that, they usually need to get a legal document called
a ‘Grant of Probate’. For more information on how to do this, please visit the government
website on gov.uk
Will
A legal document which indicates who should benefit from the estate and how. It also
appoints an executor to administer and distribute the estate, and may appoint guardians or
contain funeral wishes.
Registering the death
The government’s website – gov.uk/registeradeath – is a good place to find everything
you need to know including who can register the death and what they’ll need to do.
Once you’ve registered the death, you’ll be given:
•
a death certificate, and
•
a certificate for burial or cremation.
It’s a good idea to ask for extra copies of the death certificate, as many organisations will
need to see an original version (there can be a fee for this).
The government’s Tell Us Once service
When someone dies, there are a number of government departments you’ll need to
inform. To help, the government offers a Tell Us Once service which lets you contact
several departments in one go, such as:
•
Department of Work and Pensions
•
Passport Office
•
HMRC
•
Local Authority
•
DVLA
This service is offered by most local authorities but isn’t available in Northern Ireland or
if the person was living permanently abroad. You can access this service online or by
phone when you register the death. You’ll need a unique reference number from the
registrar to do this.
If you don’t want to use Tell Us Once or it’s not available to you, our checklist at the back
includes the individual government departments you may need to tell about the death.
The government provides more guidance at www.gov.uk/afteradeath
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Letting us know
If you don’t yet have a death certificate
If you don’t yet have the death certificate and want to safeguard the account and stop
marketing, you can let us know by making an appointment in your local branch, by phone on
0800 464 3018, online through the Bereavement Support section of our website, or by
writing to Bereavement Services (address on page 22).
What we’ll need to know
•
Their full name, address, date of birth and the date of death.
•
The notifier’s name, address, telephone number, relationship to the deceased and,
optionally, their email address.
•
The personal representative’s name and address (if you know this yet) – this tells us who
to write to and who we can give information to.
What we’ll do once you let us know
•
If we know who the personal representative is, then we’ll write to them to let them know
what the next steps are. If this information is not provided we will take reasonable steps
to identify the personal representative so that we can get in touch.
•
We will restrict any withdrawals on sole accounts to safeguard them.
•
We will suppress any marketing (please note there may be occasions when marketing
material continues to arrive because it was already prepared for mailing, but this should
only be for a short period of time)
Once you have a death certificate
Once you have the original death certificate, or the coroner’s interim certificate, you can
register the death with us. Please just take the certificate or a certified copy into a branch or
send it to us by writing to Bereavement Services (address on page 22).
A ‘certified copy’ is a photocopy of the original document that has been certified to confirm
the original has been seen. We can do this for you in branch. When you register the death at
the registrar’s office you can alternatively pay for several copies of the death certificate so
you don’t have to go to the trouble of getting someone to endorse (certify) a photocopy.
If you’d like to go through the steps you need to take with one of our advisers in branch, this
is a good time to make an appointment. You can find your local branch’s phone number at
nationwide.co.uk/branchfinder or phone the bereavement Helpdesk on 0800 464 3018
If you’re the personal representative and you’re not a Nationwide member, we’ll need to see
your D such as a valid full UK passport or valid full photocard driving licence and a recent
proof of address such as a utility bill or bank statement. You can find details of acceptable
D at nationwide.co.uk or ask in branch or call us.
Your information may also be used for the prevention of money laundering. For more details
on how Nationwide use your information, please see nationwide.co.uk/privacy.
We’ll write to the personal representative to let them know what the next steps are and how
and when the accounts will be closed.
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Letting other nancial providers know
If the person who died had accounts with a number of different providers, there’s a free
online Death Notification Service (DNS) that lets you complete one notification that will be
sent to all the participating financial institutions you need to contact. For more information,
please go to deathnotificationservice.co.uk
The providers taking part in this service include:
•
Nationwide
•
Bank of Scotland
•
Barclaycard
•
Barclays
•
Halifax
•
HSBC
•
Lloyds Banking Group
•
Santander UK
•
Scottish Widows
•
The Royal Bank of Scotland/NatWest.
The full list of member organisations is available on the DNS website.
Please note that this is an online notification service only. If you use it, those organisations
will update their records and contact you within ten days to let you know the next steps.
Help with expenses
Paying for the funeral
If you’re arranging the funeral, you may need to pay for this upfront. There may be a life
insurance policy or sole funeral plan that’s already paid for the funeral  but if there isn’t we
can release money from the accounts of the person who’s died. If there isn’t enough money
in the account to pay all of the costs, we’ll release the available funds to help towards the
final bill.
To request funds for the cost of the funeral, please complete our ‘Personal Representative’s
request for funds to cover costs’ (F21) form and return it to us. To get hold of a copy of the
form, you can either:
•
find and print a copy from our website by searching ‘F21’
•
pick one up from one of our branches
•
or, give us a call on 0800 464 3018 and we can post one to you.
To return it to us, either take it to one of our branches or post it to Bereavement Services at
the address on page 22.
Please note if it’s an estimate we’ll only pay the deposit, if it’s the final invoice, we’ll pay the
full amount. All cheques will be made out to the Funeral Service provider. In exceptional
circumstances, you may be able to give us instructions to make an electronic payment
instead. There are more details about this in the ‘Payment information’ section of this
leaflet. You can call us on 0800 464 3018 if you want to discuss this with us.
If the funeral bill has been paid by the executor, as well as the funeral invoice, we’ll also need to
see a bank statement or credit card bill with their name and address, showing the payment.
Paying for Grant of Probate/Letter of Administration fees
You may need money to pay for other urgent expenses such as fees for Grant of Probate/
Letter of Administration. To cover these fees, just fill in a ‘Personal Representative’s request for
funds to cover costs’ (F21) form and return it to us in branch or by posting it to us at the
address on page 22. We don’t need to see the bill as we’ll make the cheque out to the court.
Paying Bills
We’re sorry, but we can’t release funds from the deceased member’s account to pay bills for
care home fees or utility bills. This is because there is generally an order of priority in which
the deceased’s estate debts should be settled. The Personal Representative of the estate will
manage all of this. Creditors such as care homes and utility providers will usually contact the
Personal Representative to manage the individual debts owed to them.
If you’d like some guidance on dealing with the financial affairs of someone who has died,
you may find these websites helpful:
Citizen’s Advice Bureau – citizensadvice.org.uk/family/deathandwills/dealingwiththe
financialaffairsofsomeonewhohasdied
Money Helper  moneyhelper.org.uk/en/familyandcare/deathandbereavement/dealing
withthedebtsofsomeonewhohasdied
Bereavement Advice Centre  bereavementadvice.org/topics/probateandlegal/insolvent
estates
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The will and the estate
The will
If there’s a will, we won’t need to see it to close or release funds from an account.
You can find out more information about wills, probate and inheritance tax at
gov.uk/willsprobateinheritance
Dealing with the estate
After someone dies, their estate is shared out according to their will or given to their next of
kin if no will was left. A person’s estate includes everything they own and everything that’s
registered in their name, things like:
•
money (cash, bank or building society accounts, money owed by others)
•
property
•
personal possessions (such as jewellery or a car)
•
insurance policies
•
stocks and shares.
Personal Representative
Being a personal representative (the ‘executor’ or ‘administrator’) is an important role as it’s
that person’s responsibility to carry out the administration of the estate. This can include:
•
collecting all the assets of the estate
•
dealing with any paperwork
•
settling any debts, taxes, funeral and administration costs
•
appointing a solicitor
•
applying for probate where needed.
Dealing with the estate yourself
You can deal with the estate yourself rather than appointing someone else to do it.
You can find out more about Grant of Probate at gov.uk
Appointing someone to administer the estate
You might find it easier to appoint a solicitor, chartered accountant, specialist probate
service or bank to handle the administration. Many personal representatives do this. Before
you do, however, bear in mind you’ll have to pay for these services.
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Dealing with their tax and benets
When someone dies, their tax, benefits and National Insurance will need to be sorted out
as soon as possible. There may be tax to pay, or their estate might be owed some tax back.
We can issue tax statements for the member’s sole accounts up until the date of their
death. If this would help, please call our bereavement helpdesk on 0800 464 30 18. Just
so you know, we’re only able to provide tax and interest information on joint accounts up
to the date the member died.
Inheritance Tax
If you’ve been named as the personal representative, you’ll be responsible for paying any
inheritance tax (HT) using funds from the person’s estate.
For payment of inheritance tax, please fill out a ‘HT423’ form and return it to us by post
(at the address on page 22) or by bringing it into one of our branches. You can search for
and download the form at gov.uk/inheritancetax. Once we receive the form we’ll pay
HMRC via an electronic payment.
You can find out more information about inheritance tax at gov.uk/inheritancetax
What we need to see to close a
Nationwide account
We’ll need to see different things to close an account depending on how much money is
held in it. The amount in the account also affects when the money can be released. We will
send you a ‘Request to Close Account(s)’ form when we have registered the death. If you’re
applying for a Grant of Probate, the original or certified copy of this document will need
to be sent to us, along with the request to close account forms.
Less than £50,000
We’ll need a completed ‘Request to Close Account(s)’ form.
£50,000+
We’ll need a completed ‘Request to Close Account(s)’ form and the Grant of Probate/
Letters of Administration.
What happens to the accounts they held
Current account
Joint current accounts
If the person who has passed away held a joint account, we’ll change the account to the
other account holder’s name only when we receive the death certificate. The other account
holder can then continue to use it.
Joint cards and chequebooks
We’ll cancel any cards and chequebooks that belonged to the person who died when we
receive the death certificate. You don’t need to return them. Any cards and chequebooks
owned by the other account holder won’t be affected.
Joint Direct Debits and standing orders
To cancel any Direct Debits, such as electricity or gas payments, the other account holder
should contact the relevant organisations.
To cancel any standing orders, the other account holder can either come into a branch or
call us on 03457 30 20 11. Lines are open 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week. They’ll need to give us
the account and payee details.
Sole current accounts
If the person who has passed away held a current account with us just in their name, it will
stay open until we receive the documents to close it.
Payments into the account, such as from the Department for Work and Pensions, may be
recalled.
Sole cards and chequebooks
We’ll cancel their card and chequebook when we receive the death certificate. You don’t
need to return them.
Sole Direct Debits and standing orders
Once we’ve received the death certificate, all Direct Debits and standing orders will be
cancelled. The personal representative will need to cancel any Direct Debits directly with
the organisations. They don’t need to do this for standing orders.
If there’s a Direct Debit to pay for home insurance, please check with the insurance
company that the house is still covered while the estate is being dealt with.
Overdrafts
If the account is overdrawn, the overdraft will need to be repaid from the estate.
Our probate partner, Phillips & Cohen Associates (UK), will contact the personal
representative to help with this. The personal representative can also phone them directly
on 0333 555 10 50. Lines are open MondayThursday 8am to 8pm, Friday 8am to 5.30pm
and Saturday 9am to 1pm (closed Sundays and bank holidays).
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What happens to the accounts they held
Savings
Cash SAs
An SA remains open until it’s closed or administration of the estate is complete, whichever
is earlier. During this time, it maintains its taxfree status.
After 3 years, if the account hasn’t been closed, we’ll move the balance into a taxable savings
account. It stays there until the personal representative asks for the money to be released.
Inheriting an SA allowance
If you’re the spouse or civil partner of the person who has died, you may be able to inherit an
additional SA allowance.
Members who died on or before 5 April 2018
SAs were closed from the date that the member’s death was registered. Money is held in a
nonSA account until the personal representative asks for it. Any interest, dividends or
gains from after the date of death may be taxable (depending on allowances).
Bonds
Joint accounts
If the person who has passed away held a joint account, we’ll change the account to the
other account holder’s name only when we receive the death certificate. It then becomes
solely theirs.
Sole accounts
If the bond is only in the name of the person who died, it will remain open until we receive
the documents to close it. There are no fees to pay, even if the account is closed early. We
automatically cancel the bond certificates.
eBonds
Joint accounts
If the person who has passed away held a joint account, and had eBonds linked to that
account, we’ll change the account to the other account holder’s name only when we receive
the death certificate. The account and the eBonds then become solely theirs.
Sole accounts
Because eBonds are linked to a Nationwide current account, they’ll be closed along with that
current account when we receive the death certificate. There won’t be any charges.
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Other savings accounts
Joint accounts
If the person who has passed away held a joint account, we’ll change the account to
the other account holder’s name only when we receive the death certificate. It then
becomes solely theirs.
Alternatively, the personal representative can close the account without having to pay
any fees or lose any interest. We’ll automatically cancel any related cards.
Sole accounts
An account that’s only in the name of the person who died remains open until we receive
the documents to close it.
Credit Card
If no money is owed on the card, we’ll close the account automatically when we receive
the death certificate.
Any outstanding money owed on the card will need repaying from the estate.
Our probate partner, Phillips & Cohen Associates (UK), will contact the personal
representative to help with this. The personal representative can also phone them
directly on 0333 555 10 50. Lines are open Monday to Thursday 8am to 8pm, Friday
8am to 5
:
30pm and Saturday 9am to 1pm (closed on Sundays and bank holidays).
If the account has a credit balance
The account will stay open until we receive the documents to close it.
If the person who died was the primary card account holder
The primary card account holder is the person who took out the card account with us
and was responsible for paying the bills.
The account will be closed when we receive the death certificate, and any additional
cards linked to it will be cancelled. Any additional card holder will need to apply for a
new credit card if they’re eligible.
If the person who died was an additional card holder on someone else’s
Nationwide credit card
Additional card holders have no responsibility for paying the bills. We’ll remove their
name from the account once we receive the death certificate, and the primary card
holder can continue to use the card.
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What happens to the accounts they held
Mortgages
Once we’ve been told about the death, we’ll freeze the mortgage account. Doing this
means we won’t take any regular payments during that time, although interest will still
be charged.
• If it’s a joint account: we’ll freeze it for 3 months. After that time, we’ll recalculate
payments over the remaining term of the mortgage to take in to account any
increase in balance. If the remaining account holder or personal representative would
prefer not to have the mortgage frozen, they can call us and ask us not to do this.
• If it’s a sole account: we’ll freeze it for 12 months as standard – this period can’t be
cancelled. After that time, the mortgage will need to be repaid. We’ll recalculate
payments over the remaining term of the mortgage to take in any increase in balance.
The personal representative can set up a standing order or bank transfer payment if
they wish to continue making payments to the mortgage.
If the personal representative has any questions about this, they can call the
Bereavement Helpdesk on 0800 464 30 18. Lines are open MondayFriday 9am to 5pm,
and between 9am and 12pm on Saturdays. Or, by post to Bereavement Services at the
address on page 22.
Personal loan
Joint loans
If the person who has passed away held a joint loan, we’ll change the loan to the other loan
holder’s name only when we receive the death certificate. It then becomes solely theirs.
Sole loan accounts
If the loan is only in the name of the person who has died, we’ll let the personal
representative know how much needs to be repaid. The amount owed could be covered
by life or payment insurance. But if there’s no policy in place or it cannot cover the total
amount owed, it will need repaying from the estate.
Our probate partner, Phillips & Cohen Associates (UK), will contact the personal
representative to help with this. The personal representative can also phone them
directly on 0333 555 10 50. Lines are open Monday to Thursday 8am to 8pm, Friday
8am to 5
:
30pm and Saturday 9am to 1pm (closed on Sundays and bank holidays).
Investments
The person who has died may have had an investment plan with Nationwide. If so,
please contact our investments provider, Aegon, to discuss this.
You can phone Aegon UK on 0345 272 00 89.
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Home insurance
If the policy is in the name of the person who died
If the person who has died was the other policy holder’s spouse or civil partner, we’ll let
our insurer know what’s happened. They can update the policy so it’s in the other policy
holder’s name, and the cover will continue until the probate is finished. To do this, the
insurance company will contact the personal representative to get some further details.
The personal representative can also phone them directly on 0800 145 60 60. Lines
are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Once probate is complete, the beneficiary will need to arrange a new policy.
If there are any changes at the property (for example, if it’s no longer lived in), the
personal representative will need to let the insurer know.
Finally, if the policy was paid by Direct Debit, the personal representative should check
that the house is still covered while the estate is being dealt with.
Joint policies
If the person who has passed away held a joint policy, we’ll notify our insurer when we
receive the death certificate. They will change the policy to the other account holder’s
name only and send them confirmation of this.
Trustee accounts
If there’s a trust deed
If there’s a trust deed for the account, it should explain what happens when a trustee dies.
If there’s no trust deed
If there’s no trust deed for the account, the personal representative of the deceased
trustee can choose to:
•
add a new trustee
•
leave it with any remaining trustee(s) to manage the account
•
transfer the account to the beneficiary
•
close the account.
If you’re the personal representative and not sure what to do, please get legal advice.
Life Insurance
The person who has died may have had a life insurance policy with Nationwide. If so,
please contact our life insurance provider, Legal & General, to discuss this.
You can phone Legal & General on 0345 674 07 83.
Payment information
Payment type When we receive
your payment
instructions
When payments
normally arrive at the
recipient’s bank
Can you cancel your
instruction?
Internal
Transfers (to a
Nationwide
account)
Once we have
received your
completed ‘Request
to Close Account(s)’
form, we may call
you to confirm the
payment details
with you, and your
payment instruction
may be taken on the
phone during that
conversation.
Your payment will arrive
within 1 working day of us
sending it. Payments are
made on working days only.
No, you cannot
normally cancel a
payment after we have
accepted your
instruction.
Payment types made by exception
CHAPS –
payments within
the UK in
pounds sterling
Once we have
received your
completed ‘Request
to Close Account(s)’
form, we may call
you to confirm the
payment details
with you (including
any transaction fee),
and your payment
instruction is given
to us on the phone
during that
conversation.
Your payment will arrive
within 1 working day of us
sending it. Payments are
made on working days only.
We’ll send the money from
the savings account to a
Nationwide Sundries
account, which supports
external payments.
Once the money is in our
Sundries account, we’ll
send the payment by
CHAPS. This payment will
arrive at the receiving bank
by the end of the next
working day following the
date of payment.
No, you cannot
normally cancel a
payment after we have
accepted your
instruction.
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Debt with Nationwide
If there was any borrowing with us, such as a credit card, a loan or an overdraft in only their
name, that debt will need to be repaid, if the estate has enough money to cover it.
Our probate partner Phillips & Cohen Associates (UK) will contact the personal
representative to help with this. If you want to contact them directly, their phone number
is 0333 555 1050.
Please remember, we’re here to help so if you’ve got any questions about this, please call
our bereavement helpdesk on 0800 464 30 18.
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SWFT – an
international
payment; or a
foreign currency
payment to
another account
within the UK
Once we have
received your
completed Request
to Close account(s)
form, we may call
you to confirm the
payment details
(including any
transaction fee) and
the exchange rate
that will apply to
your payment. Your
payment instruction
is given to us on the
phone during that
conversation.
For a payment in an EEA
currency or pounds
sterling to a country in the
EEA: your payment will
arrive at the receiving
bank within 1 working day.
For a payment to a country
within the EEA or the UK
that is not in an EEA
currency: your payment
will normally arrive within
4 working days.
Payments made outside
the EEA will take longer
– please ask us for details.
Payments are made on
working days only.
If the payment is being
made from a savings
account, we’ll send the
money from the savings
account to a Nationwide
Sundries account, which
supports external
payments.
No, you cannot
normally cancel a
payment after we have
accepted your
instruction.
SEPA Credit
Transfer – a
payment in
euros to an
account in the
Single Euro
Payments Area.
Once we have
received your
completed Request
to Close account(s)
form, we may call
you to confirm the
payment details
(including any
transaction fee) and
the exchange rate
that will apply to
your payment. Your
payment instruction
is given to us on the
phone during that
conversation.
Your payment will arrive
within 1 working day of us
sending it. Payments are
made on working days only.
If the payment is being
made from a savings
account, we’ll send the
money from the savings
account to a Nationwide
Sundries account, which
supports external
payments.
You can ask us to cancel
a SEPA payment and
ask the recipient’s bank
to return the money if
you’ve made duplicate
payments by mistake,
there has been a
technical fault or
someone else has
fraudulently made the
payment from your
account. You must ask
us to cancel the
payment within 10
working days of the
payment date but there
is no guarantee that the
recipient’s bank will
return the payment.
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Important information about the
payment service:
Terms and Conditions
1. These conditions will apply when you post your ‘Request to Close Account(s)’ form
(SF220) to us. They apply in addition to the terms and conditions which applied to
the account before it was closed, and they take priority if they are different to those
account terms and conditions.
2. You need to complete the ‘Request to Close Account(s)’ form and post it back to us
following instructions set out in the form.
3. W
e may call you about your request – your agreement given during the phone call
is your consent for us to make the payment in accordance with the ‘Request to
Clo
se Account(s)’ form, the details set out in the table above and these conditions.
4.
In order to process your payment instruction, we need a correctly completed
‘Request to Close Account(s)’ form, for the account the funds are to be paid to. We
will confirm your name and address to make sure we are meeting our obligations
under UK Money Laundering Regulations. If any information on the form is missing,
incomplete or we require further information or documentation (such as D), we’ll
reject the instruction and let you know using any of the contact details we have for
you. If this happens, you may need to complete a new ‘Request to Close Account(s)’
form and resubmit it along with the required evidence.
5.
For SWFT or SEPA payments in a foreign currency, we will convert your payment into
your chosen currency using our standard outbound exchange rate which applies at
the time we process the payment. We will tell you what that is when we call you to
confirm a few details about the payment instruction. Details of our standard
outbound exchange rates can be found at nationwide.co.uk/exchangerates
6.
After your payment is processed, we’ll send you written communication confirming
details of the transaction.
7.
These terms and conditions are governed by English law and the language we use
in them and in our communications with you is English. If you want to bring a claim
against us in the courts, you can do so in the courts of England and Wales or in the
courts which are local to where you live.
8.
We won’t be liable if things go wrong as a result of things beyond our control, such
as abnormal or unforeseeable circumstances, the consequences of which we could
not have avoided, or where they have resulted from us having to comply with law.
9. If the account is being closed to make the payment, the closing balance will include
any interest earned on the account since the last interest payment was made. This
me
ans that the closing balance may be different to the current balance held in the
account.
19
Your checklist
We’ve put together a checklist of people and organisations you may need to contact.
When you do, it’s worth having to hand the following information about the person
who has died:
•
their National Insurance number
•
their NHS number
•
their date and place of birth
•
their date of marriage or civil partnership (if applicable)
•
their tax reference number (if applicable)
•
their passport and driving licence number (if applicable).
It’s also a good idea to have their personal representatives’ names and addresses.
Don’t forget the government’s
Tell Us Once service
If you can use it, it’s such a handy service.
It covers:
•
HMRC
•
your local council
•
the Department for Work and Pensions
•
the Passport Office.
•
the DVLA
Fraud awareness
We’re committed to helping our members protect themselves against fraud.
For more information on fraud awareness you can contact us on 0800 464 3018
or visit nationwide.co.uk/support/securitycentre/fraudawareness/cardfraud
20
What you need to do: your checklist
Please treat this as a guide as it won’t be right for everyone.
Legal things to do Complete
Obtain a medical certificate from the hospital/doctor
Register the death, find out more on gov.uk/registeradeath
Obtain copies of the certified death certificate
If there is a will, check if there are any specific requests
(for example, to do with their funeral)
Contact funeral director
Notify solicitors/accountant
Notify the executors named in the will or appoint an administrator
Government organisations to contact if you’re not using the
Tell Us Once service
Complete
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to deal with tax and cancel
benefits
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to cancel any benefits
such as Income Support
HM Passport Office (HMPO) to cancel a passport
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to cancel a driving
licence (you will need to send the registration certificate V5C)
The local council, to cancel housing benefit, council tax benefit,
a Blue Badge, inform council housing services and remove the
person from the electoral register
Housing: who to contact Complete
Their mortgage provider, landlord or local authority
Royal Mail to arrange a redirection service
Utility companies such as phone, water, gas, electric
Any private organisation or agency providing home help
TV or internet companies
21
Financial things to sort out
Complete
Bank or building society accounts and National Savings
Direct Debits and standing orders
Check bank statements for regular payment credits and contact
those firms to stop the receipt of payments into the account
Credit cards and store cards
Subscriptions to clubs, groups or magazines
Recurring VSA payments, for example Netflix
Insurance policies such as house, car, travel, medical. If the person
who has died was named first on an insurance policy, make contact
as early as possible to ensure you’re still insured
Pensions providers and life insurance companies
Mobile phone contracts
Companies with which they may have had
rental, hire purchase or loan agreements
Other organisations and people to contact
Complete
Clubs, trade unions or associations to cancel their membership
and possibly secure a refund
Their doctor or hospital to cancel any appointments
Their dentist and optician
Their church or regular place of worship
22
Useful websites
Help and Bereavement Support
•
Cruse Bereavement Care – cruse.org.uk
Help with understanding and coping with grief following the death of someone close.
•
The Samaritans – samaritans.org
A completely confidential service offering support for any type of emotional distress.
•
Child Bereavement UK – childbereavementuk.org
Information, training and specialised support for when a child dies or a child is
bereaved.
•
Age UK – ageuk.org.uk
Free help and advice from the UK’s largest charity dedicated to helping people make
the most of later life.
•
Widowed and Young
Support group for young widowed men and women across the UK, married or not,
with children or without.
Tel: 0300 012 4929
Web: widowedandyoung.org.uk
Funeral services
•
National Association of Funeral Directors – nafd.org.uk
Help with finding a registered funeral director in your area.
•
The British Humanist Association – humanism.org.uk/ceremonies
Help with arranging nonreligious funerals and ceremonies.
•
The Natural Death Centre – naturaldeath.org.uk
A charity offering support and guidance when planning a funeral.
Financial and legal advice
•
The Probate Service – theprobateservice.org
Guidance for dealing with probate and inheritance tax.
•
Citizens Advice Bureau – citizensadvice.org.uk
Free legal advice and support.
•
HM Revenue & Customs
Pay As You Earn and Self Assesment
HM Revenue and Customs, BX9 1AS, United Kingdom
Tel: 0300 200 3300
or visit www.hmrc.gov.uk
•
The General Register Office
PO Box 2, Southport PR82 2JD
Email: [email protected].uk
23
Contact us
In branch
Book an appointment to speak to one of the team at your local branch. You can pop in to
make an appointment or if you’d rather do it over the phone, you can find your branch’s
phone number at nationwide.co.uk/branchfinder
By post
You can write to us at:
Bereavement Services
Specialist Customer Support
Nationwide Building Society
Swindon
Wiltshire
SN38 3FN
By phone
Call our bereavement team on:
0800 464 30 18
Lines are open:
Mon to Fri 9am to 5pm, Sat 9am to 12pm
Specialist Support Services
Our team have received specialist training to provide a confidential service for
customers affected by illness or an unexpected change in their personal circumstances.
Find out more at nationwide.co.uk/help/challengingtimes
P3162 (April 2024)
Ask in branch
Call 0800 464 30 18
Visit the Help & Support pages of our website
Nationwide Building Society. Head Office: Nationwide House, Pipers Way, Swindon, Wiltshire SN38 1NW.
You can receive this document and others like it, in Braille, large
print or on audio CD.
Just call 03457 30 20 11 or visit your local branch if you’d like us
to arrange this for you.
If you have hearing or speech difficulties:
•
You can use Text Relay if you have a textphone. Dial 18001,
followed by the phone number you want to ring
•
SignVideo is also available if you’re deaf and use British Sign
Language. Just visit Signvideo.co.uk
To find out about other
ways we may be able to help, search
‘accessibility tools’ on nationwide.co.uk
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