Deaths and funerals

Tell Us Once service

When someone has died, you will have lots of things to do, at a time when you probably least feel like doing them. One of these is letting government departments know about the death.

You can use the Tell Us Once service to report a death to most government organisations in one go. This means you don't have to tell departments individually. This a free service. You don't have to use Tell Us Once but it can be very helpful.

Many services can be notified, including:

  • the local council - to update services such Housing Benefit, Council Tax and remove the person from the electoral register
  • HM Revenue and Customs - to deal with personal tax and to update regarding Child Benefit and Tax Credits claims
  • Department for Work and Pensions - to update benefits information, for example, State Pension, Universal Credit
  • Passport Office - to cancel a British passport
  • Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) - to cancel a driving licence and to remove registered keeper details
  • public sector or Armed Forces Pension Schemes - to update pension records

Contact the Government's Tell Us Once service