What to do when someone dies

When someone close to you dies, the first days can feel overwhelming, and nobody expects you to know what to do. This guide takes you through each step in order, from the first hours to the funeral and the estate. It also shows where the rules differ in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Key points

• Nothing has to be done in the first hour except making sure the death is confirmed. Take a moment if you need it.
• In England and Wales, a medical examiner reviews every death that a coroner is not investigating. You register the death within 5 days of their office confirming that you can.
• In Scotland you register within 8 days of the death, at any registration office. In Northern Ireland you register within 5 days, and the registrar can often do this with you by phone.
• You are free to choose any funeral director. Every funeral director must publish a Standardised Price List, so you can compare prices.
• Tell Us Once reports the death to most government bodies in one go in England, Scotland and Wales. It is not available in Northern Ireland.

The first few hours

What happens first depends on where the person died and whether the death was expected.

If the death was expected at home

If the person was terminally ill or very frail and died peacefully at home, there is no need to call 999. Call their GP surgery or, out of hours, NHS 111. If a community nurse or hospice team was involved, call them. A doctor, nurse or paramedic will come to verify the death (confirm that it has happened).

Once the death has been verified, you can call a funeral director when you feel ready, whether that is within the hour or the next morning. There is no rush. In Northern Ireland, nidirect advises calling the family doctor during surgery hours or the on-call doctor outside them.

If the death was unexpected

If someone dies suddenly or unexpectedly, call 999. The operator will tell you what to do and whether to try resuscitation. Paramedics will attend, and the police will usually come too. This is routine and does not mean anyone is under suspicion. Try not to move the person or disturb anything around them.

The death will be reported to a coroner in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or to the procurator fiscal in Scotland. The person may be taken to a mortuary so that the cause of death can be established. The funeral director who carries out this transfer for the coroner is not necessarily the one you have to use for the funeral. The CMA’s Funerals Order bans funeral directors from seeking your business while they are acting for a coroner or the police.

If the person died in hospital or a hospice

The staff will confirm the death and look after the person. They will explain what happens next, usually through a bereavement office. That office will tell you how the cause of death is being certified, when you can register, and how to collect the person’s belongings. The person stays in the hospital mortuary, or in the hospice’s care, until your chosen funeral director collects them.

If the person died in a care home

Care home staff will contact a doctor or nurse to verify the death and will call the family. They may ask which funeral director you would like. You can take your time and choose any funeral director. Under the CMA’s Funerals Order, funeral directors must not offer care homes, hospitals or hospices inducements or referral arrangements to steer families their way.

If the person died abroad

The death must be registered in the country where it happened, following local rules. Contact the nearest British embassy, high commission or consulate for help. You can then either hold the funeral locally or bring the person home (repatriation). To bring them home you will need a certified translation of the death certificate and permission to remove the body. You then take the paperwork to the register office where the funeral will take place. If you might want an inquest in England or Wales, do not arrange a cremation abroad. See our repatriation guide.

The medical certificate and the medical examiner

Before a death can be registered, a doctor must record the cause on a medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD).

• England and Wales: Since 9 September 2024, every death is either reviewed by a medical examiner or investigated by a coroner. A medical examiner is a senior doctor who was not involved in the person’s care. Their office will usually phone you to explain the cause of death and to ask whether you have any questions or concerns about the care. This conversation is voluntary. The medical examiner then sends the certificate to the registrar and tells you that you can register. The 5-day deadline starts at that point. The ONS found that the median time from death to registration rose from 6 to 8 days after the reform, so allow for this when planning.
• Scotland: The doctor sends the MCCD to the registrar electronically. Some certificates are chosen at random for review by the Death Certification Review Service, which should add no more than 1 to 3 working days. If the funeral must happen quickly, ask the registration office about advance registration.
• Northern Ireland: A doctor who has treated the person in the last 28 days emails the MCCD to the General Register Office. There is no statutory medical examiner system yet, although an independent medical examiner prototype service reviews some hospital deaths.

For more detail, read medical examiners, coroners and post-mortems.

Registering the death

Registering the death is free. It is usually done by a relative, but others can do it too. The main differences between the nations are:

If you need more than 5 days in England and Wales, tell the register office straight away. Our death registration deadline tool works out your date. How to register a death covers who can register and what to bring, and death certificates explains how many copies to buy.

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the funeral usually cannot take place until the death is registered, unless a coroner has authorised it. In Scotland the funeral cannot go ahead until the death is registered.

Choosing a funeral director

Before you book anything, check whether the person left written wishes or a prepaid funeral plan. Plan paperwork is often kept with the will. Funeral plans have been regulated by the FCA since 29 July 2022.

When comparing funeral directors:

• Compare Standardised Price Lists. Under the CMA’s Funerals Market Investigation Order 2021, every funeral director must show a price list in the same format in their branches and on their website. It includes an attended funeral price and an unattended funeral (direct cremation or burial) price.
• Ask what is included, such as collection, care, the coffin, the hearse and the fees paid to others (such as crematorium and minister fees).
• Check regulation. In Scotland, funeral directors have had to follow a statutory Code of Practice since 1 March 2025. In England and Wales there is no dedicated regulator yet, but many firms belong to a trade association.
• Think about faith and culture. Some families need a funeral director who can arrange a burial within a day or two, or who has experience of particular rites.

You can find funeral directors near you, browse independent funeral directors, or read how to choose a funeral director. For typical prices, see our funeral costs guide and direct cremation guide.

Telling people and organisations

Start with close family and friends. It is fine to ask one person to pass the news on for you.

Tell Us Once (England, Scotland and Wales) lets you report the death to HMRC, the DWP, the Passport Office, the DVLA, the local council, Veterans UK, Social Security Scotland and some public sector pension schemes in one go. The registrar will offer it when you register, or give you a reference number that you must use within 28 days. It is not available in Northern Ireland. There, the Department for Communities’ Bereavement Service tells the offices that were paying the person’s benefits. See our Tell Us Once guide.

You will still need to contact these organisations yourself:

• banks, building societies and credit card providers
• mortgage lenders, landlords or the housing association
• insurers, especially for home and car insurance, since cover may lapse
• private and workplace pension providers
• utility, phone, broadband and TV companies
• the person’s employer, and any clubs, subscriptions and places of worship
• the Bereavement Register or Deceased Preference Service, to reduce post addressed to the person

Our when someone dies checklist helps you keep track.

If you were the person’s husband, wife or civil partner, you don’t have to change your own name — but if you’d like to go back to a previous surname later, see changing your name after a bereavement.

Money and paying for the funeral

The funeral is usually paid for from the person’s estate, but the person who signs the funeral director’s contract is responsible for the bill. Many banks will pay the funeral invoice directly from the person’s account before probate. Ask the bank’s bereavement team.

If you get certain benefits, you may qualify for a Funeral Expenses Payment (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) or a Funeral Support Payment (Scotland). If your husband, wife, civil partner or (in some cases) cohabiting partner died, you may be able to get Bereavement Support Payment. Claim within 3 months to get the full amount. See help paying for a funeral and our help with funeral costs checker.

Dealing with the estate

The estate is everything the person owned, minus their debts. The executor named in the will deals with it. If there is no will, the closest relative usually does.

• Find the original will. It may be at home, with a solicitor or with the Probate Registry.
• Secure the home and possessions, and tell the home insurer that the property is empty.
• Value the estate and check whether Inheritance Tax is due. Normally no tax is due below £325,000, or if everything goes to a spouse, civil partner or charity.
• Apply for probate (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) or confirmation (Scotland) if banks or other organisations require it.
• Do not sell property or share out money until you have the grant.

Do I need probate? explains when a grant is needed and how to apply.

A death in the family is also a common moment to think about your own affairs. If you don’t have a will, or yours is out of date, you can write or update a will online in England and Wales — and see how to record your funeral wishes so your family knows what you’d want.

Looking after yourself

Grief can affect your sleep, memory and concentration, so be gentle with yourself. Most of these tasks can wait a few days, apart from confirming the death and registering it. Let people help with meals, phone calls or the paperwork. If you work, read about bereavement leave and pay.

If you are struggling, talk to your GP, or contact a bereavement charity such as Cruse Bereavement Support. Our guides to coping with grief and bereavement support list more organisations. If children are affected, see children and funerals.

Where to get help

• When someone dies checklist: a printable step-by-step list
• Death registration deadline tool
• Find a funeral director, crematoria and cemeteries
• Faith-specific help: faith and belief guides, plus Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and Sikh funeral directors
• Funeral cost calculator
• Glossary of funeral terms