Bereavements

We understand this is a difficult time and want to make the next steps as simple as possible. The first thing to do is to register the death at the local Register Office. They will give you a death certificate that you can use to formally notify people, like us.

The government website provides a wealth of information on this process, so if you need further information, they may be able to help.

Some of the terms used may not be familiar or confusing, so we have described them in more detail in this definitions document.

The National Bereavement Service can offer additional support during this difficult time - they can be contacted by email or telephone.

Funeral

Once you’ve registered the death and got a death certificate, you can arrange the funeral.

Most people use a funeral director who will guide you through the process and help you make arrangements. Find one who’s a member of the National Association of Funeral Directors or the Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors.

It’s possible to arrange a funeral yourself. You could contact the Natural Death Centre or the cemeteries and crematorium department of your local authority for help and information.

Dealing with the will

Sorting out the deceased’s assets and interests (called their ‘estate’) can be complicated. That’s why some people have a will with a named executor (which may be you) to distribute the estate.

This process is often referred to as managing or administering the estate. It involves collecting the assets belonging to the person who has died, paying any debts and distributing the estate to the people entitled to inherit.

You should find out if there was a will in place and check if you have the right to manage the estate. You can carry out a search with will registration companies. They will search their own databases and make local and national searches with solicitors and will writers. If you’re confident there wasn’t a will and you’re the next of kin (spouse, civil partner, child), you may be best placed to manage the estate – but you may need to apply for a letter of administration by post.

Please visit www.gov.uk/wills-probate-inheritance for more information.

Probate

Probate (known as Confirmation in Scotland) is the legal process for dealing with an estate.

A grant of representation (also know as grant of probate or grant of letters of administration) is a legal document that allows an individual to manage an estate.

This can either be the will left by the deceased, or if the individual died without a will, intestacy laws determine how the estate can be distributed.

If the amounts are small (less than £50,000) and don’t include land, property or shares – or if the estate was held jointly with the surviving spouse – you might not need it. It’s best to check by calling the HMRC probate line for guidance on the number below.

You can find out how the process differs in Scotland and Northern Ireland on the respective government websites.

HMRC probate helpline
0300 123 1072
Monday to Friday: 9:00am - 5:00pm

Getting in touch

Letting us know as soon as possible that an individual has passed helps us to process everything quickly and smoothly for you. When getting in touch, it's useful to have a plan number, policy number or wrapper number to hand. You can find this on a statement, contract note or policy schedule - this will help us to find details quickly.

If you need help finding out which option is right for you, please follow this link to our support page. On this page it will help you find the most direct points of contact for the product you want our help with or if you are struggling to find your plan/ policy number please use our policy finder.

If you're a solicitor or family member, we'll ask you to send an original death certificate to us.

Getting in touch via email or post

When you get in touch with us to let us know, there is some information that we will ask from you. Once you’ve let us know, we’ll update our systems and arrange for all marketing to stop.

Please make sure that your email or letter includes:

• Your name and telephone number
• The name of the person who has died and any policy number(s) they had. Don’t worry if you don’t have policy numbers to hand
• If you don’t have any policy details to hand, then we’ll ask for the date of birth and address of the person who has died
• Copy of Will
• Death Certificate
• Grant of Probate
• Your relationship to the person who has died
• Who the next of kin is
• Identification documents

For email addresses or postal addresses please select the relevant area below.

Letting us know as soon as possible that an individual has passed helps us to process everything quickly and smoothly for you. When getting in touch, it's useful to have a plan number, policy number or wrapper number to hand. You can find this on a statement, contract note or policy schedule - this will help us to find details quickly.

If you need help finding out which option is right for you, please follow this link to our support page. This will help you find the most direct points of contact for the product or service relevant to you, or if you are struggling to find your plan/ policy number please use our policy finder.

If you're a solicitor or family member, we'll ask you to send an original death certificate to us.