NS&I Bereavement: Notifying Them and Premium Bonds After Death
Checked against current GOV.UK probate and Inheritance Tax guidance for England & Wales (2026/27).
- Make one NS&I bereavement claim online (no online account needed); you do not need to contact each product separately.4
- Premium Bonds can stay in the prize draw for 12 months after the date of death, then stop. Prizes won in that time are paid by warrant to whoever is entitled to the money.4
- Whether NS&I needs a Grant of Probate depends on the total held with them; confirm the current limit when you make the claim rather than assuming.2
- Bonds are repaid to the estate, not passed on — a beneficiary who wants Premium Bonds must buy their own.
NS&I handles Premium Bonds and savings after a death through a single bereavement claim form. Bonds can stay in the monthly prize draw for 12 months after death and must be repaid: they can't be transferred to someone else.4
Quick answer
Make the claim online on NS&I's bereavement page (you don't need an online account), or call NS&I on 08085 007 007 (+44 1772 329880 from abroad). NS&I says it may ask for a grant of probate if the person's total NS&I savings are £5,000 or over, and can ask for one at any value. Premium Bonds can stay in the prize draw for 12 months after the date of death; prizes are paid by warrant to whoever is entitled to the money.4 NS&I expects to be back to its usual 14-day response time for new claims by the end of October 2026. Checked on nsandi.com on 20 October 2026. This is general guidance, not legal advice.
| Make a claim | Online on NS&I's bereavement page, without creating an online account. One claim covers all the person's NS&I products. |
|---|---|
| Phone | 08085 007 007 (NS&I's main line); from abroad +44 1772 329880. Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm, Saturday and Sunday 8am to 6pm; closed on bank holidays.6 |
| Probate needed? | NS&I may ask for a grant if total NS&I savings are £5,000 or over, and can ask at any value |
| Premium Bonds | Can stay in the draw for 12 months after the date of death. Prizes are paid by warrant (like a cheque), not electronically, and can't be saved up to the end of the 12 months. |
| Response time | Back to the usual 14-day standard for new claims by the end of October 2026; it reached eight weeks in spring and early summer |
| Death Notification Service | NS&I is not a member, so contact NS&I directly |
Source: NS&I: what to do if a customer has died, checked 20 October 2026. Details can change, so confirm with them before you rely on them.
NS&I (National Savings and Investments) is a government-backed savings provider that manages products including Premium Bonds, the Direct Saver, Income Bonds, and Guaranteed Growth Bonds. For executors, NS&I has two features that catch people off guard: a notably low probate threshold, and specific rules around Premium Bonds prize draws after death. This guide explains both and covers everything you need to do to close NS&I accounts and encash Premium Bonds as part of estate administration.
2026: NS&I is repaying estates it underpaid. NS&I found that its search for a deceased customer's products had missed some accounts, so some estates were not repaid everything. On 19 May 2026 it put the number at up to 34,000 estates, worth about £367 million. Families don't need to do anything: NS&I is contacting the executors or personal representatives of every affected estate with £10 or more, adding interest, and expects to finish paying in the first half of 2027.5 If you have already closed an estate that held NS&I products, keep the estate bank details and the executors' contact details up to date in case NS&I writes.
How to notify NS&I of a death
NS&I has a dedicated bereavement process for all of its products. You can notify them in two main ways:
- Online: NS&I's own page says the first step is to make a claim, which can be done online without creating an online account. You give the person's full name, address, date of birth, date and place of death, any previous names and addresses, the executor or administrator's details, the types of account held, and bank details for the payment.4
- Telephone: NS&I's main line, 08085 007 007, can answer questions about the claim.6
There is no NS&I high street branch network, so in-person options are not available. The telephone and online routes cover all NS&I products. When you make contact, NS&I will tell you exactly which documents they need for each product type the deceased held.
The Death Notification Service (deathnotificationservice.co.uk) does not cover NS&I, so you will need to contact NS&I directly rather than through that service.
Bonus 1 in the Probate Starter Pack is a bank and provider bereavement directory: NS&I's number and hours, and the point at which it asks for a grant, alongside the main banks, so every call is on one page.
Documents you will need
NS&I will require the following to process a bereavement claim:
- Original death certificate or certified copy issued by the register office. Order at least eight to ten certified copies when you register the death. Ordering additional copies later is more expensive and causes delays.
- Proof of your identity: a passport or driving licence for the executor or next of kin making the claim.
- Proof of your address: a utility bill or bank statement dated within the last three months.
- NS&I account or bond details: the holder's NS&I account number, Premium Bond holder's number, or bond certificate numbers where available. NS&I can trace accounts if these are not to hand, but having the numbers speeds up the process.
- Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration: required if the total NS&I holding exceeds their release threshold. NS&I will confirm whether this applies when you make contact.
The Grant of Probate is not needed to begin the notification. It is only required at the point of releasing funds, and only if the threshold is exceeded.
NS&I's probate threshold
NS&I has a significantly lower probate threshold than most high street banks. This is one of the most common surprises for executors dealing with estates that include Premium Bonds or NS&I savings accounts.
NS&I's bereavement page says it may ask for a Grant of Representation if the customer's total NS&I savings are £5,000 or over, and that it reserves the right to ask for one for savings of any value.4 The figure covers the combined total across all NS&I products held by the deceased. This means that even a relatively modest Premium Bonds holding could require probate before NS&I will pay out, even if every other institution in the estate is comfortably below its own threshold.
If the total NS&I holding (Premium Bonds plus any savings accounts or bonds) is under £5,000, NS&I can usually pay out on the claim alone. At £5,000 or over, expect to be asked for the sealed Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration.
Confirm the current threshold with NS&I directly when you make contact, as these figures can change. For a comparison with other institutions, see our guide to bank probate thresholds.
What happens to direct debits and standing orders
NS&I savings products do not typically operate with direct debits in the way that current accounts do. However, some products are funded by regular standing order transfers from an external bank account.
If the deceased had a standing order set up from a bank account to contribute regularly to an NS&I product, that standing order will have been set up at the source bank, not with NS&I. You will need to cancel it at the bank holding the current account rather than through NS&I. This is a common oversight: notifying NS&I of the death does not automatically cancel a standing order set up at a separate bank.
Joint accounts and NS&I products
NS&I Premium Bonds are always held in a single name and cannot be held jointly. If the deceased held Premium Bonds, those Bonds are in the deceased's name alone and form part of the estate.
Some NS&I savings accounts (such as the Direct Saver) can be held in joint names. Where an NS&I savings account is joint, the account typically continues in the surviving account holder's name alone on sight of the death certificate, in the same way as a jointly-held bank account. No Grant of Probate is required for the joint account itself in this situation, though you still need to notify NS&I formally.
As with any joint account, the balance at the date of death may still be relevant for inheritance tax purposes depending on how the funds were contributed.
Keeping track of every institution, document sent and response received is one of the core things the Settle workspace helps with. Start the free assessment to get your personalised checklist.
Premium Bonds prize draws: the 12-month rule
Premium Bonds continue to be entered into NS&I's monthly prize draws for up to 12 months after the date of death. Prizes won during this period, after the date of death but before the Bonds are repaid or the 12-month period ends, are paid by warrant (like a cheque) to the person entitled to the money. NS&I says it can't pay these prizes electronically, or save them up and pay them at the end of the 12 months.4
After 12 months the Bonds stop being entered into the draw. If the claim has not been completed by then, NS&I keeps holding the money, but no more prizes can be won, and it is repaid once the claim is completed. Nothing is paid out automatically, so make the claim rather than waiting for NS&I to act. Premium Bonds must be repaid; they can't be moved into another person's name.4
You can request early encashment of the Premium Bonds at any point before the 12 months is up, but doing so ends prize eligibility from the point of encashment. If the Bonds are encashed before the 12-month period, no further prizes will be paid, and only the face value of the Bonds will be returned to the estate.
In practice, whether it is worth waiting for the full 12 months depends on the size of the holding. Larger holdings have a greater expected prize value over the remaining months. NS&I's bereavement team can advise on this when you make contact.
Note: The 12-month prize eligibility rule is specific to Premium Bonds. Other NS&I savings products (Direct Saver, Income Bonds, Guaranteed Growth Bonds) do not have a prize draw component and are simply encashed as part of the estate administration process.
How long does it take
NS&I's response times slipped to eight weeks in spring and early summer 2026. It says it expects to answer new claims within its usual 14-day standard by the end of October 2026, after adding staff.4
- Below the probate threshold: NS&I will typically process the claim and release funds within a few weeks of receiving the completed claim form and supporting documents by post.
- Above the probate threshold: You will need to wait for the Grant of Probate, which can take several months depending on the estate. Once NS&I receives the sealed grant, they will process the release within a few weeks.
- Premium Bonds held for the 12-month period: Bonds can stay in the prize draw for up to 12 months after the death. After that NS&I keeps holding the money without further prizes until the claim is completed.
NS&I bereavement contact details
NS&I does not have branches. Make the claim online, or call NS&I's main line with questions:
- Online claim: nsandi.com: what to do if an NS&I customer has died
- Telephone: 08085 007 007; from abroad +44 1772 329880. Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm, Saturday and Sunday 8am to 6pm, closed on bank holidays.6
Phone numbers and online addresses can change. Confirm current contact details on NS&I's website before calling. NS&I's bereavement team can advise on all product types and will send you the relevant claim forms for each product the deceased held.
For a comparison of probate thresholds across all major UK banks and building societies, see our guide to bank probate thresholds. For the full process of closing accounts and transferring funds once you have authority, see closing bank accounts after death. Our guides on notifying banks after death and do I need probate? are also relevant at this stage of estate administration.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Cashing in too early. Leaving the bonds in for the full 12 months keeps them in the prize draw at no risk to the capital.
- Forgetting other NS&I products. Income Bonds, Direct Saver and old certificates are all handled on the same claim — list everything the person held.
- Losing the holder's number. The NS&I holder's number speeds the claim; look for it on old statements or prize letters before you call.
Frequently asked questions
Is NS&I repaying estates it underpaid?
Yes. NS&I found that some estates were not repaid money from all of the person's NS&I accounts. On 19 May 2026 it estimated up to 34,000 estates worth about £367 million. Families don't need to do anything: NS&I is contacting every affected estate with £10 or more and expects to finish paying in the first half of 2027.5
What is the NS&I bereavement phone number?
NS&I doesn't list a separate bereavement number. Its main line is 08085 007 007 (+44 1772 329880 from abroad), open Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm and Saturday and Sunday 8am to 6pm. NS&I's bereavement page asks you to make the claim online, which you can do without an online account.6
Do Premium Bonds stop straight away when someone dies?
No. They can stay in the draw for 12 months after the date of death. Prizes won in that period are paid by warrant (like a cheque) to the person entitled to the money, not electronically. After 12 months no more prizes can be won, and NS&I holds the money until the claim is completed.4
Do I need probate to claim NS&I money?
NS&I may ask for a grant of probate if the person's total NS&I savings are £5,000 or over, and it can ask for one for savings of any value.4
Can Premium Bonds be inherited?
Not directly. They are cashed in and the value forms part of the estate. A beneficiary can use their share to buy Premium Bonds in their own name.
How do I make the claim?
Make the claim on NS&I's bereavement page; you don't need an online account. You give the person's details, the date and place of death, the executor's or administrator's details, the types of account and bank details for the payment. One claim covers all the person's NS&I holdings.4
Are Premium Bond prizes taxable?
No. Premium Bond prizes are tax free, including any won in the 12 months after death. The value of the holding still counts towards the estate for Inheritance Tax.3
Sources & references
The figures and rules in this guide are drawn from the official UK government pages below. Each link opens the relevant GOV.UK page. Always confirm current figures on GOV.UK before you act, as fees and thresholds can change.
- Applying for probate — GOV.UK
- Dealing with the estate of someone who's died — GOV.UK
- What to do when someone dies: step by step — GOV.UK
- What to do if an NS&I customer has died — NS&I
- NS&I bereavement claims – update (19 May 2026) — NS&I
- Contact us — NS&I
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