Tell Us Once: How to Notify Government After a Death
Checked against current GOV.UK probate and Inheritance Tax guidance for England & Wales (2026/27).
- Tell Us Once reports a death to HMRC, DWP, DVLA, the Passport Office and the council in one go — free.1
- It is offered when you register the death; use it within 28 days with the reference the registrar gives you.2
- It covers England, Wales and Scotland only — not Northern Ireland.1
- It does not tell banks, pensions or insurers — and it does not stop payments leaving the account, so notify the bank separately and fast.3
Quick answer
Tell Us Once is a free service that notifies most government departments — HMRC, DWP, DVLA, the Passport Office and your local council — of a death in a single step. You set it up when you register the death. It does not cover banks, pensions, insurers or utilities, which you still have to contact yourself.
This is the one piece of admin that genuinely saves you hours, and it is easy to miss. Set up at the register office in a few minutes, Tell Us Once quietly notifies the whole government side for you — so you can spend your energy on the banks and pensions it does not touch.
Tell Us Once is a free government service that reports a death to multiple government departments and agencies in a single step, rather than contacting each one individually.1 It does not cover every organisation you need to notify, but it removes a large amount of the government-side admin.
Where Tell Us Once is available
Tell Us Once is available in England, Wales, and Scotland. It is not available in Northern Ireland, which has a separate process for notifying government departments. If the deceased was resident in Northern Ireland, you will need to contact relevant departments individually.
Even within England, Wales, and Scotland, not every local authority participates in all aspects of the service. The registrar will tell you at the time of registration which elements of Tell Us Once are available in your area.
How to use it
Tell Us Once is offered at the point of death registration. When you register the death at the local register office, the registrar will ask whether you want to use the service. If you say yes, they will either complete the notification with you at the appointment or give you a unique reference number to use the service online within 28 days.
To use the service, you will need the following information about the deceased:
- National Insurance number
- Date of birth and date of death
- Passport number (if known)
- Driving licence number (if known)
- Details of any benefits, pensions, or tax credits being received
The online service is available at gov.uk and takes around 15 minutes to complete.
What Tell Us Once notifies
When you use Tell Us Once, the relevant departments are notified automatically. These include:
- HMRC: to update tax records and cancel tax credits if applicable
- Department for Work and Pensions (DWP): to cancel state pension, pension credit, universal credit, and other DWP benefits
- HM Passport Office: to cancel the deceased's passport
- DVLA: to cancel the driving licence and update vehicle records
- Local council: to update council tax, housing benefit, and blue badge records
- Electoral Registration Office: to remove the deceased from the electoral roll
- Public sector pension schemes: if the deceased was in receipt of a public sector pension (armed forces, NHS, teachers, civil service)
Not sure what applies to this estate? Take the free Settle assessment to get a personalised picture of next steps.
What Tell Us Once does NOT cover
Tell Us Once handles government departments only. A significant number of organisations are not included and must be contacted separately:
- Banks and building societies (each one must be notified individually)
- Private pension providers (workplace pensions, personal pensions, SIPPs)
- Insurance companies (life insurance, home insurance, car insurance, health insurance)
- National Savings & Investments (NS&I) (Premium Bonds and savings accounts)
- Utility providers (gas, electricity, water, broadband)
- Subscription services (streaming, gym memberships, magazine subscriptions)
- Mortgage lender
- Landlord (if the deceased was renting)
- Royal Mail (to set up mail redirection if needed)
Note: Using Tell Us Once does not automatically stop payments going out of the deceased's bank accounts. Direct debits and standing orders continue until the bank is separately notified and the account is frozen. Notify banks as soon as possible to prevent unnecessary outgoings.
Overpayments
If benefits or state pension payments continue after death because DWP has not yet been notified, overpayments will need to be repaid by the estate. Tell Us Once speeds up notification and reduces the risk of overpayments accumulating, but it does not guarantee immediate cessation of payments. Keep an eye on the deceased's accounts in the weeks following registration and set aside any overpaid amounts rather than treating them as part of the distributable estate.
What to do after Tell Us Once
Once you have used Tell Us Once for government notifications, you will still have a substantial list of private organisations to work through. Our guide to who to contact after a death covers the full list, including banks, insurers, pension providers, utilities, and subscriptions, with guidance on what to say and what documents each institution will typically require.
Frequently asked questions
Is Tell Us Once free?
Yes — it is a free government service.1 You do not pay anything to notify the departments it covers.
How do I get access to it?
The registrar offers it when you register the death. You can complete it there and then, or take the reference number away and use the online service within 28 days.2
Does it stop the state pension and benefits?
It notifies DWP so they can stop payments and calculate anything owed. Any payments made after death still have to be repaid by the estate, so set overpaid amounts aside rather than distributing them.1
What if the death is in Northern Ireland?
Tell Us Once is not available there. You will need to contact each government department separately.1
What do I still have to do myself?
Banks, private and workplace pensions, insurers, NS&I, utilities, the mortgage lender or landlord, and subscriptions all have to be told individually.3 Our who to contact after a death guide lists them.
Related guides
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.
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