Letter to DWP after a death: benefits and overpayments template

Quick answer: Tell the DWP about the death through Tell Us Once or by phoning its Bereavement Service; GOV.UK gives no postal route for that first notice. Use this letter afterwards, as executor or administrator, to get in writing which benefits stopped and whether any overpayment will be recovered from the estate, with a breakdown. GOV.UK says the DWP can recover benefit overpayments from the estate, writes to you once probate has been granted, and that you should not distribute the estate until you know what must be repaid.

When to send it, and who to

• Telling the DWP about the death. Tell Us Once tells the DWP so it can cancel benefits and entitlements such as Universal Credit and the State Pension. Without Tell Us Once, GOV.UK says to contact the DWP Bereavement Service, which also checks whether you can get help with funeral costs. Its number is on GOV.UK's page.
• When to send this letter. When the DWP writes to you after the grant asking for information, or before you distribute the estate if you need to know whether anything will be reclaimed.
• Who it goes to. Use the address on the DWP's letter to you if it gives one. For estates in England and Wales, GOV.UK gives the address in the template: Debt Management (RE), Mail Handling Site A, Wolverhampton, WV98 2DG. Scotland uses WV98 2DH, and Northern Ireland has its own service.
• Who sends it. The executor or administrator.

The letter (free to copy)

Copy it into an email or a document, replace every [bracket] with your own details, and delete what doesn't apply.

[Your name]
[Your address]
[Date]

Debt Management (RE)
Mail Handling Site A
Wolverhampton
WV98 2DG

Subject: [Full name], deceased: National Insurance number [NI number]: your reference [reference]

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am the [executor / administrator] of the estate of [full name] of [address], who died on [date of death]. [Probate / Letters of administration] [was granted on (date) / has not yet been granted].

Please confirm which benefits [name] was receiving, the date each one stopped, and whether any amount paid after the death, or any earlier overpayment, is to be recovered from the estate. If there is an overpayment, please send me a breakdown showing how it was worked out and the period it covers. I will not distribute the estate until I know the amount.

[In reply to your letter dated (date), I enclose the information you asked for: (list, for example bank statements or building society passbooks).]

Yours faithfully, [name]

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What to enclose

• The information the DWP asked for, if you are replying to its letter. GOV.UK says it may need bank statements, building society passbooks or other information about the person's assets.
• A copy of the grant of probate or letters of administration, if you have it and the DWP asks.
• Nothing else is required. Put the person's National Insurance number and the DWP's reference in the subject line.

Don't send original documents unless the organisation specifically asks for them. Keep a copy of the version you actually sent, the date, the reference number and the reply.

Common mistakes

• Distributing the estate before the DWP has answered. GOV.UK warns that if you do, you may have to pay back the money yourself.
• Ignoring the DWP's request for information. GOV.UK says that if you don't provide it, the overpayment is worked out on the probate figure before deductions, meaning the whole estate.
• Not asking how an overpayment was worked out. The DWP tells you how it was calculated and why; if you disagree, you can ask for a mandatory reconsideration.
• Forgetting payments that arrived after the death. The DWP can contact the next of kin, the bank the benefit was paid into, and whoever is handling the estate about them.

Frequently asked questions

Can the DWP take money back from an estate?

Yes. GOV.UK says the DWP can recover benefit overpayments from the estate, for example where the person had more savings or income than they declared, or was in hospital or a care home and had not told the DWP.

When will the DWP contact the executor?

GOV.UK says the DWP writes to whoever is dealing with the estate once probate has been granted, asking for the information it needs.

Can I write to the DWP instead of phoning to report a death?

GOV.UK's route for reporting a death to the DWP is Tell Us Once or a call to the Bereavement Service; it gives no postal address for that. GOV.UK gives a postal address for overpayments from estates, which is the one in this letter.

What if I disagree with the overpayment?

GOV.UK says you can ask for the decision to be looked at again, called a mandatory reconsideration, for example if you think the DWP made an error or missed evidence.

Related guides

• How to stop the State Pension and benefits after a death
• Tell Us Once: what it covers
• Executor personal liability

More free letter templates

• Letter to a bank after a death
• Date-of-death valuation letter for shares and investments
• Letter to creditors after a death
• Letter to a pension provider or employer after a death
• Executor letters to beneficiaries
• Beneficiary receipt template
• Letter to HMRC after a death
• Council Tax letter after a death
• Letter to a utility company after a death
• Letter to a mortgage lender or home insurer after a death
• Life insurance claim letter after a death
• Letter to a landlord after a tenant dies
• Letter to DVLA after a death
• First letter to a beneficiary from an executor
• Estate accounts template and layout
• All probate letter templates

Sources

• GOV.UK: Benefit overpayments, repayments when someone has died
• GOV.UK: Organisations you need to contact and Tell Us Once
• GOV.UK: If you cannot use Tell Us Once, tell government yourself
• GOV.UK: Settling debts and taxes

General information for England and Wales, not legal advice. If the estate is complex, disputed or may not be able to pay its debts, take advice from a solicitor.