Who to Notify After a Death in Northern Ireland

If you've looked up the "Tell Us Once" service hoping to notify every government agency in a single phone call, stop. Tell Us Once does not exist in Northern Ireland. It works in England, Scotland, and Wales — but not here. In NI, you must contact each agency individually, and missing any one of them can lead to overpayment demands, accumulating rate bills, or forfeited benefits worth thousands of pounds.

This is the complete notification list, in the order you should tackle it.

Week 1: The Essential Calls

DfC NI Bereavement Service (0800 085 2463) — This is the closest local service to Tell Us Once, but it is not a full Tell Us Once service. It records the death, stops the deceased's DfC benefits and pensions, checks eligibility for Bereavement Support Payment, Funeral Expenses Payment and Child Funeral Fund, and can take applications during the call. Call this number first.

General Register Office for Northern Ireland (GRONI) — If the Coroner is not involved, register the death within 5 days; a Coroner referral can delay registration. In most cases, the hospital or doctor forwards the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death electronically to GRONI, and the local registrar contacts you by phone to complete registration. Order 5 to 10 certified death-certificate copies. Banks, insurers, and the Probate Office will not accept photocopies.

Banks and building societies — Notify every institution where the deceased held accounts (current, savings, ISAs, credit cards). Sole accounts may be restricted while the bank determines whether probate is needed, but banks commonly release funds directly to the funeral director against the death certificate and an itemised invoice before probate. Each bank has different probate thresholds.

Weeks 2-4: Financial Notifications

HMRC — Notify HMRC separately about the death, including for the P1000 tax reconciliation. If the deceased was self-employed, ask HMRC how to close their Self Assessment obligations. HMRC operates separately from the DfC — the Bereavement Service call does not notify HMRC. See our guide on HMRC death notification.

Land & Property Services (LPS) — If the deceased lived alone or was the named ratepayer, notify LPS separately through its online portal. For the death-related exclusion, the property must be empty, completely unfurnished, and not used for storage, and the personal representative must apply; it is not automatic. Properties with a capital value under £20,000 are automatically excluded. Once an exclusion is in force, the personal representative pays zero rates for the covered period. LPS will not automatically stop the rate bills. See our guide on empty property rates after death.

Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) — If the deceased was a Housing Benefit recipient or NIHE tenant, report the death to NIHE. A 12-month bedroom-tax protection period applies after a partner's death creates a spare bedroom; confirm NIHE has applied it.

Pension providers — Contact every workplace and private pension provider. Many occupational pensions include a survivor's pension or death-in-service lump sum that needs claiming.

Life insurance companies — Gather all policy documents and contact each insurer with a certified death certificate.

Month 2 Onwards: Administrative Clean-Up

DVA (Driver and Vehicle Agency) — Contact DVA separately about the deceased's driving licence and vehicle ownership. If the car is transferred, update the V5C logbook.

Utilities — Transfer or close electricity, gas, broadband, and mobile phone accounts. If the property will remain occupied by the surviving partner, transfer the accounts. If it will be empty, arrange closure dates to align with the LPS empty property exclusion.

Council services — Cancel bin collection if the property will be vacant. Update electoral registration.

Subscriptions and memberships — Cancel direct debits for gym memberships, streaming services, magazine subscriptions. Check bank statements for recurring payments you might miss.

Passport Office — Cancel the deceased's passport to prevent identity fraud.

What the Bereavement Service Does NOT Cover

Many families assume the DfC Bereavement Service call handles everything. It does not. The service handles DfC benefits and pensions, but it does not notify other agencies. You still need to independently contact:

• HMRC (tax, NI contributions)
• LPS (property rates)
• NIHE (housing)
• Banks and building societies
• Pension providers
• Insurance companies
• DVA
• Utility companies

That's why the absence of Tell Us Once in Northern Ireland is so punishing. In England, a single 30-minute call to the registrar handles most of this list automatically. In NI, you're looking at dozens of separate phone calls and letters over several weeks.

The Northern Ireland Survivor Benefits Navigator includes a complete notification tracker — every agency, every phone number, every form reference — designed to replace the Tell Us Once service that Northern Ireland doesn't have.

See more Northern Ireland guides →