How to Notify DWP of a Death in the UK

When someone dies, you must notify the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to stop their benefits and avoid overpayments. This comprehensive guide explains how to notify DWP, which benefits stop, survivor benefits you may be entitled to, how overpayments are handled, and the deadlines. Several of these benefits are devolved in Scotland — Adult Disability Payment, Pension Age Disability Payment, Carer Support Payment and Funeral Support Payment are Social Security Scotland benefits, not DWP ones.

Why You Need to Notify DWP When Someone Dies

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) administers most UK government benefits including State Pension, Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Pension Credit, and many others. Notifying DWP is one of many essential tasks in the first week after a death.

When someone dies, you must notify DWP promptly because:

• Benefits stop immediately - most benefits are personal to the deceased and end on the date of death
• Avoid overpayments - if benefits continue to be paid after death, you'll have to repay them from the estate
• Claim survivor benefits - you may be entitled to Bereavement Support Payment or other survivor benefits
• Update joint claims - if you were claiming jointly (like Universal Credit), your claim needs to be updated to a single claim
• Other claims depend on it - a surviving partner's own award cannot be put right until DWP knows, and Bereavement Support Payment has a 3-month clock running from the date of death

How to Notify DWP of a Death: Two Methods

You have two ways to notify DWP when someone dies. Tell Us Once is easier and notifies multiple departments automatically. Direct notification gives you more control and may be faster for urgent situations.

Method 1: Tell Us Once Service (Recommended)

Tell Us Once is a government service that allows you to report a death to most government departments, including DWP, in a single notification. This is the easiest and most efficient method.

How to use Tell Us Once:

• When you register the death, the registrar will give you a Tell Us Once reference number (this looks like TUO12345678)
• GOV.UK states: "You must use the service within 28 days of getting your unique reference number." Use it online at gov.uk/tell-us-once
• Complete the online form with details about the deceased and their benefits
• Tell Us Once notifies HMRC (including Child Benefit), DWP, the Passport Office, the DVLA, the local council (Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, Blue Badge, council housing and the electoral register), Veterans UK, Social Security Scotland and public sector pension schemes
• Tell Us Once does not cover banks, building societies, insurers, utilities or private pension schemes — those still have to be contacted separately

What Tell Us Once notifies DWP about:

• State Pension
• Pension Credit
• Universal Credit
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
• Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Attendance Allowance
• Carer's Allowance
• Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)
• Income Support
• Bereavement benefits

For more details on Tell Us Once, see our Complete Guide to Tell Us Once.

Method 2: Direct Notification to DWP

If you don't use Tell Us Once, or need to ensure DWP is notified immediately, you can contact DWP directly.

DWP Bereavement Service:

• Phone: 0800 151 2012 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm)
• If you cannot hear or speak on the phone: Relay UK — 18001 then 0800 151 2012. GOV.UK no longer lists a textphone number for this service, and also offers a British Sign Language video relay service
• Welsh language: 0800 731 0453
• Cost: Free from UK landlines and mobiles
• What to have ready: Deceased's National Insurance number, date of birth, date of death, details of benefits they were receiving

When to use direct notification:

• You didn't register the death in England, Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland (Tell Us Once not available for deaths abroad)
• The Tell Us Once service is unavailable or you missed the 28-day window
• You need immediate confirmation that benefits have been stopped
• You need to discuss specific benefits or circumstances with DWP directly

Which Benefits Stop When Someone Dies

Most benefits are personal to the claimant and stop immediately when they die. However, there are some exceptions and special rules to be aware of.

Benefits That Stop Immediately

These benefits end on the date of death, though you may receive a final payment for the period up to the date of death:

• State Pension - stops from date of death. Final payment covers period up to death. If deceased received State Pension based on spouse's contributions, survivor may be entitled to increased State Pension
• Pension Credit - stops immediately if single person dies. If claimed as couple, surviving partner must inform DWP within 1 month to switch to single person rate
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP) - stops from date of death. Final payment may be made for days up to death
• Disability Living Allowance (DLA) - stops from date of death, similar to PIP
• Attendance Allowance - stops from date of death
• Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) - stops from date of death
• Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) - stops from date of death
• Income Support - stops from date of death
• Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit - stops from date of death

Benefits That May Continue Temporarily

Some benefits have special rules that allow payments to continue for a short period after death:

• Universal Credit - if claimed as a couple, the claim continues for the surviving partner but changes to a single person claim. Surviving partner must report the death within 1 month. If claimed as single person, stops from date of death with final payment for period up to death
• Carer's Allowance - runs on after the death of the person cared for. Regulation 4 of the Social Security (Invalid Care Allowance) Regulations 1976 treats the carer as still caring for eight weeks beginning with the Sunday after the death, or with the date of death if that was a Sunday. Tell DWP anyway. In Scotland the equivalent benefit is Carer Support Payment
• Housing Benefit - there is no four-week bereavement run-on. Housing Benefit is run by the council, and under reg 79(8) of the Housing Benefit Regulations 2006 the award ends from the first day of the benefit week after the one in which the death occurred. A surviving partner who was not the claimant must claim in their own right - Universal Credit if working age, Housing Benefit if of State Pension age
• Child Benefit - does NOT transfer automatically. GOV.UK states: "Child Benefit will not be transferred to you automatically. You'll need to make a new claim for Child Benefit if you're not the person named as the claimant on the original claim form." It stops from the Monday following the death and a new claim can only be backdated 3 months. Whoever now looks after the child may also qualify for Guardian's Allowance

Benefits the Surviving Partner May Be Entitled To

When someone dies, their surviving spouse or civil partner may be entitled to new benefits or increased payments:

• Bereavement Support Payment - a one-off payment plus 18 monthly payments if your spouse, civil partner or the partner you lived with died. Higher rate: £3,500 plus £350 a month. Lower rate: £2,500 plus £100 a month. Claim within 3 months of the death for the one-off payment and all 18 monthly payments; claim later and you lose one monthly payment for each month you waited; claim more than 12 months after the death and the one-off payment is lost as well; claim more than 21 months after and you normally get nothing. See our Complete Guide to Bereavement Support Payment
• Inherited State Pension - a surviving spouse or civil partner may be able to inherit part of the deceased's Additional State Pension, Graduated Retirement Benefit or protected payment, or use their National Insurance record. Ask the Pension Service on 0800 731 0469
• Universal Credit - if not already claiming, you may now be eligible if your circumstances have changed (lower income, increased costs)
• Pension Credit - if you're over State Pension age and on low income, you may qualify
• Council Tax Reduction - your council tax bill may reduce if you're now living alone or on lower income

Handling Benefit Overpayments After Death

If benefits continue to be paid after someone dies, these are overpayments that must be repaid to DWP from the estate.

Why Overpayments Happen

• Payments that straddle the date of death - most DWP benefits are paid in arrears, not in advance. GOV.UK says the State Pension is "usually paid every 4 weeks" and that you are "paid in arrears (for the last 4 weeks, not the coming 4 weeks)". An overpayment still arises, because a payment made after the death covers a period part of which falls after it
• Processing delays - it can take DWP 1-2 weeks to process a death notification and stop payments
• Automatic payments - direct debits and standing orders continue until actively stopped by DWP
• Multiple benefits - if deceased received several benefits from different DWP departments, not all may be stopped simultaneously

What to Do with Benefit Overpayments

Step 1: Identify overpayments

• Monitor the deceased's bank account for 4-6 weeks after death to see if benefit payments continue
• Check which benefits were being paid and when the last entitled payment should have been
• Calculate how much was paid after the date of death (this is the overpayment)

Step 2: Report the overpayment to DWP

• Call the DWP Bereavement Service on 0800 151 2012 to report the overpayment
• Provide details: deceased's National Insurance number, which benefit was overpaid, amount overpaid, dates of overpayments
• DWP will confirm the overpayment amount and send you a letter explaining how to repay

Step 3: Return the overpayment

• Don't spend the money - keep overpaid benefits separate in the deceased's account until DWP requests repayment
• Wait for DWP instructions - DWP will tell you how to repay (usually by bank transfer or cheque)
• Repay from the estate - overpayments are debts of the estate and should be paid before distributing assets to beneficiaries
• Get a receipt - keep proof of repayment for estate accounts

What If the Estate Can't Afford to Repay?

If the estate has insufficient funds to repay benefit overpayments:

• Inform DWP that the estate is insolvent (debts exceed assets)
• DWP may write off the overpayment if there are no assets in the estate
• Family members are NOT personally liable for benefit overpayments unless they deliberately withheld information or committed fraud
• Provide DWP with evidence of the estate's financial position (valuations, outstanding debts)
• Overpayments rank as unsecured debts in the legal priority order for paying estate debts

Notifying DWP About Joint Claims

If you and the deceased were claiming benefits as a couple, you need to update your claim rather than close it entirely. This is separate from registering the death, which must be completed first.

Universal Credit (Claimed as Couple)

What happens to Universal Credit when spouse dies:

• Your Universal Credit claim continues but changes from a joint claim to a single claim. Regulation 9 of the Universal Credit (Claims and Payments) Regulations 2013 provides that where one joint claimant dies, "it is not to be a condition of entitlement to universal credit that the surviving partner makes a claim for it" - so do not close it and reapply
• Your payment amount will change (usually decrease) to reflect a single person household
• You must report the death through your Universal Credit online account or by calling 0800 328 5644
• Report it as soon as you can. Under reg 37 of the Universal Credit Regulations 2013 the award is calculated as if your partner had not died for the assessment period in which the death occurs and the following two, so the drop to single-person rates is deferred rather than immediate
• Your housing element may reduce once that run-on ends, if you are then under-occupying the property

Pension Credit (Claimed as Couple)

What happens to Pension Credit when spouse dies:

• GOV.UK lists "the death of a partner who is named on your claim" as a change of circumstances on the existing claim
• Report it to the Pension Service on 0800 731 0469 (the Pension Credit claim line, for new claims, is 0800 99 1234)
• GOV.UK does not publish a Pension Credit bereavement run-on, so ask what will be paid and from what date rather than assuming the couple rate continues
• Your payment amount will change based on single person rates
• You may be entitled to additional elements if your circumstances have changed (care needs, housing costs)

Tax credits: they no longer exist

Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit ended on 5 April 2025. GOV.UK states that tax credits have ended, that no payments are made after that date, and that no new claims can be made. Anyone previously on tax credits will have been moved to Universal Credit, or to Pension Credit if they are of pension age. If you are following older guidance telling you to ring a tax credits helpline after a death, it is out of date - deal with Universal Credit or Pension Credit instead.

Timeline: When to Notify DWP and Related Deadlines

Understanding the timeline for DWP notifications helps you avoid overpayments and claim any benefits you're entitled to.

Common Problems and Solutions

Problem 1: DWP Payments Continue After Notification

Sometimes benefit payments continue even after you've notified DWP.

Why this happens:

• Processing delays - DWP can take 1-2 weeks to update systems and stop payments
• Payments already in progress when notification received continue through
• Multiple benefits from different parts of DWP not all updated simultaneously
• Administrative errors in processing the death notification

What to do:

• Wait 2 weeks after notification before assuming there's a problem
• If payments continue beyond 2 weeks, call DWP Bereavement Service on0800 151 2012
• Have your previous notification reference number ready (if you have it)
• Keep the money separate - don't spend overpayments as you'll need to return them
• Get confirmation in writing that benefits have been stopped and any overpayment amount

Problem 2: Can't Find Deceased's National Insurance Number

DWP needs the National Insurance number to identify the deceased's benefit claims and stop payments.

Where to find the National Insurance number:

• P60 form (end of tax year summary) - usually in deceased's paperwork
• Payslips from current or recent employment
• State Pension letter or notification
• Any letters from DWP, HMRC, or previous employers showing the NI number
• Online HMRC account if you can access it
• Previous tax returns

If you can't find it:

• Contact the DWP Bereavement Service - they can trace the record using deceased's full name, date of birth, and address
• Contact HMRC on 0300 200 3500 - they can provide the NI number if you can prove you're the next of kin or executor
• You'll need the death certificate and proof of your relationship or executor status

Problem 3: Disputed Overpayment Amount

If you believe DWP has calculated the wrong overpayment amount:

• Request a detailed breakdown showing: date of death, date benefits should have stopped, payments received after that date, how overpaid amount was calculated
• Check deceased's bank statements to verify which payments were actually received
• Remember: benefits paid for the period up to date of death are NOT overpayments
• If you disagree with DWP's calculation, request a review in writing with your evidence
• If you disagree with the decision, ask for a mandatory reconsideration within one month of the decision letter. That comes first - you cannot appeal until you have the mandatory reconsideration notice
• If it is still wrong after that, appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Social Entitlement Chamber). There is no fee. DWP does not publish a target response time for these cases, so ask for one

Problem 4: Surviving Partner's Benefits Stop Incorrectly

Sometimes when you report a death, DWP stops the surviving partner's benefits by mistake.

Why this happens:

• Joint claims misunderstood - DWP stops entire claim instead of updating to single
• System errors linking your NI number to deceased's record
• Incorrect processing of death notification

What to do:

• Contact DWP immediately on 0800 151 2012 if your benefits stop when they shouldn't
• Explain that you're the surviving partner and your claim should continue (or be updated, not closed)
• Ask for emergency payment if you're left without income - DWP can make advance payments while they correct the error
• Request backdated payment for any period you were without benefits due to DWP error
• Get confirmation in writing that your benefits have been restored

DWP Contact Information

Here are all the key DWP contact numbers for reporting a death and managing benefits:

• DWP Bereavement Service: 0800 151 2012 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm) - main number for reporting a death and cancelling benefits
• Pension Service: 0800 731 0469 - for questions about an existing State Pension or Pension Credit award
• If you cannot hear or speak on the phone: Relay UK - 18001 then the number you need. GOV.UK no longer lists textphone numbers for these lines
• Welsh language: 0800 731 0453
• Universal Credit: 0800 328 5644 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm) - for updating joint claims
• Pension Credit: 0800 99 1234 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm)
• Carer's Allowance: 0800 731 0297 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm)
• Child Benefit: 0300 200 3100 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm) - note this is HMRC, not DWP
• Bereavement Support Payment claims: 0800 151 2012(same as the Bereavement Service)
• Social Security Scotland: 0800 182 2222 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm) - for Adult Disability Payment, Pension Age Disability Payment, Carer Support Payment and Funeral Support Payment

Tips for calling DWP:

• Have the deceased's National Insurance number to hand before you call - it is what DWP uses to find the claims
• Have ready: deceased's National Insurance number, date of birth, date of death, details of benefits being received
• Take notes: write down the date, time, who you spoke to, and a summary of what was agreed
• Request a reference number for your call - useful if you need to follow up
• If calling about your own benefits, have your own NI number and claim details ready too

Benefits You May Now Be Entitled To

After someone dies, you may qualify for new benefits or increased support depending on your circumstances:

Bereavement Support Payment

• Available if your spouse or civil partner died and they paid National Insurance
• With children or pregnant: £3,500 lump sum + £350/month for 18 months = total £9,800
• No children: £2,500 lump sum + £100/month for 18 months = total £4,300
• Must claim within 3 months for full payment (can claim up to 21 months but lose monthly instalments)
• Not means-tested - you can claim regardless of income or savings
• Claim online at gov.uk/bereavement-support-payment or call 0800 151 2012

Inherited State Pension

• Under the old system, a surviving spouse or civil partner may inherit between 50% and 100% of the deceased's SERPS depending on the deceased's date of birth, and up to 50% of State Second Pension
• Under the new State Pension, GOV.UK says you will inherit half of your partner's protected payment where the marriage or civil partnership began before 6 April 2016, your partner reached State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016, and they died on or after that date
• Inheritance of Additional State Pension is lost if you remarry or form a new civil partnership before you reach State Pension age
• Contact the Pension Service on 0800 731 0469 to check what applies to you

Financial Support While Sorting Affairs

• Funeral Expenses Payment: if you get a qualifying low-income benefit, this covers burial or cremation fees, moving the body more than 50 miles within the UK, travel to arrange or attend the funeral and documents, plus up to £1,000 towards other costs such as the funeral director's fee, the coffin and flowers. It is not a £1,000 cap on the whole thing. Claim within 6 months of the funeral on 0800 151 2012. In Scotland it has been replaced by Funeral Support Payment from Social Security Scotland; Northern Ireland has its own scheme - see nidirect
• Universal Credit: if your income has dropped or circumstances changed, check if you now qualify at gov.uk/universal-credit
• Council tax: these are two different things. The single person discount is a flat 25% off once you are the only adult resident, whatever your income. Council Tax Reduction is a separate, means-tested scheme run by the same council. Apply for both
• Housing Benefit: if you're working age and not on Universal Credit, check eligibility at gov.uk/housing-benefit