How to Notify Banks After a Death in the UK: Complete 2026 Guide

Start Here: Notify Multiple Banks with One Form

Before you start phoning round every bank, know that there is a shortcut. The Death Notification Service (deathnotificationservice.co.uk) is a free service created and run by Equiniti and supported by the firms that take part. It is a private industry service, not a government one, and is entirely separate from Tell Us Once. You fill in one form with the deceased's details, tick the firms they held accounts with, and the service notifies them all for you.

• It is free — you will never be asked to pay to notify a death.
• It covers many major banks, but not all: around 30 banks, building societies, lenders and other financial firms are members, including Barclays, Barclaycard, HSBC, First Direct, Lloyds, Halifax, Bank of Scotland, MBNA, M&S Bank, NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Santander, Nationwide, Chase, Shawbrook, Paragon, Leeds Building Society, Marsden Building Society, Scottish Widows and Cater Allen. Names that are not members include TSB, Metro Bank, Virgin Money, The Co-operative Bank, Monzo, Starling, Yorkshire Building Society, Skipton Building Society, Coventry Building Society and NS&I. Membership changes, so the list on the service's own site is the authoritative version.
• Each bank still replies individually: where a member finds a live account for the person it contacts you within 10 working days with its own bereavement process and any forms it needs. If it holds no account, it will not write back — so no reply usually means no account rather than a lost notification.
• It does not replace everything: firms that are not members, and utilities, private and workplace pensions and government departments, still need notifying directly. Tell Us Once covers the government side and nothing else.

For a full walkthrough of the service, see our Death Notification Service guide. If a bank is not a DNS member, or you need something urgently, use the direct bereavement numbers below.

Bank-Specific Bereavement Contacts

Major UK banks have dedicated bereavement teams. Every bank sets its own threshold for closing an account and releasing the balance without a grant of probate, and most do not publish it — figures quoted elsewhere online are usually years out of date, so ask the bank rather than assume. Funeral invoices are handled separately: banks normally pay the funeral director directly, on sight of the death certificate and the invoice, without a fixed published limit.

Bank	Phone	Probate needed to close the account?
Barclays	0800 068 2238	Ask the bank
HSBC	0800 085 1992	Ask the bank
Lloyds Bank	0800 015 0012	Ask the bank
Halifax	0800 015 0012	Ask the bank
NatWest	0800 161 5903	Ask the bank
Santander	0800 587 5870	Ask the bank
Nationwide	0800 464 3018	Ask the bank
TSB	0345 835 7834	Ask the bank
Metro Bank	0203 824 4815	Ask the bank

Need bank-specific bereavement details, documents and timelines? See our dedicated guides for HSBC, Lloyds, Barclays, NatWest, Halifax, Santander and Nationwide.

Step-by-Step: How to Notify Banks After a Death

Here's the complete process for notifying banks:

When to notify

As soon as you reasonably can — there is no legal deadline, but the account keeps operating until the bank is told

Who can notify

Executor, administrator, next of kin, or family member with death certificate

Documents needed

Certified copy of the death certificate (or the coroner's interim certificate), your ID, proof of authority (will naming you as executor)

What happens

Bank freezes sole accounts immediately, joint accounts may remain accessible

Accessing funds

Banks can pay the funeral director's invoice from the account before probate; small balances can often be released without probate too

Timeline

Not published by the banks — ask each one when you contact them

Whether the bank will actually release the balance depends on how much is held and whether a grant is needed. Not sure if probate applies here? Our two-minute probate checker gives you a quick steer.

Why It Helps to Notify Banks Early

There is no legal deadline, but telling banks early helps in several ways:

1. Prevent Fraud and Unauthorised Transactions

Once someone dies, nobody has authority to use their cards or online banking until the estate is being dealt with. Using them, even with good intentions to pay legitimate bills, is not authorised, and the bank can ask for the money back from whoever made the payments.

2. Stop Direct Debits and Standing Orders

Continuing direct debits can cause complications when closing accounts or distributing the estate. Subscriptions, memberships, and insurance policies will continue to be paid unnecessarily, reducing the estate value. Some payments (like life insurance premiums) may invalidate claims if they lapse.

3. Secure the Estate Assets

Executors are responsible for collecting and protecting the estate's assets, including bank accounts. Once the bank knows, sole accounts are frozen, which stops money leaving them before probate is granted.

4. Access Funds for Funeral Costs

Most banks will pay the funeral director's invoice directly from the deceased's account before probate is granted - but only if you've officially notified them of the death and provided the invoice alongside the death certificate. There is normally no fixed published limit for this. Read our guide on accessing funds to pay for a funeral.

Which Banks and Financial Institutions to Notify

You need to notify every financial institution where the deceased:

Current or Savings Accounts

All high street banks, online banks, and building societies

Credit Cards or Loans

Card issuers and loan providers (including car finance, personal loans)

Investments or ISAs

Investment platforms, stocks and shares ISAs, cash ISAs

Pensions

Private pension providers, workplace pensions, SIPPs. See our guide on claiming private and workplace pensions after death.

Insurance Policies

Life insurance, home insurance, car insurance

Payment Services

PayPal, Revolut, Monzo, Starling, other fintech accounts

Business Accounts

Business bank accounts if they were self-employed or a company director

How to Find All Bank Accounts

You may not know about all the deceased's accounts. Here's how to find them:

Search the Home

Look for:

• → Bank statements (paper or email printouts)
• → Cheque books and debit/credit cards
• → Passbooks for savings accounts
• → Online banking login details or password notes
• → Letters from banks about accounts, investments, or loans
• → Tax returns showing interest from unknown accounts
• → Direct debit or standing order lists

Check Financial Documents

• → Any tax returns or annual interest statements - may name banks where accounts were held
• → Will - may list major assets including banks where accounts are held
• → Mortgage documents - show which bank holds the mortgage
• → Payslips - show which bank receives salary (look for employer pension contributions too)

Use My Lost Account Service

The My Lost Account service (mylostaccount.org.uk) searches for lost bank and savings accounts across UK banks, building societies, and National Savings & Investments. Free to use for tracing accounts of deceased individuals. Bank and building society replies can take up to three months. It searches participating banks, building societies and NS&I; anything held outside those has to be traced another way.

Documents You Need to Notify Banks

Banks require different documents depending on the situation:

Essential Documents for All Notifications

• ✓

  Death certificate - Banks need a certified copy of the death certificate (£12.50 each from the Register Office; order several when you register the death). If the death is with the coroner and cannot yet be registered, banks accept the coroner's interim certificate for initial notification

• ✓

  Your ID - Passport, driving licence, or other photo ID to verify your identity

• ✓

  Deceased's account details - Account numbers, sort codes, or customer reference numbers if available

Additional Documents for Executors

• ✓

  Original will - Shows you're named as executor and have authority to manage accounts

• ✓

  Grant of Probate - Required to close accounts and withdraw funds where the balance is over the bank's own threshold (funeral invoices can usually be paid before it). Apply for probate after gathering all valuations

Additional Documents for Next of Kin (No Will)

• ✓

  Proof of relationship - Birth certificate, marriage certificate, or civil partnership certificate

• ✓

  Letters of Administration - Required to close accounts and access funds when there's no will. Apply after gathering all valuations

Documents for Funeral Payment Requests

• ✓

  Funeral invoice - Itemised bill from funeral director showing costs

• ✓

  Proof you paid - Receipt or bank statement showing you paid the funeral costs from your own funds

Order Multiple Death Certificates During Registration

Order at least 5-10 certified death certificates when you register the death. They cost £12.50 each. You'll need separate certificates for multiple banks (many won't accept photocopies), the Probate Registry, HMRC, pension providers, insurance companies, and property transfers. Ordering extras during registration saves you chasing more copies later.

Detailed Process: Notifying Each Bank

Follow this process for each bank and financial institution where the deceased held accounts. If you used the Death Notification Service, each member firm will contact you, normally within 10 working days, with its own forms — so you can skip Step 1 for those banks:

Step 1: Contact the Bank's Bereavement Team

Most major banks have dedicated bereavement services:

• → Find the bereavement phone number - Check the bank's website for "bereavement services" or "death notification" - don't use the general customer service number
• → Check the opening hours - Bereavement teams' hours vary, so check the bank's website
• → Have account details ready - Account numbers, sort codes, or the deceased's customer reference number speeds up the process
• → Request a bereavement pack - Ask them to send their bereavement information pack by email or post

Step 2: Complete the Bank's Notification Form

Each bank has its own notification process:

• → Download or request the form - Available on the bank's website or sent in the bereavement pack
• → Provide deceased's details - Full name, date of birth, date of death, last known address
• → Provide your details - Your name, relationship to deceased, contact details, your role (executor, administrator, next of kin)
• → List what you need - Tick boxes for: freeze account, date-of-death balance, funeral payment release, probate valuation

Step 3: Send Required Documents

Submit your notification package:

• → Death certificate - Ask whether the bank accepts a certified copy; if you send an original, ask for it to be returned
• → Your ID - Ask the bank how it wants your identity checked
• → Copy of the will - If you're named as executor (original will stays with you)
• → Send by recorded delivery - Or hand-deliver to a branch and get a receipt

Step 4: Request Date-of-Death Valuations

For probate, you need the exact balance on the date of death for all accounts:

• → Request in writing - Ask for "date-of-death balance for probate purposes"
• → Include interest up to the date of death - Interest earned after the death is income of the estate, not part of its value
• → Request account history - Recent statements help identify regular payments and other assets
• → Ask for their timescale - banks do not publish a common turnaround for probate valuations

Step 5: Confirm Account Freeze

Verify the bank has secured the account:

• → Ask for written confirmation - Letter or email confirming date account was frozen
• → Return debit cards - Cut up and return or destroy the deceased's debit and credit cards
• → Disable online banking - Request the bank closes online access immediately
• → Check standing orders stopped - Confirm all direct debits and standing orders have been cancelled

What Happens to Different Types of Accounts

Different account types are handled differently when someone dies:

Sole Current and Savings Accounts

Status:

Frozen immediately when bank is notified

Access:

With a grant of probate if the balance is over the bank's own threshold; below it, often without one

What happens:

• → All cards, online banking, and cheques stop working instantly
• → Direct debits and standing orders are cancelled
• → No withdrawals allowed, except that the bank can pay the funeral director's invoice directly from the account
• → Account stays frozen until the executor provides the grant of probate or letters of administration, or the bank agrees to release a small balance without one
• → Interest continues to accrue on savings accounts during the freeze

Joint Bank Accounts

Status:

Depends on account type

Joint tenancy (most common):

• → Surviving account holder retains full access to account immediately
• → Entire account balance passes to survivor by survivorship
• → Does not form part of the deceased's estate
• → No probate needed to access funds - surviving holder can use account as normal
• → The bank removes the deceased from the account, and it continues operating as normal for the surviving holder

Tenants in common (rare for bank accounts):

• → Deceased's share forms part of their estate
• → Ask the bank how it handles the account while the estate is dealt with

Credit Cards and Loans

Status:

Account frozen, cards cancelled

Payment:

Executors pay from estate funds during probate

What happens:

• → Cards stop working once the bank is notified
• → Debts are paid from the estate
• → If the estate cannot pay all its debts, they are paid in a set order and some may go unpaid; see our guide to insolvent estates
• → Family members are not personally liable for the deceased's unsecured debts (unless they were joint account holders or guarantors)

ISAs (Individual Savings Accounts)

Status:

Frozen on notification

Access:

With probate, but spouse gets APS benefit

What happens:

• → The ISA keeps its tax-free status until it is closed, the estate's administration is completed, or three years after the death, whichever comes first
• → A surviving spouse or civil partner can get an "additional permitted subscription (APS)": an extra ISA allowance worth the ISA's value at death, or when it stopped being tax-free if that is higher
• → The APS is on top of their own annual ISA limit
• → Non-spouse beneficiaries receive cash value but lose ISA wrapper

Premium Bonds

Status:

Remain in prize draws for 12 months after death

Notification:

Write to NS&I with death certificate

What happens:

• → NS&I keeps bonds in the monthly prize draws for up to 12 months after death
• → Any prizes won go to the estate and are distributed to beneficiaries
• → After that, bonds stop being entered into draws, and the money is repaid when the estate claims it
• → Value forms part of estate for inheritance tax purposes

Business Bank Accounts

Status:

Frozen immediately

Urgent action:

Contact business accountant immediately for continuity planning

What happens:

• → Sole trader accounts freeze - executors must manage business closure
• → Limited company accounts require board resolution appointing new signatories
• → Partnership accounts continue - surviving partners take control according to partnership agreement
• → Business may face cash flow crisis if deceased was sole signatory

How to Access Funds Before Probate

GOV.UK says you will usually get the grant of probate or letters of administration within 12 weeks of submitting the application. There is no official figure for how long a whole estate takes to administer. You may need funds sooner for funeral costs or estate administration. Here's how to access money before probate:

Funeral Payment Release

Banks can usually pay the funeral director's invoice directly from the deceased's account before probate, or reimburse you if you have already paid:

• Limit: Normally no fixed published limit when the bank pays the funeral director directly
• What's covered: The funeral director's invoice. Ask the bank what else it will pay
• Process: The bank pays on sight of the death certificate and the funeral director's invoice
• Payment time: not published by the banks — ask when you send the invoice

Small Estate Release

Banks can release entire account balance without probate if:

• The total is below the bank's own threshold. Each bank sets this for itself and most do not publish it — ask the bereavement team for their current figure
• You provide death certificate and proof of entitlement
• All executors sign indemnity forms
• Estate is straightforward with no disputes

Thresholds move and are not published consistently, so any figure quoted on a third-party site is worth checking with the bank before you rely on it.

Joint Account Access

If the deceased had a joint account with you:

• You typically retain immediate access to all funds
• No probate required for joint tenancy accounts
• Money legally passes to you by survivorship
• Be aware of inheritance tax implications if large sums transferred before death

Don't Use Deceased's Cards - Even for Legitimate Expenses

Never use the deceased's debit or credit cards after death, even to pay their bills or buy essentials. Once someone dies, all transactions on their accounts become unauthorised - regardless of your intentions. Banks can:

• Ask you personally to repay the money
• Hold you responsible for any loss to the estate

Instead: Use your own funds and reclaim from the estate later, request funeral payment release for immediate costs, or ask the bank to pay specific urgent bills from the frozen account.

Timeline: How Long Each Step Takes

Here's the typical timeline for notifying banks and accessing funds:

Days 1-3

Notify banks via the Death Notification Service or by phone (sole accounts are frozen once the bank records the death). Request bereavement packs and stop using deceased's cards

Week 1

Register the death, get 5-10 death certificates, complete bank notification forms, and submit by recorded delivery

Weeks 2-4

Banks respond to notifications (normally within 10 working days via the Death Notification Service) and provide date-of-death valuations. Request funeral payment release if needed (processed — ask each bank for its own timescale)

Weeks 6-12

Gather all valuations, complete any inheritance tax reporting, and submit the probate application (most online applications get the grant within 12 weeks, on GOV.UK's own figure)

Weeks 12-28

Receive Grant of Probate and send it to each bank. Banks do not publish a common turnaround for releasing funds — ask when you send it

Bank Notification Checklist

First 3 Days

• Identify all banks and financial institutions
• Call each bank's bereavement team to freeze accounts
• Request bereavement packs from each bank
• Cut up and destroy all debit/credit cards

Week 1

• Order 5-10 death certificates when registering death
• Complete bank notification forms for each institution
• Send death certificates and forms by recorded delivery

Weeks 2-4

• Request date-of-death valuations for probate
• Request funeral payment release if needed
• Confirm all accounts are frozen and direct debits stopped
• Gather all valuations and statements for probate application

Common Problems and Solutions

Problem: Can't Find All Bank Accounts

Solution:

• → Use the My Lost Account service (free; searches participating banks, building societies and NS&I)
• → Check last tax return for interest from unknown accounts
• → Search email for bank correspondence if you have access to deceased's email
• → Contact the credit reference agencies (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion) - a credit report lists credit cards, loans and overdrafts, though not savings
• → Check direct debits on known accounts - may reveal other banks used for payments

Problem: Bank Won't Release Funeral Payment

Solution:

• → Ask how the bank handles funeral invoices - most pay the funeral director directly on sight of the death certificate and the itemised invoice
• → Ensure you've provided itemised funeral invoice, not just estimate
• → Submit proof you paid from your own funds (your bank statement showing payment)
• → Ask to speak to bereavement team manager if frontline staff refuse
• → If account balance is insufficient, use funds from joint account or claim from multiple banks

Problem: Account Frozen But Bills Need Paying

Solution:

• → Pay urgent bills from your own funds - reclaim later from estate
• → Use funds from joint account if deceased was joint holder (but track carefully)
• → For small estates, request immediate release if total under bank's probate threshold

Problem: Bank Lost Death Certificate

Solution:

• → This is why you should order 5-10 certificates during registration
• → Order replacement certified copies from the Register Office (£12.50 each)
• → Send by recorded delivery and keep tracking receipt
• → Hand-deliver to branch and ask staff to certify they've received it
• → If you notified the bank through the Death Notification Service, it will already hold an electronic record of the death

Problem: Multiple Executors Can't Agree

Solution:

• → Most decisions require unanimous agreement from all executors when multiple appointed
• → Banks typically require all executors to sign authority forms before releasing funds
• → Consider mediation if executors disagree about account handling or distribution
• → An executor who has not yet dealt with the estate can renounce (give up the role) if they don't want to be involved
• → In serious disputes, court can remove an executor or appoint independent administrator

Problem: Overseas Bank Accounts

Solution:

• → Notify international banks immediately - use international bereavement contacts
• → Some countries require local probate (like USA, France, Spain) - UK probate may not be enough
• → Check if double taxation treaties apply to foreign accounts and inheritance
• → Foreign accounts may need to be included in the estate's value for inheritance tax; see our guide to UK probate from abroad
• → A separate grant in the other country may be needed whatever the value — that threshold is set by the other country's law, not by any UK figure

Closing the Account: Do You Need Probate?

Whether you need probate to close a deceased person's account and release the balance depends on how much is in it and each bank's own probate threshold.

• Below the bank's threshold (each bank sets its own, and most do not publish it): most banks will close the account and release the funds without probate, on production of the death certificate and a small-estate indemnity form.
• Above the threshold: the bank will require the Grant of Probate (or Letters of Administration) before it will close the account.

To close each account, send the bank the grant (or its small-estate form) with written instructions to close the account and transfer the balance to the executor's account. Banks do not publish a common turnaround for this. Thresholds vary widely between banks, so check the relevant bank's threshold before deciding whether you need probate.

Frequently asked questions

How do I notify all the banks at once?

Use the free Death Notification Service at deathnotificationservice.co.uk. One form notifies the member firms you choose, around 30 banks, building societies, lenders and other financial firms. Each one that finds an account contacts you within 10 working days. Firms that are not members, such as TSB, Metro Bank, Monzo, Starling and NS&I, need telling directly.

Do I need probate to tell a bank someone has died?

No. You can report a death with the death certificate and your own ID. A grant of probate only comes in later, when the bank releases money from a sole account above its own threshold.

What does a bank need when someone dies?

A copy of the death certificate, your photo ID, and the person's account details if you have them. If you are the executor, the bank may ask to see the will, and later the grant of probate.

Will the bank pay for the funeral?

Many banks will pay the funeral director's invoice from the person's account before probate, on sight of the death certificate and the invoice. Ask the bank's bereavement team how it handles funeral bills.

What happens to a joint account when one person dies?

It normally passes to the surviving holder and keeps working, with no probate needed in England and Wales. See our guides to a joint account when a spouse dies and a joint account when one owner dies.

What if the bank never replies to a Death Notification Service notification?

If a member firm holds no account for the person, it does not write back. So no reply usually means no account rather than a lost notification.