Farra is a death administration assistant for UK families. Get step-by-step guidance for registering a death, applying for probate, notifying banks, and managing bereavement admin. From essential documents to practical checklists, Farra simplifies estate paperwork and funeral-related tasks so you can focus on what matters.
When your husband or wife dies, the weight of grief and the weight of practicalities arrive at exactly the same time. This guide covers what tends to matter most in the weeks ahead — and what is particular to your situation as a surviving spouse or civil partner.
Not sure if you need probate?
1 in 3 applications are sent back. In under 2 minutes, we'll tell you whether you need it and what to do next.
Most things can wait. A few cannot. In England and Wales you must register the death within five days. Any close relative can do this — you do not need to have been named in any document. The funeral director can help with the paperwork if you are unsure where to start.
How to Register a Death in the UK
Who can register, what to bring, and what you will receive — including death certificates.
How Many Death Certificates Do You Need?
Banks, probate, and insurers all need original certified copies. Order enough now.
The Tell Us Once Service
Notify multiple government departments in one step after registering the death.
Funeral Planning Checklist
What decisions need to be made, in what order, and who has the right to make them.
One of the most common sources of panic in the first days is access to money. Here is what you need to know.
DWP must also be told promptly. Any benefits your spouse was receiving will stop. Depending on your age and National Insurance record, you may be entitled to Bereavement Support Payment — a lump sum followed by 18 monthly payments. You must claim within 21 months of the death.
Joint Bank Accounts: What Happens When a Spouse Dies
How jointly held accounts are treated and what access you have immediately.
Notifying Banks After a Death
How to inform banks, what they will ask for, and what happens to your spouse's accounts.
Benefits That Change When Someone Dies
Which benefits stop, which transfer, and what new support you may be entitled to claim.
State Pension After a Spouse Dies
What happens to your spouse's State Pension and whether you can inherit any of it.
NS&I Accounts After a Death
How to find, claim and close NS&I savings — including Premium Bonds — step by step.
Most surviving spouses can remain in the family home regardless of how it was owned. The legal position does affect what needs to happen next.
Joint tenancy
Home passes automatically to you. No probate needed for the property itself. Notify the Land Registry once you have the death certificate.
Tenants in common
Your spouse's share goes to their estate. You keep your share. Their share passes according to the will or intestacy rules.
In their name only
You do not automatically own it, but you will not be asked to leave. Transfer of title requires probate or estate administration.
The mortgage lender must be told regardless of ownership type. If your spouse had a life insurance policy linked to the mortgage, it may pay off the outstanding balance entirely.
House in Your Spouse's Name Only: Your Rights
What happens to the property and what your rights are as the surviving spouse.
Transferring Property Title After a Death
How to update the Land Registry to reflect the new ownership.
Mortgage After Death: What Happens
Who is responsible for payments and what options are available to you.
Council Tax Discount for Surviving Spouses
The sole occupant discount and how to apply once you are living alone.
Probate is the legal process of dealing with someone's estate — their money, property, and possessions. Whether you need it depends on what your spouse owned and how they owned it.
If your spouse died without a will, you will need Letters of Administration rather than probate. The process is similar; the document is different. As a surviving spouse you are first in line to apply.
Do You Need Probate?
How to work out whether probate is required for your spouse's estate.
Applying for Probate: Step-by-Step
The PA1P form, the Probate Registry, costs, and what to expect.
Letters of Administration (When There's No Will)
The process when your spouse died intestate — without a valid will.
How Long Does Probate Take?
Typical timelines, what causes delays, and how to avoid the most common hold-ups.
Yes, in practice. A surviving spouse has strong legal rights to remain in the family home, even if the property was in your late spouse's sole name. The property forms part of their estate and will need to go through probate or estate administration before the title can be transferred to you — but you will not be asked to leave during that process.
Not necessarily, though spouses do very well under UK intestacy law. If there are no children, you typically inherit the entire estate. If there are children, you receive all personal possessions, the first £322,000 of the estate, and half of what remains above that. The children receive the other half equally. If the estate is valued below the threshold, you inherit everything.
Bereavement Support Payment is a DWP benefit available to widows and widowers under State Pension age whose spouse or civil partner paid National Insurance contributions. It provides a lump sum payment followed by 18 monthly payments. You must claim within 21 months of your spouse's death — do not delay. Apply through GOV.UK or call the Bereavement Service on 0800 151 2012.
Usually not. Jointly held assets — bank accounts held in both names, property owned as joint tenants — pass to you automatically without probate. You may need to show the bank a death certificate to update the account to your sole name, but this is not the same as probate. If your spouse had assets in their sole name above the bank's threshold (typically £5,000–£50,000, depending on the bank), probate will likely be required for those assets.
Once you have the Grant of Probate (or Letters of Administration if there was no will), most banks release funds within a few weeks. Obtaining the Grant itself typically takes three to six months from the date of death. Some banks will release smaller amounts — often up to £5,000 to £50,000 — without probate to cover funeral costs. It is worth asking your spouse's bank directly.
1 in 3 probate applications are sent back.
Answer 5 questions in under 2 minutes. We'll tell you whether you need probate, which route to take, and the mistake most people make at this stage.
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