Frequently Asked Questions

A: The Death Notification Service is a free online notification service that allows a member of the public to notify participating organisations, of the death of a family member, friend or care home resident.

A: Following the death of a friend or family member, it can be hard having the same conversation with multiple organisations and to repeat the same painful words time after time.

The online Death Notification Service has been created by Equiniti to support the participating organisations to enable a member of the public to notify these firms, including their various brands, about the death of a family member in one go, allowing them to deal with the administration at the pace that suits them. This is an additional service to the notification and bereavement services already offered by these organisations.

A: The service is available to anyone who has recently suffered a bereavement and wishes to notify one or more of the participating organisations so that they can update their records. The online form allows the individual to make one quick and straightforward notification that will then be used to contact all the selected member organisations. Once the form has been completed, confirmation of receipt will be provided by the Death Notification Service* and the relevant organisations notified. The notified organisations will then update their records and advise the individual of the next steps.

Where a live account is located for the deceased, notifiers can expect to receive a communication from individual member organisations within 10 working days, including and allowing for postal times from the initial date of the notification. Important: If no account is held with the member organisation then they will not write back to you.

If you wish to make a notification through the service over the phone then please call our helpline on 0333 2076574 (local rate) and one of our representatives will be happy to help.

*Email confirmation from the Death Notification Service will only be sent to notifiers that have created an account.

A:  No. To register a death visit https://www.gov.uk/register-a-death

You may be able to use the Tell Us Once service to report a death to most government organisations in one go.

A: No, the Death Notification Service is a service that allows you to tell private sector organisations such as banks of a death, – it is a separate, independent service and is not linked to or a replacement for Tell Us Once which is a service that lets you report a death to government organisations only. This service should be used in conjunction with Tell Us Once. Further information of the government service can be found on https://www.gov.uk/after-a-death/organisations-you-need-to-contact-and-tell-us-once

A: Details of the organisations who are part of the service can be found here. When you notify an organisation, they will update their records for all products they identify as being held by the deceased.

A: Individuals should contact that organisation directly to register the person’s death, as they would do currently. Going forward, we would hope to see this service extended to other financial institutions as well as other industry sectors.

A: No the service is free to anyone making a notification.

A: Anyone can complete the notification. If the notifier is representing the deceased in dealing with the estate, they will receive information with the next steps. The service is open not just to individuals and can be used by third party organisations such as Solicitors, Care Homes, Local Authorities etc.

If they are not dealing with the broader estate, or are not entitled to any funds in the accounts, but are helping by informing of the death only, they will be sent correspondence to confirm the notification has been received*. We do ask, where known, if the notifier is aware of who is dealing with the estate, then their details are recorded so they can be contacted directly and advised on next steps* Email confirmation that the notification has been received by the Death Notification will only be sent to the notifier if they have created an account.

A: To use the service the notifier will need the following details of the person who died:

• Full Name
• Date of birth
• Date of death
• Last address

The following information is helpful so that the financial institutions can quickly confirm whether they hold open accounts for the deceased, but is not mandatory.

• Account details for the organisation you want to notify these can include
  • Bank account number and sort code
  • Building Society account number
  • Confirmation that a credit card was held (we do not ask for the credit card number or details)

The notifier will also be asked to provide details about themselves for identification purposes. The details asked for are:

• Full Name
• Address
• Date of Birth

The notifier will not be required to provide proof of death to notify the selected organisations but they may be required to do so at a later date. The requirement to provide proof will be dependent on each individual organisations bereavement processes.

A: Yes, if the notifier has created an account when they submit a notification they can log back into this account at any time within the next 90 days and add additional accounts or notify additional institutions as they become aware that they need to contact them. They will not be able to update their own details or the details of the deceased following submission of the notification, but can make a notification of a separate death if required. Once you have made your changes, they will need to be re-submitted from the “Notification Review” page.

(Please note that the ability to add additional accounts or notify additional institutions maybe disabled for up to 2 working days following submission whilst we carry out security checks)

A: Where a live account is located for the deceased, each member organisation will contact the notifier within 10 working days from the date that they submitted the notification to let them know what the next steps are. Next steps may require the notifier to provide a copy of the death certificate. Important: If no account is held with the member organisation then they will not write back to you.