Tell Us Once is a free UK government service that lets a bereaved family report a death to most government departments in a single notification. It saves families from contacting each department individually during the worst week of their lives. Many families don't know it exists, and not every funeral director explains it properly.
What the Tell Us Once Service Does
When a family registers a death at the register office, the registrar offers access to the Tell Us Once service. The family receives a unique reference number and can then complete the process online or by phone.
A single notification through Tell Us Once contacts all of the following on the family's behalf:
- Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) — stops benefits including State Pension, Pension Credit, Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Carer's Allowance, and Employment and Support Allowance
- HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) — notifies of the death for tax purposes
- DVLA — cancels the driving licence and removes vehicle registration if applicable
- HM Passport Office — cancels the passport
- Local council — covers Housing Benefit, Council Tax (including any single-person discount changes), Blue Badge, council tenancy, electoral register, and library card
- Veterans UK — if the person received Armed Forces Compensation Scheme or War Pensions Scheme payments
The process takes around 15 minutes online and covers notifications that would otherwise require a dozen or more individual phone calls, letters, and online forms.
What Tell Us Once Does NOT Cover
This is where families most commonly get caught out. Tell Us Once sounds comprehensive — and for government departments, it largely is. But it does not notify any private-sector organisation. Families must still contact each of the following individually:
- Banks and building societies — every account held
- Insurance companies — life insurance, home, motor, travel, pet
- Pension providers — workplace and private pensions
- Mortgage lenders
- Utility companies — gas, electricity, water, broadband, mobile phone
- TV Licensing
- Subscription services — streaming, gym memberships, magazines
- Social media platforms — Facebook, Instagram, etc. (memorialisation or deletion)
- Royal Mail — mail redirection if needed
- Solicitors — particularly if there is a will or probate is required
- Employer — if the person was still working
- Trade unions or professional bodies
- Charities receiving direct debits
Families frequently assume Tell Us Once handles everything. Directors who clarify what's covered and what's not — ideally with a written checklist — prevent weeks of frustration and missed notifications.
How Directors Should Handle This
Most directors mention Tell Us Once briefly during the arrangement meeting. Some don't mention it at all, assuming the registrar will cover it. Neither approach serves the family well.
Best practice is straightforward: explain what Tell Us Once is, confirm the family will be offered it at registration, and provide a clear written note covering both the service itself and the private-sector contacts they'll still need to make. A single printed sheet or a linked page on your website takes minutes to prepare and saves families hours.
For elderly clients, those without internet access, or families where English isn't the first language, consider offering more direct help. Walking someone through the online process or sitting with them while they make calls is a small time investment that families remember as genuine care — the kind of support that distinguishes a good funeral director from a competent one.
Director tip
Print the checklist at the bottom of this article and keep copies in your arrangement room. Hand one to every family. It costs nothing and prevents weeks of frustration.
Availability Across the UK
Tell Us Once is available in England and Wales as a standard service offered at death registration. Nearly all local authorities participate.
In Scotland, the service operates slightly differently. It is available, but access and scope can vary by local authority. Families registering a death in Scotland should ask the registrar directly whether Tell Us Once is offered in their area or check with their local council.
In Northern Ireland, Tell Us Once is not available. Families must notify government departments individually. The NI Direct website (nidirect.gov.uk) provides guidance on which departments to contact.
Timing
Families must use Tell Us Once within 28 days of registering the death. If they miss this window, they'll need to contact each department individually. This is worth emphasising — many families intend to do it "later" and run out of time.
The service can be completed at gov.uk/tell-us-once or by calling the number provided by the registrar.
Ireland: No Equivalent Service
Ireland has no Tell Us Once equivalent. There is no single-notification system for reporting a death to government departments.
Families in Ireland must notify each relevant body separately:
- Revenue Commissioners — tax affairs, including any outstanding returns
- Department of Social Protection — to stop payments and claim any bereavement-related benefits (Widowed or Surviving Civil Partner Grant, Guardian's Payment)
- Property Registration Authority / Land Registry — if property was owned
- Motor Tax Office — vehicle ownership transfer
- Local authority — housing, Local Property Tax
- Passport Office — cancel passport
This administrative burden falls on families at the worst possible time. Directors in Ireland who provide a structured checklist — printed, emailed, or both — fill a genuine gap. Understanding the registration process and what follows it allows you to guide families through what can otherwise feel overwhelming.
Printable Checklist: What's Covered and What's Not
Covered by Tell Us Once (UK — England & Wales; varies in Scotland)
| Organisation | What's Notified |
|---|---|
| DWP | State Pension, benefits, Carer's Allowance |
| HMRC | Tax records |
| DVLA | Driving licence, vehicle registration |
| HM Passport Office | Passport cancellation |
| Local council | Council Tax, Housing Benefit, Blue Badge, electoral register |
| Veterans UK | Armed Forces/War Pensions payments |
NOT Covered — Family Must Contact Directly
| Organisation | Action Required |
|---|---|
| Banks / building societies | Close or transfer accounts |
| Insurance providers | Claim or cancel policies |
| Workplace/private pensions | Notify and claim |
| Mortgage lender | Notify, discuss account |
| Utility companies | Transfer or close accounts |
| TV Licensing | Cancel or transfer |
| Mobile phone / broadband | Cancel or transfer contracts |
| Subscriptions | Cancel direct debits |
| Social media | Memorialise or delete accounts |
| Royal Mail | Redirect mail if needed |
| Solicitor | Probate, will execution |
| Employer | Final pay, P45 |
| Charities (direct debit) | Cancel regular donations |
Ireland — All Notifications Manual
| Organisation | Action Required |
|---|---|
| Revenue Commissioners | Tax affairs, final return |
| Dept of Social Protection | Stop payments, claim bereavement supports |
| Banks / building societies | Close or transfer accounts |
| Insurance providers | Claim or cancel policies |
| Pension providers | Notify and claim |
| Local authority | Housing, Local Property Tax |
| Motor Tax Office | Vehicle transfer |
| Passport Office | Cancel passport |
| Utility companies | Transfer or close accounts |
| Solicitor | Probate, will execution |
Understanding the coroner system and how it interacts with death registration helps directors advise families on timing — particularly when an inquest may delay registration and, consequently, access to Tell Us Once.
This checklist is the kind of resource worth printing, keeping in your arrangement room, and handing to every family. The administrative burden after a death is substantial, and most families have no idea what's ahead of them until they're in the middle of it. Clear guidance costs you nothing and means everything to the people receiving it.
