One phone call or one online session, and the DWP, HMRC, the Passport Office, DVLA, the council and the public sector pension schemes all know. That is what Tell Us Once does, and the registrar offers it at the moment you have the least capacity to work out who needs telling. This page is what to have with you, what the service reaches, and the list of who it does not.
When you can use it
You can use Tell Us Once if the person who died was living in England, Scotland or Wales, including if they died while temporarily abroad on holiday or a business trip. The death must have been registered, or reported to a coroner with a final or interim death certificate issued (GOV.UK, What to do after someone dies: tell Us Once, checked 1 November 2026).
You cannot use it if the person was living in Northern Ireland, or living abroad permanently, when they died.
If an inquest is under way and the death cannot yet be registered, you can still ask a registrar for a reference number once you have an interim death certificate from the coroner.
How it starts
A registrar will explain the service when you register the death, and GOV.UK says they will either complete Tell Us Once with you there and then, or give you a unique reference number so you can do it yourself online or by phone.
The registrar gives you the number to call; Relay UK covers it if you cannot hear or speak on the phone, and there is a British Sign Language video relay service on a computer (GOV.UK, What to do after someone dies: tell Us Once, checked 1 November 2026).
The deadline is 28 days from getting the reference number. It is the registration that starts the clock, not the death.
What to have with you
GOV.UK’s list of what you will need: the reference number; the person’s surname and the date they died; the name, address and contact details of whoever is dealing with the estate; and, for a surviving spouse or civil partner, their name, address, telephone number and National Insurance number or date of birth (GOV.UK, What to do after someone dies: tell Us Once, checked 1 November 2026).
If there is no surviving spouse or civil partner, or they cannot deal with the person’s affairs, you need the name and address of the next of kin. If the person died in a hospital, nursing home, care home or hospice, you need its name and address. You may also need their passport number and town of birth, their driving licence number, and details of any vehicles they owned.
Having those to hand is the difference between one session and two. The executor’s details may not be known yet if the will has not been read; the registrar can still give you the reference number and you can complete the service within the 28 days once you know.
What it reaches, and what it does not
Tell Us Once reports the death to most government organisations. It is the organisations outside government that need to be told separately, and GOV.UK lists them: banks, mortgage providers, insurance providers, and companies the person had contracts with, such as utility companies, landlords or housing associations (GOV.UK, Report the death without a Tell Us Once reference number, checked 1 November 2026).
Pensions are the one to act on first. GOV.UK says to contact personal, workplace and armed forces pension providers as soon as possible, because if the person was receiving payments, delay can mean having to repay them. The Pension Tracing Service can find a provider you do not have details for, and Veterans UK deals with armed forces pensions.
If you cannot use it
Where Tell Us Once is not available, GOV.UK lists who to contact directly. HMRC’s Bereavement Helpline, or form P1000 if you cannot call, to say who is dealing with the estate. The National Insurance Contributions Office, to cancel contributions if the person was self-employed or paying voluntarily.
The Child Benefit Office within 8 weeks, if a child or a parent has died. The DWP Bereavement Service on 0800 151 2012, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, to cancel benefits and the State Pension, which will also check whether you can get help with funeral costs. DVLA for a licence or vehicle. HM Passport Office by form (GOV.UK, Report the death without a Tell Us Once reference number, checked 1 November 2026).
In Scotland, Social Security Scotland has to be contacted separately to cancel the benefits it pays. If the person was living abroad when they died, the International Pension Centre replaces the Bereavement Service.
What comes next
Tell Us Once is the reporting step. The estate step, valuing what the person owned, deciding whether probate is needed and applying for it, starts after. Our when someone dies page has the order and the deadlines, and our do I need probate page answers the first question in it.