After a bereavement hub
Sorting the money side of a death is one of the hardest practical tasks at the hardest time. This hub gives a clear ordered checklist — register, notify, value, claim — and points you at the free, regulated services that can help. Nothing here is legal advice; complex estates need a solicitor or STEP practitioner.
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The ordered steps
1. Register the death and use Tell Us Once
Register the death within five days in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (eight days in Scotland). The Tell Us Once service notifies most government departments in a single online or in-person session at the register office.
2. Find the will and gather the paperwork
Find the most recent will. Locate bank statements, pension paperwork, insurance policies, property deeds and recent tax returns. If you can't find a will, the estate is intestate and the rules in the Administration of Estates Act apply.
3. Value the estate and decide if probate is needed
Estates above small thresholds, or that hold property in the deceased's sole name, generally need a grant of probate (or Confirmation in Scotland). HMRC's IHT400 process kicks in for estates that may owe Inheritance Tax. Many smaller estates can use shorter forms or no forms at all.
4. Check if Inheritance Tax is due
IHT is charged at 40% on the value of the estate above the allowances: £325,000 nil-rate band, £175,000 residence band if the home passes to direct descendants, plus any percentage transferred from a deceased spouse. The rate drops to 36% on the rest if 10% or more is left to charity.
5. Deal with pensions and digital assets
Workplace and personal pensions usually pay according to the deceased's expression of wishes — they sit outside the estate today, but most unused DC pensions come within IHT from 6 April 2027. Digital assets (crypto, NFTs, account credits) require their own access plan; the Property (Digital Assets etc) Act 2025 confirms they pass under a will in England and Wales.