It's hard to think about the practicalities when you're coping with grief. To make it easier, here's a step-by-step guide of what you need to do next.
A medical examiner will confirm the cause of death when your loved one has passed, and then sign a medical certificate.
After that's happened, you need to register the death within five days (or eight days if you live in Scotland).
You can either register the death online, or at any local register office.
The most important thing you'll need is the medical certificate. Ideally, you should also try to bring some more of their identifying documents, like a:
They'll then provide you with a death certificate.
Once you have a death certificate, you can then arrange the funeral.
The person who passed may have organised a pre-paid funeral plan or have simply left some requests, so it's worth checking their paperwork before organising it.
You can either hire a funeral director or organise it yourself.
You may be eligible for certain bereavement benefits, depending on the circumstances of the death.
The options available are:
Probate is the legal right to deal with someone's property and money after they've passed.
Depending on the circumstances, you may need to formally apply for probate before you can start dealing with the finances of the person who's died.
We refer to the money, possessions and property of someone who's died as their 'estate'. This is everything they've laid out in their will.
It may have a named 'executor'. This is the person they've put in charge of organising and managing their estate after they've died.
They'll be responsible for distributing their possessions to the people they've named in their will.
Check out GOV.UK's guide on next steps when someone dies, as well as their tips on where to find bereavement help and support.
If you need support after bereavement, there are plenty of great charities and organisations out there who can help you through your grief.
The Marie Curie charity offer an extensive collection of bereavement resources. Here are some other places you can go to for support:
We understand that the last thing you want to think about is your loved one's insurance or finances after they've passed away.
If they had an Admiral policy, our Customer services team will do everything they can to make the process as easy as possible.
All you need to do is fill in our online bereavement form to let us know the policyholder has passed away. We'll support you every step of the way in resolving their policy.
Fill in our online bereavement formThere are different ways you can contact us to find out more about the support available:
If you have hearing or speech difficulties, you can use the national text relay service, Relay UK, to act on your behalf. Everything is completely confidential, including the details you share for identification and verification questions.
We understand there are a lot of circumstances where you may be struggling and need some extra help.
If you're struggling with mental health issues, there's support available to help manage your finances.
Find out moreIf you or someone you know has become seriously ill, there are ways we can help make sure your policies are taken care of.
Find out moreIf you're caring for a loved one, it can be a struggle to manage their finances too. See how we can make things easier for you.
Find out moreThere are different resources available to help you with future planning and managing your finances after retirement.
Find out more