How to notify a bank after someone dies in the UK: documents, process and timescales
This guide covers the documents banks ask for, how to reach each bank's bereavement team, how long each stage takes, and the other providers with bereavement teams.
What documents do you need to notify a bank of a death?
Every UK bank asks for the same four things: a certified copy of the death certificate, photo ID for you, proof of your authority to act, and any paperwork the deceased held there.
Certified copy of the death certificate: £12.50 in England and Wales (GOV.UK), £10 in Scotland (gov.scot), and £8 in Northern Ireland when bought at the time of registration (nidirect). Banks may keep the copy on file, so check how many death certificates you need before you order.
Photo ID for the executor or next of kin: a passport or driving licence, plus a utility bill or bank statement showing your address. Some banks verify the address online instead.
Proof of your authority to act: the will naming you as executor, letters of administration if there is no will, or a Grant of Probate once issued.
Anything the deceased held with the bank: cards, cheque book, passbook and statements, which help match the person to every account.
Wait for the death certificate before you start. Banks usually accept the coroner's interim Certificate of the Fact of Death for a first notification, but closure needs the full certificate. Work out every bank the deceased used, then notify them in one go.
How do you contact a bank's bereavement team?
Use the dedicated bereavement phone line or online form each major UK bank publishes, rather than general customer service, which is slower.
Barclays: the Barclays bereavement team covers current and savings accounts, and can be reached on 0800 068 2238, option 2 (Barclays). Barclays publishes its bereavement postal address and small estates threshold on its own bereavement page.
Barclaycard: the Barclaycard bereavement team deals with credit card balances separately, so a Barclays customer with a Barclaycard needs both told.
Lloyds Bank: the Lloyds Bank bereavement team takes notifications online through its bereavement form, or by phone on 0800 015 0012, 8am to 6pm every day (Lloyds Bank). Lloyds does not publish a separate postal address for bereavement claims.
Halifax and Bank of Scotland: Halifax bank bereavement cases go to the Halifax bereavement team, which follows the same Lloyds Banking Group process across all three brands.
NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland: the NatWest bereavement team can open an executor account for estate funds during administration, once you produce a Grant of Representation.
HSBC UK and First Direct: joint accounts pass to the surviving holder on production of a death certificate, with no probate needed.
Santander: Santander will pay a funeral director's invoice directly from the deceased's account, as most major banks will.
Nationwide Building Society: the bereavement team confirms next steps and document requirements within 5 working days.
App based banks: Monzo, Starling, Revolut and Chase handle bereavement in the app, usually faster, but need the executor to upload identity documents.
Other banks and building societies: TSB, Metro Bank, the Co-operative Bank, Skipton and Leeds Building Society follow the same model, with a threshold that varies by provider, typically between £15,000 and £50,000.
Can you tell several banks at once using the Death Notification Service?
Yes. The Death Notification Service notifies multiple member banks through one free online form, and it is operated by Equiniti with UK Finance. As of April 2026, more than 40 financial firms were signed up, including most major high street banks.
The service closes nothing. Each member contacts you separately within 10 working days with its own process and document list. Our guide on the Death Notification Service sets out who is signed up. Contact non-member banks directly, and use both routes at once.
What happens after you notify the bank of a death?
The account is frozen within 1 to 2 days of the bereavement team confirming the death, and the balance follows weeks later depending on whether probate is required.
Day 1 to 2: the account is frozen, direct debits and standing orders are cancelled, the debit card is deactivated, and online banking access closes.
Within 1 week: the bank confirms receipt, lists the documents it needs, and tells you its small estates threshold.
Within 2 to 4 weeks: below the threshold, and with the documents and indemnity form returned, the bank releases the balance to the executor's nominated account.
Within 4 to 12 weeks: where probate is required, the bank holds the funds until you send the Grant of Probate or letters of administration.
Joint accounts: the surviving holder keeps access throughout, and the bank removes the deceased's name on production of a death certificate.
Refunds and payments taken after the date of death are covered in what happens to a bank account when someone dies and in direct debits and standing orders after a death.
Do you need probate to close a bank account?
You need probate only where the balance is above the bank's small estates threshold, which is set by each bank rather than by law. Thresholds vary widely: Santander's published limit is £50,000 (Santander), while other banks typically sit nearer £15,000 to £30,000 without publishing an exact figure.
Below the threshold, the bank can usually release funds on a small estates form, sometimes called an indemnity form, signed by the executor. Above it, the bank waits for a Grant of Probate or letters of administration. GOV.UK states that you'll usually get probate within 12 weeks of applying, though it can take longer if extra information is needed (GOV.UK). Our guide on what is probate explains when a grant is needed. Ask each bank for its own threshold, because one may need probate while another does not.
What should you ask the bank on the first call?
Ask about the small estates threshold, funeral and inheritance tax payments, a date of death statement, recent direct debits and other accounts.
What is your small estates threshold? This decides whether probate is needed for that account.
Will you pay the funeral director directly? Most banks will, on a funeral invoice.
Will you pay HMRC for inheritance tax? Most banks will, on HMRC's reference, so the executor does not fund the tax personally.
Can you provide a statement as at the date of death? This is needed for the inheritance tax return.
What about direct debits taken in the last 30 days? Some can be reclaimed under the Direct Debit Guarantee.
Do you hold any other accounts in this name? The bank can check every product and may find dormant savings.
How do joint accounts, trusts and power of attorney affect the process?
Joint accounts, trusts and power of attorney each follow a different route, and only the joint account avoids the full document list.
Joint accounts: the survivor keeps access and the bank removes the deceased's name on a death certificate, with no probate needed. Held as tenants in common rather than joint tenants, the deceased's share forms part of the estate.
Power of attorney: a Lasting Power of Attorney ends on death, so the attorney can no longer operate the account, and the usual documents apply.
Trust accounts: the trust deed governs rather than the will, and the trustees act rather than the executor, so send the bank the deed.
Business accounts: a sole trader's account forms part of the estate, while a limited company is a separate legal entity and its account is unaffected.
Insolvent estates: where debts exceed assets, the executor must not pay one creditor in full while others go unpaid, and can be personally liable.
Foreign accounts: UK probate does not cover overseas accounts, and each country runs its own process, such as resealing in Australia.
Which other companies have a bereavement team?
Utilities, telecoms, media and insurance companies all run bereavement teams of their own, and none is told by the bank. See who to notify when someone dies for the full set.
O2: the O2 bereavement team closes or transfers a mobile contract, on production of a death certificate and the account number.
Sky: the Sky TV bereavement team covers TV, broadband and mobile on one account, and can transfer it to a survivor.
Virgin Media: the Virgin Media bereavement team handles broadband, TV and landline together, and equipment usually has to be returned.
Thames Water: the Thames Water bereavement team updates the account holder for the property, which matters if it stays occupied.
E.ON: the E.ON bereavement team takes a final meter reading and moves the account to the estate or the new occupier.
Legal & General: the Legal & General bereavement team handles life cover and pension claims, and asks for a death certificate first.
DVLA: DVLA has no bereavement team as such, and a death is reported through Tell Us Once or direct to DVLA to update licence and vehicle records.
Streaming and app store payments are covered in cancel a deceased person’s subscriptions. Phone numbers and postal addresses for these bereavement teams change from time to time, so check each provider's own bereavement or account pages for current contact details before you call or write.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, in most cases the bank needs a certified copy of the death certificate before it will open a bereavement case. Some banks accept the coroner's interim Certificate of the Fact of Death for the initial notification, but the full certificate is needed before the account can be closed.
No. Using a deceased person's bank card or withdrawing money from their account after the date of death is illegal, regardless of intent. Funeral bills are the one exception: most banks, including Santander, will pay a funeral director's invoice directly from the account.
The account can stay open until the estate is fully administered, which most banks accept takes 6 to 12 months. Some banks, including NatWest, will open a separate executor account for estate funds during administration, once you produce a Grant of Representation.
The Barclays bereavement team can be reached on 0800 068 2238, option 2 (Barclays). Postal claims go to the Bereavement Service Centre, Barclays Bank UK PLC, LE87 2BB, an address published on barclays.co.uk alongside the small estates threshold. The Barclaycard bereavement team handles credit cards separately, so tell both where the deceased held a Barclaycard.
Lloyds Bank takes a bereavement notification through its online form, or by phone on 0800 015 0012, 8am to 6pm every day (Lloyds Bank). It does not publish a separate postal address for bereavement claims, so post is not the recommended route. The Lloyds bereavement team issues its closure form online; a downloadable PDF is not offered.
No. Each bank handles only its own products, so insurers, utilities, mobile providers and subscription services all need telling separately. Pension and investment accounts sit with a separate team even inside the same bank, and take longer because a custodian and the underlying funds are involved.
This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Individual circumstances vary. If you are dealing with an estate, consider taking advice from a solicitor who specialises in probate. For other guidance specific to your circumstances, speak to a funeral director, Citizens Advice, or a regulated financial adviser.