What do I need to do about money when my husband dies?
Very little has to be done straight away. Register the death within 5 days of the medical examiner's office confirming you can, use Tell Us Once, and make sure you can reach enough money for daily bills and the funeral. Probate, pensions and investment decisions can wait weeks or months.
Published . General information, not financial advice.
What has to happen in the first few days?
In England and Wales you must register the death within 5 days of the medical examiner's office confirming you can. In Scotland you have 8 days. The count includes weekends and bank holidays. If you need more time, tell the register office straight away. They are used to this.
The registrar gives you a certificate for burial or cremation, often called the green form. Your funeral director needs it before the funeral can go ahead. If a coroner is holding an inquest, you can ask the coroner for an interim death certificate, which banks and pension schemes accept for now.
Ask for several certified copies of the death certificate. Banks, pension schemes and insurers each usually want to see one, and sending them out at the same time is quicker than waiting for each to come back.
Tip: keep one notebook for this. Write down who you spoke to, the date and any reference number. You will be asked for these later and it is hard to remember at the moment.
How do I pay for the funeral?
First check whether your partner had a pre-paid funeral plan or an insurance policy meant to cover it. Money in his own name belongs to his estate, but many banks will pay a funeral director's bill straight from his account if you send them the invoice and a death certificate. Ask the bank's bereavement team.
If money is tight, you may be able to get a Funeral Expenses Payment. You or your partner need to get Universal Credit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Pension Credit or Housing Benefit. It covers burial or cremation fees and up to £1,000 for other costs such as the funeral director and the coffin. You must apply within 6 months of the funeral.
The payment is taken back from any money you later receive from the estate, but a house or personal belongings left to you as his widow are not counted. In Scotland, Social Security Scotland pays a Funeral Support Payment instead.
Who do I need to tell, and how can I do it in fewer calls?
When you register, the registrar will explain Tell Us Once and give you a reference number, which you must use within 28 days. One report reaches HMRC, the DWP, the Passport Office, the DVLA, the local council and some public sector pension schemes, including the NHS, Civil Service and Local Government Pension Schemes. It isn't available if your partner lived in Northern Ireland.
Tell Us Once does not reach banks, mortgage lenders, insurers, utility companies or most workplace and personal pensions. For banks and building societies, the free Death Notification Service tells all its member organisations at once. Any that held an account should contact you within 10 working days.
Contact his pension schemes yourself, and do it early. If he was already drawing a pension, payments made after his death may have to be paid back. HMRC also has a Bereavement Helpline to check whether he paid the right tax.
Will I have money to live on while this is sorted out?
If you had a joint bank account, the money usually passes straight to you and the account is not frozen. Money in his sole name is part of his estate and may be held until probate. Our article on joint accounts and the home explains what happens to each.
Look at his bank statements for direct debits. Payments from his sole account will stop, so move the important ones to your own account:
- mortgage or rent
- Council Tax
- energy and water
If you now live alone, ask the council for the 25% single person discount on Council Tax. You have to apply for it.
If he was working, ask his employer about final pay, holiday pay and any death-in-service benefit. If you were under State Pension age, claim Bereavement Support Payment within 3 months to get the full amount.
Am I responsible for his debts?
Usually only for debts that were in both your names. Citizens Advice explains that his own debts are paid from his estate. If the estate can't cover them, creditors generally cannot recover the rest from anyone else.
Joint debts are different. A joint loan, joint overdraft or joint mortgage can be recovered from you in full. If you lived together, you may also be liable for household bills such as Council Tax and water.
Don't pay his sole debts from your own money while things are being sorted. Check his paperwork for payment protection or life insurance that might clear a loan or mortgage.
What can safely wait?
More than most people expect. Probate, selling the house, choosing what to do with a pension pot and investing a lump sum can all wait. GOV.UK advises not making financial plans or putting property on the market until probate has been granted, which often takes a few months.
If anyone presses you for a decision, it is fine to say you need time. Most organisations have bereavement teams who expect this. When you feel ready, our articles on benefits and pensions and probate take the next steps one at a time.
Related questions
Can I use my husband's bank card after he dies?
No. Money in an account in his sole name becomes part of his estate when he dies, so tell the bank and stop using his card. Joint accounts are different: the money usually passes to you and you can keep using the account. Many banks will still pay the funeral bill from his sole account.
What is the green form?
It is the certificate for burial or cremation that the registrar gives you when you register the death. You hand it to the funeral director, crematorium or burial authority, and the funeral cannot go ahead without it. It is separate from the death certificate, which banks and other organisations will ask to see.
Does Tell Us Once tell his bank?
No. Tell Us Once reports the death to government departments, the local council and some public sector pension schemes. Banks, building societies, insurers, utility companies and most workplace pensions need telling separately. The free Death Notification Service can tell many banks and building societies in one go.