Tell Us Once
When someone has died there are lots of things that need to be done, at a time when you probably least feel like doing them. One of these is contacting government departments and local council services that need to be infomed of the death. The council is providing a service which we hope will make things easier. This new service means that you can just tell us and these organisations will be contacted.
How this service can help you
When someone has died, their death needs to be registered at the Register Office in the district where they died (this may be a different distict to where they resided). Once that’s done, several other organisations may have to be contacted and given the same information.
We can help you give the information to the Department of Work and Pensions and they can pass on this information to a number of other government departments and local council services for you.
How you can contact us to use the service
There are different ways you can use the service:
In person
When you come to register the death the registrar can take the additional information required at the same time. Please contact us to make an appointment.
By telephone
You can use the telephone service once you have registered, so if you would like to speak to someone on the phone please call the Department for Work and Pensions on 0800 085 7308. The lines are open Monday to Friday between 8am and 8pm. This number is free to call from a BT landline, but other providers, including mobile phone providers, may charge you.
If you do not speak English, please call the DWP on 0800 085 7308 and one of their advisors will arrange for an interpreter to call you back and help you.
What happens to the information?
If you decide to use the service we will be able to tell the following organisations:
Department for Work and Pensions
- Pension, Disability and Carers Service
- Jobcentre Plus
- Overseas Health Team
Ministry of Defence, Service Personnel and Veterans Agency
- War Pensions Scheme
HM Revenue and Customs
- Child Benefit
- Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit
- Personal Taxation
Identity and Passport Service
Local Councils
- Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefits Office
These organisations can also be told if you ask us to do so:
- Council Tax
- Libraries
- Blue Badges
- Adult Services
- Children’s Services
- Collection of payment for council services
- Electoral Services
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
How we will treat the information you give us
The information you give will be treated securely and confidentially. The organisations who are contacted will use the information to update records; to end services, benefits and credits as appropriate; and to resolve any outstanding issues. They may use this information in other ways, but only as the law allows.
Information you will need to use the service
To make sure the right information is given to any organisations we contact for you and so that you get most out of the service, it will help if you can bring along with you the following information about the person who has died:
- Their National Insurance number and date of birth.
- Details of any benefits or services they were receiving.
- Their driving licence or driving licence number.
- Their passport or passport number or town/country of birth.
- Their Blue Badge (disabled person’s parking badge).
We may also ask you for the contact details for:
- Their next of kin.
- A surviving husband, wife or civil partner.
- The person dealing with their estate (affairs).
You must obtain the permission of the persons listed above if you are going to provide us with information about them.
Next of kin
If you are the next of kin (closest relative by blood or marriage to the deceased), your entitlement to benefits may change, so please have your own National Insurance number and/or date of birth with you when you contact us. If you are not the next of kin, or the person who is dealing with the deceased’s estate (the person sorting out their property, belongings and money), you can still use the service if you have their permission to provide their details and act on their behalf.
Privacy
This service is committed to ensuring your information is protected. Your information will be used in accordance with our personal information policy.
Please remember that it is your responsibility to ensure that all organisations that pay you a benefit/credit or provide a service to you, have correct and up to date information about you.