Telling the government someone has died – the 'Tell Us Once' service :Cross Stitch – Newsroom

A new service called ‘Tell Us Once’ has been introduced in England, Scotland and Wales which helps you tell the government just once about a person’s death.

When someone dies, there can often be a number of government departments and agencies to notify.

For example, a passport or driving licence may need to be cancelled, or benefits stopped.

The Tell Us Once service is designed to make things simpler for you, by helping you give this information to government only once.

Tell Us Once is available in most local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales.

To use the service, your first step is to register the death with your local register office in the usual way. They will then tell you what to do next.

To find your local register office, and information about whether Tell Us Once is available in your area, follow the link below.

The type of information you will be asked to provide about the person includes:

• death certificate details – you get this when the death is registered
• their National Insurance number
• date of birth
• details of any benefits and services they were getting

You will also be asked for the name of the closest relative – known as the ‘next of kin’. If you’re not the next of kin (or spouse/partner), you must have permission from them before you give any information to the adviser.