The Tell Us Once service is a free UK government service that allows you to report a death to multiple government departments and local council services in a single notification, rather than contacting each one separately. It is available in England, Scotland, and Wales, and is designed to reduce the administrative burden on bereaved families and executors at an already difficult time. The sections below cover who can use it, what it notifies, and where its limitations lie.
Who can use the Tell Us Once service?
Tell Us Once can be used by the person registering the death, or by a relative, friend, or executor who has been given a unique reference number by the registrar at the time of registration. In practice, this means most people involved in managing a deceased person’s affairs can use it, provided they have the reference number issued at the point of death registration.
When you register a death at your local register office, the registrar will explain the Tell Us Once service and provide you with a unique reference number. This number is valid for 28 days. If you are an executor or a family member who was not present at registration, you will need to obtain this reference number from whoever registered the death before you can proceed.
The service is available to anyone dealing with estate administration in England, Scotland, or Wales. Northern Ireland does not currently operate the Tell Us Once service, and residents there will need to contact the relevant government departments individually.
Which government departments does Tell Us Once notify?
Tell Us Once notifies a wide range of central government departments and, where applicable, local council services simultaneously. A single submission can inform the relevant organisations that hold records or provide services connected to the deceased person.
Central government departments and agencies that may be notified include:
- HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) – for tax records, tax credits, and Child Benefit
- The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) – for State Pension and other benefits
- The Passport Office – to cancel the deceased’s passport
- The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) – to cancel the driving licence
- Veterans UK – if the deceased was receiving a war pension or compensation
- The Electoral Registration Office – to remove the person from the electoral roll
Local council services that may be notified include housing benefit, council tax, and library membership. Not every service will be relevant in every case – the system only notifies the departments and services that applied to the individual. It is worth noting that Tell Us Once does not notify private organisations such as banks, insurance providers, pension schemes, or utility companies. Those must be contacted separately.
How long does Tell Us Once take to complete?
The Tell Us Once notification itself typically takes around 15 to 20 minutes to complete online, or a similar amount of time by telephone. Once submitted, the relevant government departments are notified promptly, though individual departments may take several weeks to process the information and act on it fully.
You can complete Tell Us Once online at any point within the 28-day window following death registration, or by calling the Tell Us Once telephone service if you prefer not to use the online system. The registrar can also complete the service with you at the time of registration if you have the necessary information to hand.
Receiving confirmation that a notification has been sent does not mean all departments have immediately updated their records. If you are managing an estate and require confirmation from a specific department – for example, HMRC in relation to outstanding tax matters – you may still need to follow up directly.
Does Tell Us Once replace the need for probate or a formal valuation?
No. Tell Us Once does not replace probate, and it has no bearing on the requirement for a formal probate valuation. The service is solely a death notification tool. It informs government departments that a person has died; it does not administer the estate, settle liabilities, or satisfy HMRC’s requirements for Inheritance Tax purposes.
Probate is a separate legal process through which the deceased’s estate is formally administered. If the estate includes property, significant assets, or is subject to Inheritance Tax, a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration will typically be required. Separately, HMRC requires that all assets forming part of the estate – including property and household contents – are accurately valued at the date of death in compliance with Section 160 of the Inheritance Tax Act 1984.
Notifying HMRC through Tell Us Once that a person has died is a useful administrative step, but it does not constitute a submission of estate values or satisfy any reporting obligation under Inheritance Tax rules. Executors still need to obtain properly certified valuations and submit the relevant IHT forms through the appropriate channels.
What information do you need before using Tell Us Once?
Before starting a Tell Us Once notification, you will need to gather specific details about the deceased and, in some cases, about yourself as the person making the notification. Having this information ready in advance makes the process straightforward.
You will typically need:
- The unique reference number provided by the registrar at the time of death registration
- The deceased’s full name, date of birth, and date of death
- Their National Insurance number
- Their driving licence number (if applicable)
- Their passport number (if applicable)
- Details of any benefits or tax credits they were receiving
- The name and address of the deceased’s next of kin or the person managing the estate
If you are completing the notification on behalf of someone else, you may also need your own details. The more information you have prepared in advance, the more efficiently the process can be completed in a single session.
What are the limitations of the Tell Us Once service?
While Tell Us Once is a genuinely useful service, it has clear limitations that executors and family members should understand. It covers only participating government departments and local councils – it does not contact private sector organisations, and it does not manage any aspect of the estate itself.
Key limitations include:
- No private sector coverage: Banks, building societies, pension providers, insurance companies, utility suppliers, and subscription services must all be contacted individually. Tell Us Once does not reach any of these.
- No estate administration function: The service does not apply for probate, calculate Inheritance Tax, or manage assets. It is purely a notification tool.
- Geographic restriction: The service is not available in Northern Ireland.
- 28-day time limit: The reference number issued at registration expires after 28 days, so the notification must be completed within that window.
- No confirmation of action: Notification does not guarantee that each department has updated its records or resolved any outstanding matters. Follow-up may still be required.
Executors dealing with complex estates – particularly those involving property, significant chattels, or Inheritance Tax liability – should treat Tell Us Once as one small step in a much broader process. The service simplifies one element of death notification, but the substantive work of estate administration remains entirely separate.
How Avery Associates helps with estate administration after a death
While Tell Us Once handles death notification to government departments, the wider process of estate administration involves considerably more, and that is where Avery Associates provides comprehensive, end-to-end support.
- RICS-accredited probate valuations of property and household contents, compliant with Section 160 of the Inheritance Tax Act 1984 and carrying a 100% HMRC acceptance rate
- Full probate house clearance, including specialist hoarder clearance, deep cleaning, garden clearance, and vehicle disposal
- Will searches and document retrieval to support executors before and during the probate process
- Property sale arrangements via auction or estate agents, managed on behalf of the estate
- Urgent reports available within 24 hours and standard reports returned within five working days
Avery Associates works with executors, solicitors, and families across the UK, handling every aspect of the process with professionalism and discretion. To discuss your requirements or arrange a free initial consultation, contact our team today.
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- Can probate house clearance be deferred until the estate is settled?
This content was generated with the help of AI and it may contain mistakes
