Who to inform when your child dies

Government offices

You can do this through the Tell Us Once service (or Bereavement Service in Northern Ireland). If using this service isn’t possible, you will need to contact:

• HMRC for tax, pension and benefits: their Bereavement Guide tool should help you understand what you need to do
• The local authority for Electoral Register, housing benefit, council tax, bus pass, parking permits, library membership
• DVLA and insurance company to cancel driving licenses, tax and vehicle ownership
• The Passport Agency.

Others

Think about your child’s routine and where and how they spent their time.

• School
• Health professionals
• Child bank and saving accounts
• Club memberships
• Travel season tickets.

If your child was a teenager or young adult

There will inevitably be more people and places to inform if your child was grown up or living independently. Here are some suggestions:

• Banks, savings providers and credit cards
• Mortgage provider or landlord, housing association or local authority
• Student Loans Company
• College or university
• Employer
• Mobile phone provider
• Utility companies (electricity, gas and water)
• TV and internet providers
• Health professionals
• Buildings and property insurance
• Gym membership or sports club season tickets
• Travel season tickets
• Clubs and social groups
• Membership organisations such as political parties.

Stopping unwanted mail

You can redirect any post or stop junk mail being sent to the home of your child. To do this you will need to register details of the death with the Bereavement Register.

You can also get in touch with several organisations who could help:

• Mailing Preference Service (MPS)
• Telephone Preference Service (TPS)
• Baby Mailing Preference Service (Baby MPS)
• the Deceased Preference Service.