Notifying Banks and Building Societies After a Death¶

Notifying a bank is one of the early administrative tasks after a death and one of the most repetitive. Each institution has its own bereavement process, its own forms, its own probate threshold, and its own paperwork requirements, and the deceased may have held accounts with several. The mechanics are the same in every case; the variation is in the small print.

This guide covers what happens when an account holder dies, what each bank typically asks for, how the probate threshold determines whether you need a grant of probate before the bank releases funds, and the special cases that come up most often: joint accounts, NS&I and Premium Bonds, and money for the funeral.

If you can only do one thing today: Call the bereavement team at every institution where the deceased held an account and ask three questions: what is your probate threshold for this estate, what documents do you need, and can funds be released to cover funeral costs before probate is granted. Write the answers down. Each bank's answer is slightly different and you will refer back to it. [source: citizens-advice/dealing-with-the-financial-affairs-of-someone-who-has-died-2026-04-29.html]

What happens when you notify a bank¶

The moment a UK bank or building society is told that an account holder has died, the account is frozen. No withdrawals, no transfers, no card payments. Standing orders and direct debits stop processing the next time they fall due. Online and mobile access for the deceased is suspended. This happens automatically and is the bank protecting itself from paying out money on the instructions of someone without legal authority.

The freeze sits in place until one of three things happens:

The bank releases the funds against an indemnity (for accounts below their probate threshold).
The bank receives a grant of probate or letters of administration (for accounts above the threshold).
The bank agrees to release a specific amount, usually for funeral costs, in advance of either of the above.

A joint account in the name of the deceased and a survivor is a separate case (covered below) and is not frozen in the same way.

Who to notify, and how¶

Every UK retail bank and building society has a bereavement team — a dedicated department reached on a separate phone line and operating to its own service standard. The bereavement number is on the bank's website under "bereavement," "what to do when someone dies," or similar. It is almost always different from the standard customer service number; using the bereavement line is materially faster.

The Tell Us Once service does not notify banks. Tell Us Once handles HMRC, the DWP, the council, the DVLA, and the Passport Office; banks and building societies are not in scope and need to be contacted directly. The third-party service Settld notifies most major banks and consumer providers in one go and is free to bereaved families.

Notification is usually accepted by phone, with documents sent in afterwards. Some banks accept everything online via an upload portal once the bereavement team has opened a case file. Branch visits are no longer required at any major UK bank but remain an option.

What each bank typically asks for¶

The documents requested are broadly consistent across institutions:

The original death certificate or a certified copy. Most banks accept a photocopy at first notification but require an original or certified copy before releasing funds. Order at least 5 to 10 certified copies at registration; multiple institutions need them simultaneously.
Photo identification for the executor or claimant — passport or driving licence.
Proof of address for the executor or claimant — a utility bill, council tax letter, or bank statement dated within the last 3 months.
Proof of the executor's authority — the will (showing the claimant as executor), or a grant of probate or letters of administration once issued.
A completed bereavement claim form — bank-specific, sent on request.

Each bank also wants the deceased's account numbers (or sort code and full name to look them up), the date of death, and the approximate value of the estate. The estate value tells the bank whether their probate threshold is going to apply.

The probate threshold¶

Every bank has a probate threshold, which is the balance above which they require a grant of probate before releasing funds. Below the threshold, they release funds against a signed indemnity from the executor or next of kin; above it, they wait for the grant. [source: citizens-advice/dealing-with-the-financial-affairs-of-someone-who-has-died-2026-04-29.html]

Thresholds vary widely. The major UK banks generally use thresholds in the £25,000 to £50,000 range, but the figure changes from time to time and some banks set different thresholds for different account types or apply the threshold to the combined balance across all accounts the deceased held with them rather than to individual accounts. Phone the bereavement team and ask what their current threshold is and whether it is applied per-account or in aggregate. [source: citizens-advice/dealing-with-the-financial-affairs-of-someone-who-has-died-2026-04-29.html]

Where the estate sits clearly above the threshold (a substantial savings account, a fixed-rate bond, an investment ISA above the limit), there is no point arguing the indemnity route. Apply for probate and submit the grant when issued. Where the estate sits clearly below, the indemnity is faster — funds are typically released within 2 to 4 weeks.

The indemnity is a contract: by signing it the executor agrees to repay the bank if a competing claim emerges later. For straightforward estates with no contested will and no significant outside creditors, the risk is small. For complicated estates — a will that has been contested, an unmarried partner with a possible claim, business interests, large debts of unknown size — apply for probate even if the bank would accept an indemnity, because the formal process protects the executor.

Joint accounts¶

A joint current or savings account held with right of survivorship passes automatically to the surviving account holder on the death of the other. This is the default for joint accounts at all major UK banks. Probate is not needed; the bank moves the account into the survivor's sole name once notified, and full access is restored within a few weeks.

Joint accounts held as "tenants in common" (rare for ordinary current and savings accounts; more common for some investment products) do not pass automatically and the deceased's share forms part of the estate. The bank or the platform statements will identify which form of joint ownership applies; if it is unclear, ask before assuming.

For couples, the practical advice is to leave at least one operating joint account intact for the survivor to use through the early bereavement period. Notifying the bank of the death does not freeze a joint account, but card-issuing on the deceased's name is stopped and the account moves into a sole-name structure once paperwork is complete.

NS&I and Premium Bonds¶

NS&I runs a separate process from the high-street banks. Holdings are claimed against the deceased's name and last address, and the bereavement number is 08085 007 007. NS&I has its own threshold for needing a grant of probate and its own claim form; bank thresholds and forms do not transfer. [source: nsi/what-to-do-when-someone-dies-2026-04-30.html]

Premium Bonds remain in the prize draw for 12 months after the date of death. Any prizes won during that window are paid to the estate. After 12 months the bonds must be cashed in or transferred. NS&I will trace holdings if you provide the deceased's name and last address; holding numbers are not strictly required. [source: nsi/what-to-do-when-someone-dies-2026-04-30.html]

Releasing funds for funeral costs¶

Most banks and building societies will release money from a frozen account specifically to pay a funeral director, in advance of probate, on receipt of the funeral director's invoice or quote. This is not a legal entitlement; it is a discretionary practice that most banks have adopted as standard.

The mechanics are straightforward. Phone the bereavement team, explain that funeral costs are due and the funeral director has issued an invoice, and ask whether the bank will pay the invoice direct from the deceased's account. Most will, and most ask for the invoice (rather than a receipt or estimate) and the funeral director's bank details. Payment is usually made within a week.

If the bank declines, or if the deceased's accounts are insufficient, two further options exist. The funeral director may agree to wait for payment until probate is granted (most do; this is normal). And the Funeral Expenses Payment from the DWP is available for survivors on a qualifying low-income benefit.

Date-of-death balance statements¶

For every account the deceased held, the bank can issue a date-of-death balance statement — a written certificate showing the exact balance on the date of death, the interest accrued to that date, and any pending transactions. This document is part of the probate inventory and the IHT400 return where one is required.

Request the statement at the same time as the initial notification. Most banks produce it within 2 to 4 weeks and post it to the executor. A photocopied online statement is not acceptable for probate or HMRC purposes; the date-of-death statement must be on bank letterhead and signed.

If the deceased held multiple accounts at the same bank, the balance statement usually covers all of them in a single document. Some banks produce separate statements per account; either is fine.

Direct debits and standing orders¶

Once an account is frozen, direct debits and standing orders stop processing. This is automatic, and the bank will notify recipients that the account is closed. The recipients then need to be contacted by the executor:

Essential bills (council tax, mortgage payments, insurance premiums) need to be re-routed to a different account or paid manually until the account is reopened or replaced. Talk to the recipient directly; most accept a temporary pause given the circumstances.
Subscriptions and consumer services can be cancelled. There is no obligation to keep them running, and recurring charges accumulating against a closed account create an avoidable mess of small refund chases.
Insurance on the property must remain active. If buildings or contents insurance lapses while the estate is being administered, an uninsured loss falls back on the executor's personal liability. Move the policy onto a different payment method or transfer it into the executor's name on a temporary basis.

Working through 3 months of the deceased's bank statements catches most recurring payments. The remainder surface in the post over the following weeks; redirecting the post (see Redirecting post after a death) makes this easier.

Accounts the family didn't know about¶

In the months after a death, statements and renewal notices arrive for accounts no one in the family knew existed. This is common — old savings accounts, dormant ISAs, fixed-rate bonds taken out years earlier, share-dealing accounts with platforms the deceased no longer used. Each one needs to be notified, the date-of-death balance requested, and the holding rolled into the probate inventory.

For tracing dormant bank and building society accounts, the free industry service "My Lost Account" at mylostaccount.org.uk searches across UK banks, building societies, and NS&I in one query. The Unclaimed Assets Register is a paid commercial alternative covering a wider range of products.

Scotland and Northern Ireland¶

Bank notification works identically across the UK. The thresholds, processes, and document requirements at the high-street banks are the same in Scotland and Northern Ireland as in England and Wales. The downstream probate process differs (Scotland uses Confirmation through the Sheriff Court; Northern Ireland uses the NI Probate Office), and where a grant is required the relevant Scottish or Northern Irish form is presented to the bank in place of an English grant of probate.

What this guide doesn't cover¶

This guide is about notifying banks and accessing money. It is not about valuing the estate for inheritance tax purposes (covered in the inheritance-tax guide), about applying for the grant itself (How to apply for probate), or about how creditors are paid out of the estate once funds are released (Debt after death).

It also does not cover investment platforms (Hargreaves Lansdown, AJ Bell, interactive investor, etc.), pension providers, or insurers, each of which has its own bereavement process distinct from the high-street banks. Those are covered in Pensions after a death and Claiming life insurance after a death.

If you're struggling, you don't have to do this alone. Samaritans (116 123, 24/7) | Cruse Bereavement Care (0808 808 1677) | Mind (0300 123 3393)

Next: Closing utility accounts after a death

Last verified: 29 April 2026 against Citizens Advice — dealing with the financial affairs of someone who has died and NS&I — what to do when someone dies.