- Register the death first. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland that means within 5 days, in Scotland 8 days.
- Order several certified copies of the death certificate. Almost every organisation asks for one.
- Probate (or confirmation in Scotland, letters in the US) is only needed for some accounts. Each organisation sets its own limit.
- Online companies often want more. Google, for example, can require a US court order before it releases data.
Nearly everything you do in the coming weeks starts with the same few documents. Get them first.
United Kingdom
Registering the death
In England and Wales you register the death within 5 days of getting confirmation from the medical examiner’s office. That period includes weekends and bank holidays. In Northern Ireland it should be registered within 5 days, unless the coroner is involved. In Scotland it must be registered within 8 days of the death where possible.
Death certificates
Citizens Advice suggests getting more than one certificate, because you’ll need to send an original to close financial accounts. Costs at the time of writing (October 2026):
- England and Wales: copies from the General Register Office (GRO) cost £12.50 and are sent 4 days after you apply. Priority service is £38.50 for next working day delivery if you order by 4pm. Without the GRO index reference it costs £3.50 more and takes 15 working days.
- Scotland: the registrar’s certificate of registration and the abbreviated death entry are free.
- Northern Ireland: £8 each at registration, or from GRO NI £15 for the first copy and £8 for extra copies ordered at the same time.
Tell Us Once
Tell Us Once notifies HMRC, DWP, the Passport Office, DVLA, your local council and other government bodies in one go. It works in England, Scotland and Wales, not Northern Ireland. Use your reference number within 28 days. It does not tell banks, insurers, utilities or online companies.
Probate and letters of administration
Executors named in a will apply for a grant of probate. Without a will, the closest relative applies for letters of administration. A grant may not be needed if the person only had savings, or held money and property jointly, because that passes to the surviving owner.
There is no single legal threshold. HSBC, for example, releases up to £50,000 without a grant if there is a will and £25,000 without one, but may still ask for a grant below those amounts. PayPal UK wants a grant for balances over £5,000.
The probate fee is £526 if the estate is worth more than £5,000, and nothing at £5,000 or less. Extra official copies of the grant cost £2 each if you order them with the application and £16 each later. Order extras: PayPal, Monzo and Starling can ask to see one above their own limits, and Revolut lists it among the documents it accepts.
Scotland: confirmation
In Scotland the equivalent is confirmation, a court document that lets executors collect and distribute the estate. It can only be granted if there is money or other property in Scotland. An estate of £36,000 or less (before debts are deducted) counts as a small estate, and the sheriff clerk can help you prepare the inventory.
United States
- Certified copies of the death certificate. The New York Department of State advises getting several, some with and some without the cause of death.
- Letters testamentary or letters of administration. These are state court documents showing who has authority over the estate. Check the probate court where the person lived.
- Small estate routes. Smaller estates can often skip full probate. California’s Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property covers up to $208,850 for deaths on or after 1 April 2025. In New York, an estate with less than $50,000 of personal property and no solely owned real property can use a Voluntary Administrator appointed by the Surrogate’s Court, for a $1 filing fee. Texas allows a small estate affidavit for assets of not more than $75,000 (excluding the homestead and exempt property) once more than 30 days have passed since the death.
- Social Security. Funeral homes generally tell the Social Security Administration. If not, call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) with the person’s name, Social Security number, date of birth and date of death. A surviving spouse might get a one-time payment of $255.
European Union
If the estate crosses borders inside the EU, the European Certificate of Succession lets heirs, legatees and executors prove their status in another Member State. Using it is optional, and it does not replace national documents.
Certified copies are valid for six months. It applies to deaths on or after 17 August 2015. Denmark and Ireland do not take part.
Online companies often ask for more than banks do. Google needs the requester’s ID and the death certificate, plus a certified, notarised English translation of anything not in English. If it approves a data request and Google LLC is the provider, you then need a court order issued in the United States. A UK grant of probate on its own is not enough. Apple and Microsoft can also require court orders. Our guides to email accounts and photos and cloud storage cover each company.
Once you have the certificates and know if a grant is needed, work through closing accounts in a sensible order. For the legal background in each country, see our pages on the United Kingdom and the United States.