AfterLoss

Plain-English bereavement guides

What to do when someone dies.

Practical guides for every stage of bereavement administration in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Written for families who want to know what to do next, in plain language.

Planning ahead instead?Guides for getting your own affairs in order, at your own pace

Want the whole picture first? Read the complete overview or check the jargon buster whenever a term is unfamiliar.

Step by step, from the first hours onward.

There is no deadline on any of this. Each step waits until you are ready.

  1. Step 1: Register the death

    The certificate, and how many copies to order

  2. Step 2: Arrange the funeral

    Choosing, planning, and paying

    If the funeral will follow religious customs, each has its own guide.

  3. Step 3: Tell people and organisations

    Government in one call, then banks and household accounts

  4. Check what support you can get Do this alongside the steps above.

    Payments and leave you may be entitled to

  5. Step 4: Find the will and check inheritance tax

    Who inherits, and whether tax applies

  6. Step 5: Apply for probate, if you need it

    Many estates do not need it - check first

  7. Step 6: Deal with the estate

    Collecting what was theirs and passing it on

Everything else, when it applies to you.

Can't see what you need?

Browse the full A-to-Z library

A two-minute overview

Looking something up

Forms, agencies, and legal terms, explained.

PA1P, IHT400, Tell Us Once, and 100+ more

A reference of UK bereavement entities and procedures, including faith-specific traditions, in plain English.

Open the wiki

When you're ready, AfterLoss can carry the list.

AfterLoss builds a step-by-step plan from your jurisdiction, role, and situation.