Redirecting Post After a Death

Post redirected after a death serves three purposes:

1. You see important legal and financial mail (bank statements, tax documents, pension information, probate correspondence)
2. You can respond to institutions that don't yet know about the death
3. You can identify accounts you didn't know existed (which is surprisingly common)

Without redirection, important letters are sitting in an empty house while you're unaware. By the time you realise, they're weeks old.

Royal Mail's redirection service is the main way to make sure post addressed to the person who died reaches you.

How Much Does It Cost?

Prices are per person, so redirecting mail for two people at the same address costs more (for example, £56.00 for 3 months for two adults).

If you get Universal Credit or Pension Credit yourself, you might pay less. Royal Mail has lower prices for people on these benefits (from £24.50 for 3 months), but they are meant for people moving home, and the form used after a death does not mention them. Call Royal Mail on 03457 777 888 to ask whether you can have them.

Prices checked with Royal Mail in September 2026. They can change, so check Royal Mail's website for the latest.

How Long Should You Redirect For?

Minimum: 3-6 months. This covers the period when most financial institutions will have notified you and updated their records.

Better: 12 months. Some companies take a long time to process death notifications. Annual renewal letters, tax correspondence, and pension documents might arrive for up to a year.

Royal Mail writes to you a few weeks before the redirection ends to ask if you want to renew it. It can run for up to 4 years in total, so you don't need to choose the perfect length now.

How to Set Up Redirection

After a death you apply on paper, not online or by phone, using Royal Mail's Special Circumstances form. You don't need probate (Confirmation in Scotland) or a copy of the will. Royal Mail accepts the form from the executor, the administrator, or anyone who holds a certified copy of the death certificate.

You will need:

• The Special Circumstances form. Print it from Royal Mail's redirection page (choose "Apply for someone else"). If you don't have a printer, a local library or a friend may be able to print it for you.
• The death certificate (a certified copy from the register office is fine)
• Proof of your name
• Proof of the address you want the post sent to

The form lists which documents Royal Mail accepts. Royal Mail says it returns the documents you send.

Then either:

• Take it to a Post Office. Staff check your documents and you pay at the counter.
• Post it with a cheque payable to Royal Mail Group Ltd, for the price in the table above, to: Royal Mail Redirection Centre, Cooper House, Lakeside, Festival Way, Stoke-on-Trent ST1 5RY.

When It Starts

The redirection starts about 5 working days after Royal Mail accepts your application, or on a later date if you choose one. Until then, post still goes to their address as usual. Royal Mail also sends a letter to their address to say a redirection has been set up. This is a standard security check.

If you have questions, call Royal Mail's redirection line on 03457 777 888 (Monday to Friday 8am-6:30pm, Saturday 8am-3pm, Sunday 9am-2pm).

What Royal Mail Redirection Covers

• Letters and parcels sent with Royal Mail
• Special Delivery, Signed For and Tracked items, as long as the new address is in the UK. Special Delivery's guaranteed delivery times no longer apply.

Someone still needs to sign for items that need a signature. Redirected post goes to the local delivery office first and is then sent on by second class, so it usually takes at least a day longer to arrive.

What It Does Not Cover

• Parcels from other delivery companies (DPD, Evri, UPS, DHL and others), including Parcelforce Worldwide, which is separate from Royal Mail's own post
• Post addressed to the occupier rather than to a named person
• Some post the law says must go back to the sender, such as some letters from government departments about benefits
• If you redirect post abroad: anything larger than a letter, or anything containing goods

If you're expecting a parcel or an important letter from one of these, contact the sender and ask them to send it to your address.

Even after death, unsolicited mail will arrive: marketing, charity appeals, spam.

Bereavement Register (Free)

The Bereavement Register removes the person's name and address from the mailing lists of companies that check the register before sending marketing post. You should see much less marketing post within about six weeks, and very little within six months.

What it doesn't cover: post from organisations the person had an account with, such as banks, utilities or insurers. You need to tell those organisations about the death yourself.

Visit www.thebereavementregister.org.uk - registration is free.

Mailing Preference Service (Free)

The Mailing Preference Service (MPS) is a free register that marketing companies check before sending addressed post. You can register someone who has died online, by phone on 020 7291 3310, or by post. It can take up to 3 months to take full effect, and the registration stays in place unless you ask for it to be removed. It does not stop post addressed to the occupier.

Visit www.mpsonline.org.uk - registration is free.

Deceased Preference Service (Free)

The Deceased Preference Service is another free register that works in a similar way. You can register online at www.deceasedpreferenceservice.co.uk or by phone on 0800 068 4433.

All three registers are free, and you can use more than one.

This is where post redirection gets interesting. You'll often receive letters from companies you've never heard of. This is common and sometimes important.

Financial Institutions You Didn't Know About

You might receive statements from savings accounts, Premium Bonds, shares or investment accounts, pensions (especially older ones or small pots), insurance policies, or endowment policies.

This is actually valuable. Many deceased people had accounts they hadn't told family about. The post reveals these.

What to do:

1. Keep the letter
2. Note the company name and account number
3. Contact the company directly
4. Tell them about the death and ask for their bereavement process
5. Ask about the account value
6. Add this to the probate list - it's an asset of the estate

Don't assume small accounts are worthless. Even a dormant savings account with £100 needs to be traced and included in probate. You may also discover digital accounts and online subscriptions that need closing.

Subscriptions and Memberships

You might receive renewal notices for magazines, gym memberships, professional memberships, streaming services, or online services.

Cancel the subscription by contacting the company directly. Ask for a refund if the subscription was paid in advance. Keep the refund for the estate. See our guide to closing utility accounts for a full list of providers and their bereavement contact numbers.

Charities and Charitable Giving

Charities often send appeal letters. If the deceased was a regular donor, you might receive annual reports, thank you letters, or appeals. You can donate in their memory if you wish, respond with a polite note, or simply do nothing - charities understand.

Advertising and Junk Mail

Even with the Bereavement Register and the other registers, some junk mail will still arrive. Shred it, recycle it, and don't spend time responding.

Create a System

Set aside time once a week to go through the post. Keep it organised:

• Financial institutions: File separately; these need follow-up
• Utility companies: File separately; you'll need to arrange final readings
• Insurance companies: Keep for probate
• Personal mail: Photos, letters, etc. - decide what to keep
• Junk mail: Recycle immediately

Keep a Spreadsheet

As you discover accounts and subscriptions, track them:

This becomes your probate list.

If a spreadsheet feels like the wrong tool for this, Information and Documents holds the same list with the letters attached, so you're not flicking between scans, files, and a sheet to remember what arrived last week.

Photograph Important Documents

When urgent documents arrive (tax letters, pension statements), photograph them on your phone immediately. If anything happens to the paperwork, you have a backup.

Post to a Care Home or Hospital Address

If the deceased was in a care home or hospital when they died, mail might still arrive there. Royal Mail cannot redirect post from a care home, hospital or other address where many people share one letterbox, so ask the staff to pass on or send you anything that arrives. If the person still had their own home, you can redirect post from that address in the usual way. You will also need to deal with personal belongings left at the facility.

Post to a Business Address

If the deceased ran a business, post will arrive at the business address. Royal Mail's personal redirection does not work from a business address, so contact the business premises manager, arrange for mail to be forwarded, and notify HMRC separately of the death (for tax purposes).

By 6 months: Most banks, pension providers, insurance companies, and utilities will have updated their records. You'll stop receiving post to the deceased's name from these institutions.

By 12 months: Almost all unsolicited mail will have ceased. Some subscriptions or charitable organisations might still send mail, but it's rare.

Beyond 12 months: If you're still receiving significant amounts of mail, it usually means you've missed notifying a company. Track down the institution and notify them.

Post Addressed to the Deceased Hits Differently Every Time

There's something visceral about seeing someone's name on an envelope. This fades with time, but the first few months can be surprisingly hard. It's okay if handling the post is emotional.

The Post Reveals the Shape of Someone's Life

Between subscriptions, charities they supported, financial accounts, professional memberships, and random mailing lists, the post tells you a surprising amount about how someone lived. It's an intimate record.

You Can Open Post Addressed to the Person Who Died

If you are the executor, or the person dealing with their affairs, you can open post addressed to the person who died. Handling it is part of sorting out their estate, and it is why Royal Mail lets you redirect their post to yourself. It can still feel odd, and that is normal.

Some Companies Take Months to Update Records

Even after multiple notifications, some companies will continue sending mail for weeks or months. Keep records of your notifications (dates, people you spoke to, confirmation numbers). After 8 weeks of repeated correspondence, escalate to a supervisor.

Dormant Accounts Reveal Themselves in the Post

The post is often how executors discover the deceased had savings accounts, investment bonds, or insurance policies they didn't know about. This is found money for the estate. Don't ignore mysterious financial statements.

Courier Deliveries Can't Be Redirected

If the deceased ordered something from an online retailer and it arrives via DPD, Evri, or another courier, Royal Mail redirection won't catch it. Contact the retailer and arrange redelivery.

1. Set up a Royal Mail redirection using the Special Circumstances form (from £45.00 for 3 months)
2. Register with the free mailing registers (the Bereavement Register, the Mailing Preference Service and the Deceased Preference Service) to reduce marketing post
3. Create a filing system for incoming post
4. Go through the post weekly and catalogue financial institutions, subscriptions, and insurance policies
5. Contact companies directly to notify them of the death
6. Cancel subscriptions and claim refunds
7. At 6 months: Expect much less mail to the deceased's name
8. At 12 months: Consider stopping the redirection (if mail has significantly reduced)

• Royal Mail redirection (Special Circumstances form under "Apply for someone else"): www.royalmail.com/personal/receiving-mail/redirection
• Royal Mail Redirection Centre (for the form by post): Cooper House, Lakeside, Festival Way, Stoke-on-Trent ST1 5RY
• Royal Mail redirection line: 03457 777 888 (Mon-Fri 8am-6:30pm, Sat 8am-3pm, Sun 9am-2pm)
• Bereavement Register: www.thebereavementregister.org.uk (free)
• Mailing Preference Service: www.mpsonline.org.uk or 020 7291 3310 (free)
• Deceased Preference Service: www.deceasedpreferenceservice.co.uk or 0800 068 4433 (free)

Once post is redirected, you'll need to:

• Notify banks and close accounts
• Do I need probate?
• How to apply for probate

The post often reveals hidden accounts - make sure you track them all for probate.