AfterLoss Wiki¶
A practical knowledge base for the things you need to do when someone dies in the UK. Plain English, actual forms, actual costs, actual deadlines.
This is part of AfterLoss, a guide to bereavement administration.
Where to start¶
If someone has just died and you don't know where to begin, What to do when someone dies is the orientation hub — it walks through the first 48 hours, first week, first month, and first three months and links out to everything else.
If you're an executor working through the estate, start with Do I need probate?.
If you're trying to understand inheritance tax, start with Inheritance tax.
If you're planning ahead for your own affairs, start with the Estate planning checklist.
What's here today¶
The wiki covers probate, registration, notifications, the financial admin of an estate, arranging a funeral, property unwinding, and planning your own estate before a death across the UK with England-and-Wales-specific detail where the law diverges. We're expanding the Scottish and Northern Irish coverage through 2026.
- Probate: Do I need probate? · How to apply for probate · Confirmation in Scotland · How to get a copy of a will · Inheritance tax · Intestacy rules · Debt after death
- Around the death: How to register a death · Death certificate · When someone dies abroad · Tell Us Once · Redirecting post · Stopping benefits
- Financial admin: Bereavement Support Payment · Notifying banks · Council tax · Closing utilities · Life insurance · Pensions
- Funerals: Funeral costs · Arranging a funeral · Funeral Expenses Payment · Prepaid funeral plans · Publishing a death notice · Burial rights · Water cremation
- Funeral customs and traditions: Muslim · Jewish · Hindu · Sikh
- Property and partners: Mortgage · Cars · Personal belongings · Pets · Unmarried partners
- Care and work: Bereavement leave at work · When someone dies in a care home · Care home fees · Power of attorney
- Estate planning (before death): Estate planning checklist · Making a will · DIY will vs solicitor · Where to keep a will · Naming guardians · Lasting power of attorney · Advance decisions and living wills · Recording funeral wishes · Digital legacy · Managing a deceased person's social media · End-of-life planning · Pensions and inheritance tax (April 2027)
How this is maintained¶
Every page is reviewed against authoritative UK government sources every three months. The "Last verified" date at the foot of each page tells you when the facts were last checked.
If you spot something out of date or wrong, email steve@afterloss.uk.