WSGWhen Someone Dies Guide

Index

Guides

Short, practical answers to the questions families actually ask, each linked to the tool that helps you act on it.

Last reviewed: 1 September 2026

Someone Has Died

What to do when someone diesThe order things happen in, from the first hour to the first few weeks.

Funerals

Who pays funeral costsThe estate, the arranger, and the help available if there is no money.

Probate & Estate

Dying without a willNo will? The intestacy rules decide everything — here is how it plays out.What happens to debtsWho is liable, how debts are paid, and what happens if there is not enough.

Money

Inheritance: tax, shares and accountsInheritance tax, transferring shares, and how each type of asset reaches you.What happens to bank accountsFreezing, joint accounts, direct debits and releasing the money.What happens to debtsWho is liable, how debts are paid, and what happens if there is not enough.What happens to pensionsState, workplace and personal pensions, and who receives what.What happens to insurance policiesClaiming on life cover, and the policies that need attention fast.Who pays funeral costsThe estate, the arranger, and the help available if there is no money.

Property

What happens to a mortgageWho pays, what the lender expects, and the options for the house.

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