Resources
Plain-English guides to the admin no one teaches you.
Bank bereavement, digital accounts, what an executor actually has to do, and how to get organised before any of it is needed.
Editor's pick
The first two weeks: what an executor actually has to do.
When someone dies, the practical list arrives long before anyone feels ready. This guide walks through the early steps in order, from registering the death to notifying banks, so you can do the next right thing without holding it all in your head.
- Registering the death and using Tell Us Once
- Who to notify first, and what they will ask for
- What you can and cannot do before probate
Bank bereavement
Notifying banks and settling accounts.
Digital assets
Online accounts and the digital estate.
Glossary
The terms that trip people up.
- Probate
- The legal process of dealing with the estate of someone who has died, including proving the will is valid where there is one.
- Lasting power of attorney (LPA)
- A legal document letting you appoint someone to make decisions for you if you cannot. There are two types: property and finances, and health and welfare.
- Executor
- The person named in a will who is responsible for carrying out its instructions and settling the estate.
- Intestacy
- What happens to an estate when someone dies without a valid will. Fixed legal rules then decide who inherits.
- Estate
- Everything a person owns at death, minus what they owe: property, money, possessions and certain digital assets.
- Grant of representation
- The official document that confirms someone's authority to deal with an estate, often needed before banks will release funds.
Put it into practice
Reading is good. Being ready is better.
Turn these guides into a record your family can actually use. Start with one thing, free, and build from there.