It’s important to let us know that your loved one has passed away. We understand this is a difficult time and we’ve tried to make our process as simple as possible. There are three different ways to notify us and apply for any benefits you may be entitled to.

1. The easiest way to notify us of a death is to complete our online form (This link opens in a new window). This includes providing information about your loved one and yourself. We’ll then be in touch to let you know the next steps.
2. You can call our contact centre on 0345 606 6166 (8.30am – 6:00pm, Monday to Friday). If you decide to call us an operator will take some details and send you an application for death benefits to complete and return to us. This form can also be downloaded from our website. It needs to be completed in all cases, even if you believe that there aren’t any benefits to pass on.
3. You can download the ‘Death notification and application for death benefits (PDF, 937 KB) (This link opens in a new window)’ and complete this and send it by post.

If a completed application form isn’t received, we’ll not be able to process benefits. If a death grant isn’t paid within two years of being notified of a death, when the death grant is paid it’ll be subject to a tax charge. This could be as much as 45% of the death grant. You may need to apply for Probate which can take some time to arrange, therefore, it’s important to start the process as soon as possible.

If you need help completing the form or support with the documents you need to provide, we’ve information on our website to help.

• Guidance on completing the form
• Guidance on providing documents

Tell us once service

We don't participate in the Tell Us Once service, instead we receive disclosure of death registration information (DDRI) from the registrars general for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. As this may take some time to come through to us, we urge you to contact us as soon as possible following the death of a member.