Tell Us Once

The Tell Us Once service helps ease the burden of having to deal with official paperwork and telephone calls after the loss of a loved one.

Tell Us Once is available to anyone registering a death and means you can notify participating organisations at one point of contact.

Through Tell Us Once information is passed securely and in confidence to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in the first instance, which can then be passed on to other government departments and council services.

The information is then used to update records, amend service provision accordingly and calculate any changes to finances such as benefits and tax.

Tell Us Once consists of two parts with the registration office creating a linked reference number which you will be given to you with instructions to allow you to complete the second part at home, either online or by telephone.

Those using the service will need information about the person who has died including date of birth and National Insurance number, details of benefits/services received, death certificate, driving licence (or number) and passport (or passport number and details of place of birth), blue badge number.

Services and organisations involved include:

• GOV.UK
• HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) - to deal with Personal Taxation, Child Benefit, Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit (you need to contact HMRC separately for business taxes, like VAT)
• Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) - to cancel benefits
• Passport Office - to cancel a British passport
• Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) - to cancel a driving licence and to remove the person as the keeper for up to 5 vehicles
• the local council - to cancel Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit, Council Tax, Blue Badge, Council Payments, Housing Services, Library Services, Adult Services and remove the person from the Electoral Register
• Ministry of Defence - War Pension Scheme
• Public Sector or Armed Forces Pension Schemes - to stop pension payments for Fire Service, Police, NHS, Teachers and Armed Forces Service Pensions

Reporting a death using the Tell Us Once service

Watch the DWP YouTube video explaining how to report a death using the Tell Us Once service.

For further information, call 01292 617617.