What is Tell Us Once?

Tell Us Once is a free service provided by the UK government that allows you to notify multiple government departments and local councils of a death in a single step. It is available in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland although the process differs slightly in each nation.

What Tell Us Once covers

• HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
• Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) including State Pension and benefits
• Passport Office to cancel the deceased person's passport
• DVLA to cancel their driving licence
• The local council for services such as council tax, housing benefit and library cards

Why DWP notification is urgent

The Department for Work and Pensions must be notified as quickly as possible to stop any ongoing benefit payments including State Pension. If payments continue after death they become overpayments that must be repaid to the government by the estate. This can create significant delays and complications in estate administration.

What Tell Us Once does not cover

Tell Us Once only covers government departments. Banks, building societies, insurance companies, pension providers, and all other private institutions must be notified separately. This is where SafeKept helps.

How to use Tell Us Once

When you register the death, ask the registrar for your Tell Us Once reference number. Go to gov.uk and search for Tell Us Once. Enter your reference number and the deceased person's National Insurance number to complete the notification.

SafeKept and Tell Us Once

SafeKept's Stream 2 government notification dashboard guides executors through Tell Us Once step by step, with the deceased person's details pre-filled and a completion tracker so nothing is missed.