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What financial admin do families face after a bereavement?
Some insurers now offer bereavement support alongside life insurance policies
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Dealing with someone’s finances after they die can involve mountains of paperwork, from arranging funerals and sorting out probate to closing accounts and subscriptions.
Some insurers are now offering bereavement support services alongside life insurance policies.
Zurich recently launched a new service with bereavement support specialist Empathy, which offers help with paperwork and practical guidance after a death. Zurich says the service could help families save an average of £2,319 and 148 hours of admin after a bereavement.
But insurer support is only one part of managing someone’s affairs after they die. Here, Which? explains the financial admin families may face after a death, where to get help and what support may be available beyond a life insurance payout.
What admin do families face after a bereavement?
After someone dies, relatives or executors may need to deal with several organisations before an estate can be settled.
Research for Tesco Insurance suggests many people feel unprepared for the process. In a survey, two thirds said they would not know what to do, or would be unsure, about managing financial admin after a loved one dies, while just a quarter said they had any sort of plan in place.
Almost half expected to feel overwhelmed by the amount of paperwork involved.
One of the first steps is registering the death, which must normally be done within five days in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or within eight days in Scotland. Families will usually need official copies of the death certificate before banks, insurers and pension providers can process requests.
Other tasks may include:
- arranging and paying for the the funeral
- finding the will and important paperwork
- contacting banks, insurers, utility firms and pension providers
- checking whether probate is needed
- valuing the estate and paying debts
- cancelling subscriptions and household bills
- securing an empty property and checking buildings insurance cover remains valid
A useful first step is to gather key documents in one place, including the will, death certificates, insurance policies, bank details and any pension paperwork.
You can use the free Death Notification Service to notify multiple banks and building societies at the same time, and the government’s Tell Us Once service to report the death to departments and council services including HMRC, the DWP, the Passport Office, council tax and the electoral register.
Where can families get help with bereavement admin?
Bereavement support is not limited to solicitors or probate specialists. Banks, insurers and some employers may also offer practical support after a death.
Some support is now being added to life insurance policies. For example, Zurich has launched a free bereavement support service for more than three million life insurance customers through a partnership with bereavement support specialist Empathy.
The service combines human support and digital tools, including help with paperwork, notifying organisations, closing accounts and subscriptions, estate administration, claiming benefits and storing key documents.
Some providers may also release money early towards funeral costs once a claim has been approved. Legal & General, for example, offers funeral advance payments of up to £10,000 in some cases while a full life-insurance claim is being processed.
If you already have life insurance, it’s worth checking whether your provider includes any bereavement support services as part of the policy.
- Find out more: best life insurance policies
What should you check before choosing life insurance?
Before choosing a life insurance policy, focus on the core cover first. Extra support can be useful, but it shouldn’t distract from whether the policy itself is right for your family.
Life insurance may not be necessary if no one depends on you financially, or if you already have enough savings or workplace cover in place. Check:
- How much the policy would pay out: think about what your family would actually need, such as mortgage payments, debts, childcare, funeral costs or day-to-day living expenses.
- What type of policy it is: 'level term' pays a fixed amount, 'decreasing term' reduces over time and is often used to cover a repayment mortgage, while 'whole-of-life' cover pays out whenever you die but is usually more expensive.
- How long the cover lasts: the term should match the financial commitment you’re trying to protect, such as the length of your mortgage or the years your children would be financially dependent on you.
It’s also worth making sure your family knows the policy exists and where to find the paperwork. Even a good policy can be harder to use if relatives don’t know who to contact or what cover is in place.
Find out more and get advice on life insurance using the service provided by LifeSearch. Discover more.
What other financial support is available?
Life insurance is not the only financial support families may be able to access after a death.
If your spouse, civil partner or partner you lived with has died, you may be eligible for bereavement support payment. This is made up of a one-off lump sum followed by monthly payments for up to 18 months.
In 2026-27, the higher rate is worth up to £9,800 in total, while the lower rate is worth up to £4,300. To receive the full amount, you usually need to claim within three months of your partner’s death.
- Find out more: bereavement Support and Widow’s Pension
