Tell Us Once service

When someone has died, we can help you tell the people who need to know.

When you register a death in Swindon, you can choose to use the Tell Us Once service. This lets you report a death to most government organisations and some council services at the same time.

How Tell Us Once works

At your appointment, we will ask you for details about the person who died.

With your permission, the registrar can:

  • complete the Tell Us Once service with you during your appointment
  • give you a unique reference number so you can use the service yourself online or by telephone

If you use your reference number, you must complete the service within 28 days.

How to use Tell Us Once

In person

We are open Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 4.00pm for appointments to register a death.

You will be given details about how Tell Us Once works and what you need to bring to your registration appointment.

Online or by telephone

You must register a death before you can use Tell Us Once.

At your appointment, we can give you a unique reference number. You can then use the Tell Us Once service on GOV.UK.

If you want to use Tell Us Once by telephone, the registrar will give you the telephone number.

Information you need to provide

To use Tell Us Once, you will need the reference number given to you by the registrar.

Details about the person who died

You will need the following information:

  • surname
  • date they died
  • date of birth
  • National Insurance number, if available
  • passport number and town of birth, if they had a valid British passport
  • driving licence number, if they had a driving licence
  • vehicle registration numbers, if they owned any vehicles
  • details of any benefits or State Pension they were receiving
  • details of any public sector pension schemes they were receiving money from or paying into
  • Blue Badge number, if they had one
  • the name of their local council, if they paid Council Tax or received council services

Contact details we may ask for

We may also ask for the name, address and contact details of:

  • the person or company dealing with their estate, such as an executor or administrator
  • a surviving spouse or civil partner, including their National Insurance number or date of birth if this applies
  • next of kin
  • the hospital, nursing home, care home or hospice where they died, if this applies

You must have permission before giving details about a surviving spouse, civil partner, next of kin, executor, administrator or anyone who shared benefits or entitlements with the person who died.

Who Tell Us Once can contact

If you choose to use Tell Us Once, the service can contact relevant organisations for you.

Organisations Tell Us Once can contact

This can include:

  • HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), to deal with personal tax and cancel benefits and credits, such as Child Benefit
  • Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), to cancel benefits and entitlements, such as Universal Credit or State Pension
  • Passport Office, to cancel a British passport
  • Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), to cancel a driving licence, remove the person as the keeper of a vehicle and end vehicle tax
  • the local council, including Council Tax, Council Tax Reduction, Housing Benefit, Blue Badge, council housing services, the electoral register and other relevant council services
  • Veterans UK, part of the Ministry of Defence, to cancel or update Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments

Please note: Tell Us Once will not end a council housing tenancy. You must still complete an ending a tenancy form.

Public sector pension schemes

Tell Us Once can also contact some public sector pension schemes, including:

  • Armed Forces Pension Scheme
  • NHS Pensions for National Health Service staff in England and Wales
  • Pension Protection Fund and Financial Assistance Scheme
  • Local Government Pension Schemes
  • some other public sector pension schemes, where relevant

What you may still need to do yourself

Tell Us Once does not contact every organisation. You may still need to contact:

  • banks
  • mortgage providers
  • insurance providers
  • utility companies
  • landlords or housing associations
  • private pension providers
  • employers
  • Student Loans Company, if the person had a student loan

If you do not use Tell Us Once, you will need to contact the relevant organisations yourself.

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