When someone dies without a will
Who inherits when there is no will – how the rules of intestacy work, who applies for probate, how long it takes, and who can arrange the funeral.
Dealing with finances
What to do about someone's money, property and debts after they die – whether or not they left a will, and where to get help if paying for the funeral is a worry.
Read our guides
When someone dies with a will
Finding the will, applying for probate, valuing the estate and paying any inheritance tax, then distributing it – and whether a will can be contested.
Mortgages and debt when someone dies
What happens to a mortgage and to debts after a death – joint and sole, credit cards, loans, overdrafts and utility arrears – and who is liable for paying.
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Dealing with finances
Read our financial guides which explain how to manage your loved one's estate and finances after they pass away.
Settling someone's money and property after they die is called administering the estate. Very little of it is urgent, and most of it can wait until you are ready. The guides below explain who is entitled to deal with the estate, what happens to bank accounts, pensions and debts, and where to get help if the sums do not add up.
This is general information rather than legal advice. Where an estate is complicated, where there is property to sell, or where it may not cover what is owed, it is worth taking advice before distributing anything.
Whether or not there is a will
How the estate is dealt with, and who is entitled to deal with it, depends on whether the person left a will. A will sets out what they wanted to happen and names the executors who carry it out. Without one, the law decides who inherits and who can apply to administer the estate.
The estate, the money and the debts
Once you know who is dealing with the estate, the work itself is mostly a matter of finding out what there is, telling the right organisations, and settling what is owed before anything is shared out. It usually takes months rather than weeks, and there is rarely a reason to rush.
If paying for the funeral is a worry
The funeral bill usually arrives shortly after the funeral, and banks will generally release money from the person's own account to pay it even before probate. An existing funeral plan or insurance policy may cover part or all of it.
If money is tight there is help: Funeral Expenses Payment in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, Funeral Support Payment in Scotland, and the Children's Funeral Fund where the person who died was under 18. Time limits apply, so ask early rather than late. See help with funeral costs and how to reduce funeral costs.
Tell your funeral director if paying is going to be difficult. It is a conversation they have often, and they would far rather have it early. There is also practical support around time away from work in bereavement and compassionate leave, and the wider list of what to pick up once the funeral is over in after the funeral.
Talk it through with someone local
Your funeral director can point you in the right direction on the practical side, and will tell you plainly when something needs a solicitor instead. There is no charge for asking.