The government provides a helpful service called “Tell us Once” that allows you to report a death to most government organisations in one go. This service is available in Southend and most other boroughs but if you are registering a death outside the Southend area the registrar will confirm whether the service is available in your area. The registrar will also give you a contact phone number for the service and a unique reference number to use either on the phone of for the Tell Us Once service online.

You have 24 days after registering a death to make use of this service.

Before using the Tell Us Once service

If you are planning to use the Tell Us Once service and you have your Unique Reference Number from the Registrar please prepare the documents and the information about the deceased listed below before you contact the service.

  • Date of birth
  • National Insurance number
  • Driving licence number
  • Vehicle registration number
  • Passport number
  • The name and address of their next of kin
  • The name and address of any surviving spouse or civil partner
  • The name, address and contact details of the person or company dealing with their estate (property, belongings and money), known as their ‘executor’ or ‘administrator’
  • Details of any local council services they were getting, for example Blue Badge
  • Details of any benefits or entitlements they were getting, for example State Pension
  • Details of any public sector or armed forces pension schemes they were getting or paying in to

Important

Please note that you will need the permission of the next of kin, the executor, the administrator or anyone who was claiming joint benefits or entitlements with the deceased before you give their details to anyone.

The Tell Us Once service will contact the following organisations for you

  • HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) – to deal with personal tax
  • Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) – to cancel benefits, for example Income Support
  • Passport Office – to cancel a British passport
  • The local council – to cancel Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, a Blue Badge, to remove the person from the electoral register and to inform council housing services
  • Veterans UK – to cancel Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments
  • Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) – to cancel a licence and remove the person as the keeper of up to 5 vehicles 

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will contact you about the tax, benefits and entitlements of the person who died.

Tell Us Once will also contact some public sector pension schemes in order to cancel future pension payments. These include:

  • Armed Forces Pension Scheme
  • NHS Pension Scheme
  • pension schemes for NHS staff, teachers, police and firefighters in Scotland
  • My Civil Service Pension
  • local authority pension schemes, except where Tell Us Once is not available
Where can I register?
Online Registration
0800 085 7308
Opening hours Monday to Friday 8.00 am to 6.00 pm
Useful Contacts

Can we help you?

If you wish to talk to one of our funeral arrangers about our services please get in touch.
01702 436000 Contact us online Get A Bespoke Quote

What to do next

All the contacts and details you will need

Testimonials

I can’t recommend Penrose highly enough. They were excellent in every way. Efficiency, advice, assistance, sensitivity and communication. My Mother’s wishes were carried out to every detail. Their help eased all anxiety and nerves and led to a very emotional day being focused on my Mother. It was a celebration of her life and everyone that attended commented on how well the whole service went. Thank you everyone at Penrose Funerals you made a very hard day all that much easier.

Tanya Stevenson - March 2023

Nathan, Brendon and all at Penrose,

Thank you so much for all you help and care with mum’s funeral.

Best wishes,

Gillian, Jez, Chris, Lesley and family - January 2020

To Jeremy, Nathan and everyone involved with our father’s funeral. We would like to express our deepest thanks for all you did after the loss of our dear husband/father. Your kindness and professionalism were incredible. The fact that you all wore ‘silly socks’ without prompting blew us away! You are all very special people, Thank you again

Kay, Matt and Sam - November 2016

I just want to say a huge thank you for allowing me to say hello and goodbye to my birth mother Pat W. I never gave up searching for her and really appreciate your help and understanding in allowing me to finish this so beautifully

Linda - Oct 2018

To everyone at Penrose,

We would like to thank you for your professional and friendly manner which was so evident before and on the day of our husband and father Martin Hope’s funeral on June 7th. Hoping we don’t need your services for a while yet, but when we do we would certainly come back to you. Your kindness and sympathy is deeply appreciated and will always be remembered.

Lorraine, Michelle and Marianne - June 2021

To Jeremy, Nathan, Brendon, Jon and the test of the team,

Thank you! for your friendly and efficient service, from when you first arrived to take dad into your care to the end of the funeral. We would definitely recommend you. Much appreciated.

Patricia and Michelle - December 2021

Dear Nathan, Brendon and Jeremy,

You’ve been so kind and it’s much appreciated. Thank you so much for the care and kindness you did at the funeral for my husband Vic Thomson,

From the

Thomson Family - March 2020
Read all testimonials
Your quote so far
A summary of your quote will appear here when you have started the process.

Send my quote

Send quote to Penrose

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.