After Someone Dies: UK Bereavement & Probate Workbook

When someone dies, there's a lot of paperwork, often at the worst possible time.

This 32-page workbook keeps the practical side in one calm place: registering the death, Tell Us Once, the funeral, who to tell, every call you make, and the estate itself. It's built around fill-in trackers and logs rather than long reading, so you can see at a glance what's done, what's waiting and who you spoke to. Type into it on screen or print it and write by hand.

It follows the steps in England and Wales, with notes where Scotland (confirmation, 8-day registration) and Northern Ireland (the Bereavement Service instead of Tell Us Once) do things differently.

What's inside (32 A4 pages)

• Before you start: how to use it, what it isn't, and a progress checklist
• About the person who died: the details organisations keep asking for
• The first few days, with registration timescales for each nation
• Registering the death: what to take, what you come away with
• Tell Us Once: who it tells, details to have ready, and its 28-day reference
• Northern Ireland: Bereavement Service page and who else to tell
• Funeral planning checklist · Funeral costs and quotes tracker
• Who to notify (4 pages): government and official · money · home and everyday · digital, subscriptions and social media, with organisations already listed
• Contact log (2 pages): every call, email and letter
• Is probate or confirmation needed? A page to record each organisation's answer
• Executor task tracker (2 pages)
• Estate logs: assets (2 pages) · debts and liabilities · valuations
• Estate summary and Inheritance Tax notes (no calculations)
• Bills and payments tracker · Money received · Gifts and beneficiaries in the will
• Documents checklist · The home and belongings · Useful contacts · Notes

What you'll download

• After-Someone-Dies_UK-Probate-Workbook_LifeAdminDeskStudio.pdf (PDF, 32 pages)

How it works

• Digital download: one PDF file. Nothing physical is posted.
• Straight after you pay, you'll be taken to your download page, and you'll also get an email with your download link.
• Type straight into the fillable fields and tick boxes using a PDF app that supports forms, such as the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, then save. Or print on A4 at home and fill it in by hand.
• Some browser and phone PDF viewers don't save form entries. If that happens, use Adobe Acrobat Reader.
• A4 size. It prints on US Letter with "fit to page", but it's written for the UK.

A companion to our family organiser

Our "If Something Happens to Me" Family Organiser is for recording your own details in advance. This workbook is for the person dealing with things afterwards. If the person who died filled one in, keep the two side by side.

Please note

This is a practical admin workbook. It is not legal, tax or financial advice and it can't tell you what applies to a particular estate. If you're unsure, or the estate is large, complicated or disputed, please get advice from a solicitor or other qualified professional, or use the official helplines. Time limits, fees and rules change and differ across the UK, so always check the current guidance on gov.uk, mygov.scot or nidirect before acting.

Keep it safe

Once filled in, this workbook will hold personal and financial information. Store it somewhere secure and don't write full account numbers, PINs or passwords in it.

How this was made

I designed this workbook and chose its contents, which were checked against official guidance. I used AI tools to help draft some of the wording and to help build the layout of the PDF. Every page was checked, and the fillable fields were tested, before release. There are no AI-generated photos or illustrations.

Digital download and cancellations

This is digital content, available to download straight after purchase. At checkout, you'll be asked to agree that the download can start immediately and to acknowledge that you then lose your 14-day right to cancel under the UK Consumer Contracts Regulations. If the file is faulty or won't open, email lifeadmindesk@gmail.com and I'll put it right.

Personal use

For personal use by you and your household. Please don't resell or share the file.

From LifeAdminDeskStudio: practical, UK-specific organisers for the paperwork side of life.