We're here to help
Losing someone can be very difficult. But if their death also affects a business, it can add even more upheaval.
We can help at this difficult time by giving you practical support and guidance on what you need to do.
If the deceased was a customer of ours, please tell us as soon as possible. Our bereavement team is on hand to support you through the process.
Letting us know
If a person has passed and you’d like to tell a number of banks and building societies at the same time, you can do this using the Death Notification Service
Documents you’ll need when contacting us
1. Proof of death
Either the original death certificate, a certified copy or a photocopy. It can also be an interim death certificate or coroner’s certificate.
2. Proof of your identity
For example, a valid passport or an unexpired UK/EEA (or Switzerland) photocard driving licence. A copy is acceptable if posting.
3. Grant of representation
You need this if:
- the total value of all accounts held with us, in the sole name of the deceased, is more than £50,000
- the deceased held a mortgage with us in their sole name
- the deceased held a joint mortgage that was set up as tenants in common.
4. Funeral and florist invoices
If there’s enough money in the deceased’s account, it can be used to pay the funeral director or florist. This can be done before you’ve received grant of representation or probate.
If there’s an outstanding balance on their Santander credit card, unsecured personal loan or current account, we can clear some or all of the outstanding balance before we close the account and release any funds. We’ll need your permission to do this.
Please note: For any remaining balance, details will be passed to our probate partners Philips & Cohen. They’ll usually be in touch within 30 days to discuss if there are any funds in the estate to help repay the outstanding balance.
If you don’t have the above documents yet, you can still tell us that a customer has passed away.
Further guidance
You can find our detailed guidance in this bereavement guide (PDF - 90 KB)
Get support from Irwin Mitchell
We’ve arranged for our personal customers to benefit from preferential rates with Irwin Mitchell. You can get advice and information on will writing, probate and sorting out someone’s affairs after death, or making a Power of Attorney.
When an account holder of a sole trader bank account has died, their account will be frozen. This means that no payments will be made out of the account, including Direct Debits and standing orders. Cards and cheque books will also be cancelled.
If you're the next of kin of a sole trader, please speak to your solicitor about what should happen next with their business bank account. You can also call our bereavement team on 0800 587 5870.
Accounts for a Limited Company with multiple directors or partners will stay open unless a director or partner has passed away and two directors or partners are needed to sign.
We’ll give you a change of details form to remove and add signatories. Remember that if a director or partner is being added to the account you need to register that at Companies House too.
If the account has multiple remaining partners, it will stay open unless we’re instructed otherwise.
For partnerships with only one remaining partner, a new partner will need to be added. The partnership will need to provide:
- a completed change of details form
- full ID for the new account holders
- a new bank mandate.
If a new partner can’t be appointed, the account will be closed. We can help the remaining partner set up a new sole trader account.
Accounts for a club or charity will continue if allowed under the club or charity’s constitution and the bank’s existing mandate. We can help you confirm if the account can continue to operate or if a new officer is needed to be appointed.
10 things to consider
Here we’ve provided a list of the main things you need to do and have when someone dies. For more information we also have a bereavement guide that offers practical advice and support. Where terms are in bold, this is explained in the bereavement definitions and terms section below.
1. Registering the death
This should be done at the registry office closest to where the death occurred, where possible. The registry office will issue you with the death certificate.
2. Dealing with the estate
The will states the wishes of the deceased and usually names one or more executors. An executor is a person who is responsible for carrying out their wishes.
If you can’t find the will, the deceased’s solicitor, bank or financial adviser might have a copy.
If there’s no will, the deceased’s estate is distributed according to intestacy rules. These rules determine how the estate is shared.
3. Planning a funeral
We understand it might be difficult to pay for the funeral. Check whether the deceased had insurance to cover the costs. If not, for sole trader accounts we can release any money in the accounts to help with the costs.
We’ll need the funeral director or florist invoices, confirming the deposit or final amount due, and the original copy of the death certificate. You can bring these into a branch or send them to our Bereavement Centre:
Santander Bereavement Operations, Sunderland, SR43 4FJ.
Once we get this, it can take up to 5 days for us to pay the invoice.
We’ll then send a cheque or transfer directly to the funeral director and/or florist as instructed. If you post the invoices to us and give permission, we can make a payment direct to the funeral director’s or florist’s account. To do this, make sure the account details are on the funeral director’s or florist’s invoice.
Please note, we can only release funds at this stage to pay for the funeral director's or florist's bills. It won’t cover any other expenses.
4. Contacting the relevant people
Some organisations might need to know about your loss. For example:
- Banks
- Building societies
- National Savings and Investments
- Utility companies
- The Department for Work and Pensions.
There are some of the deceased's legal documents that will need to be returned. For example, passports, driving licences and benefit books. You can contact these organisations by phone, and they’ll tell you if they need any documents, or if they have their own process to follow.
The deceased might have had accounts with multiple banks and building societies. You can use the Death Notification Service to tell a number of banks at once. You can find more information about this in the ‘useful contacts’ section, or in our bereavement guide.
Once we’ve received proof of death, we may stop Direct Debits and standing orders. We may also stop any cheques being paid in and the chequebook will be cancelled.
If the customer had any ongoing payments or recurring card transactions, they might still be taken from the account while it remains open. To avoid this, you could:
- change the payment directly with the provider
- cancel the subscription or agreement with them.
5. Letting us know
If the deceased was a Santander customer, please tell us as soon as possible. You can:
- complete the online form
- notify us using the Death Notification Service
- call our bereavement team on 0800 587 5870
- send a letter to: Santander Bereavement Operations, Sunderland, SR43 4FJ
- visit one of our branches.
You’ll need some documents so that we can close or transfer ownership of any accounts:
- the original death certificate
- your passport or driving license
- If you’re sending them in the post, you can send us a copy.
If you’re coming into a branch, you’ll be asked to sign a personal indemnity form. This confirms you’re allowed to give us instructions on behalf of the deceased. You can get one of these forms from any of our branches.
If the total value of all accounts held with us in the sole name of the deceased is more than £50,000, you’ll need a bereavement instruction form (for postal notifications only) and a grant of representation.
Depending on the business type, we may ask for other documentation. We’ll let you know if this is the case.
We’ll usually only need to see the Grant of Probate or equivalent document if the value of the accounts is £50,000 or more. This document may not be immediately available to you, but we’ll need to see the original or a certified copy when you have access to it.
6. Getting a grant of probate or confirmation
'Probate' or 'confirmation' refers to the right to manage the affairs of the deceased. For Santander, this is required when the total value of all accounts held with us in the sole name of the deceased is more than £50,000.
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, if there's a will, you'll need to apply for a 'grant of probate'
If there's no will, you'll need to apply for a 'grant of letters of administration'
In Scotland, both of the above are referred to as a 'certificate of confirmation'
We refer to these as the 'grant of representation’, a generic term that covers all of the above.
Our specialist bereavement team is on hand to help you with all of this. You can call them on 0800 587 5870
7. Obtaining a will
The estate is shared out according to the instructions given in the will. If there’s no will, the intestacy rules are followed.
If you’re the personal representative, you can deal with the estate by yourself or appoint a professional. A solicitor, bank or specialist probate service can do some or all of the work.
You’re classed as the personal representative if you’re named in the will as the executor. If there’s no will, you’re the next of kin in accordance with the intestacy rules.
If probate is required, or if the deceased person owned a home, the process might take a while to sort.
8. Dealing with money troubles
Some people might face money troubles following the death of a loved one.
To find information on how Santander and others might be able to help you, visit our money worries page.
9. ISA & subscriptions
We can’t accept funds into an ISA after a customer has died. If subscriptions were paid into an ISA after the date the customer died, these funds will be removed from the ISA into another account in the customer's name. Where no account is held, a new savings account will be opened in their name.
Additional permitted subscriptions allow a surviving spouse or civil partner to receive an inherited ISA allowance
10. Investments
When someone dies and they have certain investment types, there are two options. You can either transfer these into someone else’s name or encash them.
There are different risks to consider when deciding your approach. In order to make the best choice for you please visit our investment site before making a decision. If you’re not sure about your next steps, you should speak to an independent financial adviser.
Practical and emotional support
There are many organisations that can help if you've been bereaved. You can find both practical and emotional support, information and guidance.
We've compiled a list of some of them here. They aren’t affiliated to Santander.
Practical support
- Tell Us Once
- Bereavement Register (to help reduce direct mail being sent to the address of a person who has died)
- Government service and advice
- Department for Work and Pensions
- Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
- Citizens Advice Bureau
- HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)
- Government Direct (free legal advice on a wide range of topics including what to do if a will has not been made)
- Lost Accounts
- The General Register Office (England and Wales) PO Box 2, Southport, PR8 2JD
- The General Register Office (Scotland) New Register House, 3 West Register Street, Edinburgh EH1 3YT
- Probate Registry (for application for powers to process the Will in England and Wales)
- Companies House
Death Notification Service
- Allows you to notify a number of participating banks and building societies at the same time.
- Is online and free to use.
- Is an additional service to the notification and bereavement services already offered by banks and building societies.
How does it work?
- This service is notification only. Once the form has been completed, confirmation of receipt will be provided by the Death Notification Service. The relevant banks or building societies are then notified.
- The banks or building societies will then contact the person dealing with the estate to inform on the next steps. They will be specific to the types of accounts the deceased held with that bank or building society. They will provide key information on what is needed to close the accounts.
- For more information, such as participating banks and building societies, or to use the service, visit the website Death Notification Service
Emotional support
Santander contacts
You can find specific information on Santander products and useful contacts in our Bereavement Guide (PDF - 90 KB)
Santander Shares: 0371 384 2000
Santander Home Insurance: 0800 085 1351
Santander Life Insurance:
(policy started pre 01/07/2011) 0800 141 3430
(policy started post 01/07/2011) 0345 741 3002
To help and support you deal with this matter, we will need you to provide us with some information.
Bereavement guide (PDF - 90 KB)
Practical advice and support on what to do when someone dies.
Bereavement instruction form (telephone) (PDF - 1.19 MB)
For telephone notifications only.
Bereavement instruction form (post) (PDF - 97 KB)
For postal notifications and solicitor use.
Customer ID requirements
For telephone and postal notifications, you'll need to send us one item of ID from list 1.
We've compiled a list of some of the words and terms which you may see when you’re dealing with a bereavement. If there are things you don't understand, our trained bereavement specialists are at the end of the phone to help out. Just call 0800 587 5870
Beneficiary: a person who inherits part or all of the estate.
Certified copy: a copy of the original document that has been signed and verified by a solicitor/Santander branch.
Certificate of confirmation: a document giving the authority to administer an estate in Scotland.
Customer representative: generic term for someone who is administering the estate.
Death certificate: the legal document issued by the registry office after a death has been registered.
Estate: all assets belonging to the deceased.
Executor: a person appointed by a will to administer the estate.
Funeral invoice: the bill to pay the funeral director. We need this to be able to release funds from the deceased’s accounts to pay for the funeral.
Grant of letters of administration: a document giving the authority to administer an estate where there is no will.
Grant of probate: a document giving the authority to administer an estate in accordance with the will.
Grant of representation: a collective term for both the grant of probate and the grant of letters of administration.
Inheritance tax: a tax paid to HMRC on the estate of the deceased.
Intestacy rules: the rules dictating how the deceased’s estate is to be shared when there is no will.