Tell Us Once

When someone dies there are lots of things that need to be done, at a time when you feel least like doing them, for example contacting the government departments and council services which need to be informed told about the death.

Middlesbrough Council provides a service called Tell Us Once, to save time and make things easier for you. Tell Us Once will notify a number of different organisations and departments about the death, so you don't have to.

Following the registration of a death, the Registrar will give you a unique reference number to use the Tell Us Once service online or by phone.

Before you use Tell Us Once

You’ll need the following details of the person who died:

• date of birth
• National Insurance number
• driving licence number
• vehicle registration number
• passport number
• details of any benefits or entitlements they were getting, for example State Pension
• details of any local council services they were getting, for example Blue Badge
• 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 public sector or armed forces pension schemes they were getting or paying in to

Who will Tell Us Once notify?

Using Tell Us Once will notify:

• HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) - to deal with personal tax (you need to contact HMRC separately for business taxes, like VAT)
• Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) - to cancel benefits
• Passport Office - to cancel a British passport
• Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) - to cancel a driving licence
• the council - to cancel Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, a Blue Badge, inform council housing services, and remove the person from the electoral register
• public sector or armed forces pension schemes - to stop pension payments

You'll be offered the service when you contact the Register Office to register a death. More information is available in the Tell Us Once leaflet.