We've put together these useful links to help you find the support you need when dealing with bereavement:
We’ve got some practical advice that can help you in this challenging time
- Bereavement notification
- Identification
- Proof of death
- Certification
- Checklist
Bereavement notification
If you need to contact us to tell us of the bereavement of a Post Office card account holder (purple card) please call us on: 0345 722 3344
For Travel Money Card Support please call us on 0344 335 0109, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The following information is relevant to Post Office Mortgages, Post Office Personal Loans and Post Office Savings products, provided by Bank of Ireland UK.
Please contact us to tell us of the bereavement – we are here to offer you our full support. You can either complete our online form or call us on the numbers below (please note you will be redirected to the Bank of Ireland website if you choose to complete the online form).
Before you get in contact us you'll need to have some details relating to the deceased person (e.g. name, address, date of birth and date of death). If completing the form please ensure that you do this as accurately as possible to help us identify all accounts / products held by the deceased. We'll then be able to confirm the next steps, including which documents we need to see and any forms that need to be completed.
If you'd prefer to speak to someone over the phone, please use the contact details below.
Savings
ISA
9:00am - 7:00pm, Mon - Fri
9:00am - 1:00pm, Sat
Closed Sun and Bank Holidays
Non-ISA
9:00am - 7:00pm, Mon - Fri
9:00am - 2:00pm, Sat
Closed Sunday
Your personal information
We at Bank of Ireland (UK) plc (the “Bank”) take your privacy seriously and we want you to be clear about how we use your personal information. We'll use the information you have provided for identification purposes only in dealing with you in your role as the deceased customer’s Executor(s)/ Administrator(s) or Nominated Next of Kin and the Bank will comply with the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulations (“GDPR”) and the Data Protection Act 1998 as relevant. Please read our Privacy Notice for full details on the types of personal information we collect, how we use it and who we may share it with.
Identification
If you are the Next of Kin or Personal Representative of the deceased’s Estate, we'll need proof of identity from you. This is so that we know who we're writing to and that you're entitled to account details. If you have an account with us, we'll only need your account number.
Proof of identity
- Valid passport
- EU National Identity Card (photographic)
- Valid UK photo card Full/Provisional Driving Licence
- Electoral ID Card (NI only)
- Translink Smart and Senior Smart cards for customers over 60 (NI only)
Proof of address
- Utility bill, other than a mobile phone bill, dated within the last 6 months
- Bank/Building Society/Credit Union/Credit Card/Post Office Accounts statement dated within the last 6 months
- Local Authority correspondence
- Valid UK photo card Full/Provisional Driving Licence (may only be used for either proof of identity or proof of address, not both)
Proof of death
We'll need a certified copy of the Death Certificate, a certified extract of the Will (if available) naming the Executors and we may need a copy of the Grant of Probate. If there's no valid Will or Executors have not been named in the Will, we'll need a certified copy of the Letters of Administration.
Certification
We don’t need you to send us your original documents. Certified copies of your original documents can be obtained from one of the following*:
- Bank or Building Society official
- FCA registered broker/introducer
- Justice of the Peace or Commissioner of Oaths / Notary Public
- Accountant, Solicitor or Barrister
You might be charged a fee depending on who you ask to certify your documents.
*There may be circumstances where we request additional documentation.
Checklist
Here are some checklists for what we need from you:
Releasing funds to pay the Funeral Director
- A certified copy of the Death Certificate
- Proof of the Executor, Administrator or Next of Kin’s identity (where required)
- The Funeral Director’s invoice
- Our ‘Payment Authorisation’ form signed by the Executor(s), Administrator(s) or Next of Kin
Releasing funds for other expenses relating to the funeral
You can also pay for other funeral expenses like, refreshments, flowers or memorial cards, from the account of the person who has died.
We need the following documents from the Executor(s) or Next of Kin:
- A certified copy of the Death Certificate
- A certified extract of the Will naming the Executor(s) or, if there is no Will, a letter naming the Next of Kin
- Proof of the Executor, Administrator or Next of Kin’s identity (where required)
- Our ‘Indemnity form for other funeral related invoices’, signed by the Executor(s) (if there is a valid Will) or by Next of Kin (if there is no Will).
Settlement of accounts if the total value of accounts is less than £30,000
- A certified copy of the Death Certificate
- A certified extract of the Will naming the Executor(s) or, if there is no will, a letter naming the Next of Kin
- Proof of the Executor, Administrator or Next of Kin’s identity (where required)
- Our ‘Indemnity on payment of monies from deceased customer’s account’ form, signed by the Executor(s) (if there is a valid Will) or by Next of Kin (if there is no Will)
- Our ‘Payment Authorisation’ form signed by the Executor(s) (if there is a valid Will) or by Next of Kin (if there is no Will).
Settlement of accounts if the total value of accounts is more than £30,000
- A certified copy of the Death Certificate
- Proof of the Executor, Administrator or Next of Kin’s identity (where required)
- A certified copy of the Grant of Probate (if there is a valid Will) or Letters of Administration (if there is no Will)
- Our ‘Payment Authorisation’ form signed by the Executor(s) (if there is a valid Will) or by the Administrator(s) (if there is no Will).
There may be circumstances where we request additional documentation.
Useful organisations
Citizens Advice
National network of advice centres offering free, confidential, independent advice, face to face or by telephone.
Telephone (England) 0344 411 1444
Telephone (Wales) 0344 477 2020
Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre
For registration and adminstration of Military casualities, including estate support.
Telephone 01452 519951
Land registry
Registers the ownership of land and property in England and Wales and has a search function for owners of properly or land.
Telephone 020 7320 5650
Probate and Inheritance Tax Helpline
Helpline that can answer questions on applying for probate and payment of Inheritance Tax and to order the relevant forms.
Telephone 0300 123 1072
Public Trustee
Government official who can be an executor if there is no-one suitable to appoint.
Telephone 020 3681 2759
Solicitors for the Elderly
To find a solicitor specialising in wills and probate.
Telephone 0844 567 6173
Definitions
A-Z list of terms
Administrator - A person(s) appointed by the Probate Office of the High Court to handle the Estate of a person who has died intestate.
Beneficiary - A person named in the Will to receive property or other assets gifted by the deceased person.
Certificate of Balance - A list of accounts including account balances the deceased person had.
Certified Copy - Certified copies are copies of original documents (like Passports or Death Certificates) which have been branded “original sighted” and signed by an authorised official.
Death Certificate - An official document issued by a medical practitioner certifying the death of a person. The document states the date, place and cause of death.
Deceased Estate - The property and assets belonging to a person who has died is called their Estate.
Executor - A person(s) named in a Will instructed to carry out the wishes of the deceased.
Grant of Probate - This confirms that the Will is valid and confirms the Executor as the representative of the person’s Estate. It is applied for through the Probate Office of the High Court.
Inheritance Tax - Inheritance Tax is a duty imposed on the assets inherited from a deceased person where the Estate is valued at more than £325,000. You can find out more on the Government's web page.
Intestate - A person dies ‘Intestate’ if they do not leave a valid Will. In this case, an application needs to be made to the Probate Office of the High Court for Letters of Administration.
Letters of Administration - An official Order issued from the Probate Office of the High Court appointing an Administrator of a deceased person’s Estate where no valid Will exists.
Next of Kin - A person’s closest living relative or relatives.
Personal Representative - This is either an Administrator or Executor.
Will - A Will is a legal document setting out how a person wants their Estate to be distributed after their death. It names the person or people they want as Executor(s) to carry out their wishes.