Guide
What to do when your mother dies
Losing your mother is profound, and the admin can feel relentless on top of the grief. Take it gently — here is the order that genuinely matters.
The first steps
Register the death within 5 days (8 in Scotland) at a register office, and order several certified copies of the death certificate while you’re there — banks, pensions and insurers each want to see an original. Then begin funeral arrangements, checking first for any prepaid plan or written wishes your mother left.
If you’re sorting out her affairs
As an adult child you may be the executor, or sharing the work with siblings. Look first for a will — it names who is responsible and who inherits. If your father has also died or your parents were divorced, the estate is more likely to need probate before accounts can be settled.
If your mother lived alone, remember to secure and insure her home, redirect her post, and check whether buildings insurance allows the property to be left unoccupied.
Telling people and organisations
Use the government’s Tell Us Once service to report the death to HMRC, the DWP, the passport office, DVLA and the local council in one step. Then contact banks, pension providers, insurers and any household services directly.
Common questions
- Who deals with my mother’s estate if there’s no will?
- When there’s no will, the estate passes under the rules of intestacy and a close relative (often a child) can apply to be the administrator. A surviving spouse inherits first; children share what’s left.
- Do my siblings and I share the responsibility?
- If more than one of you is named as executor, you act together. If only one is named, that person is responsible but can ask the others to help and can use the estate to pay reasonable costs.
General information to help you find your way — not legal or financial advice. Last reviewed June 2026.