In many couples one person runs the money. Research by NextWealth for Scottish Widows found the man is the main contact in over a quarter of advised couples, and the woman in 3%. When the partner who ran the money dies, the other has to take it over at the hardest possible time.
The tasks with deadlines
- Register the death. The registrar will offer you Tell Us Once, which informs HMRC, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Passport Office, the DVLA, the council and public sector pension schemes in one go.
- Claim Bereavement Support Payment within three months. If you were married or in a civil partnership and have children, or were pregnant, it is £3,500 and then £350 a month for 18 months. Otherwise it is £2,500 and then £100 a month for 18 months. Claim later and you lose some of it. Couples who lived together without marrying can also claim in some cases; GOV.UK has the rules.
- Tell each pension provider and insurer. Many pay a lump sum or an income to a surviving partner, and each needs a death certificate.
Taking over money your partner ran
- List every account: current accounts, savings, ISAs, pensions, insurance policies, utilities and subscriptions. A year of bank statements shows most regular payments.
- Find the bills that were in your partner's name only. Each one needs moving into yours.
- Work out your own income from now on: your pay or pension, anything paid from your partner's pension, and benefits.
- Use the free Pension Tracing Service on GOV.UK if you think there are pensions you don't know about.
- Ask anyone you deal with to explain from the beginning. Banks, pension providers and accountants have bereavement teams for this.
Timeline
- First two weeks: register the death, use Tell Us Once, and tell your mortgage lender or landlord so no payment is missed by accident while you're dealing with everything else.
- First month: claim Bereavement Support Payment if you're eligible, tell every pension and insurance provider, and ask your bank about immediate access to any joint accounts.
- First three months: notify every utility and subscription that was in your partner's name only, start the Pension Tracing Service search for any pots you're unsure about, and begin probate if the estate needs it.
- Later: rebuild your budget around one income, update your own will and pension nominations, and check what, if anything, you inherit from your partner's State Pension.
What Bereavement Support Payment is worth
Worked example. If you were married or in a civil partnership and have children, or were pregnant when your partner died, the payment is £3,500 as a lump sum plus £350 a month for 18 months — a total of £9,800 if you claim as soon as you're entitled. Without children, it's £2,500 plus £100 a month for 18 months, a total of £4,300. Claim more than three months after the death and you permanently lose some of the monthly payments; claim after 21 months and you lose the right to it altogether.
What you might inherit from your partner's State Pension
If your partner reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016, you may be able to inherit some of their Additional State Pension or Graduated Retirement Benefit, depending on your own National Insurance record and whether you remarry before you reach State Pension age yourself. If your partner was on the new State Pension, meaning they reached State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016, inheritance is more limited: you can inherit half of certain protected payments if your partner had built up more than the standard new State Pension amount, but the new State Pension itself is not passed on the way the old one was. The DWP should work this out once you report the death through Tell Us Once, but ask about it specifically.
The decisions that can wait
Selling the house, moving investments and giving money to family can all wait until you have the full picture. Do the tasks with deadlines first.
Pensions and inheritance tax from April 2027
From April 2027, unused pension funds will count towards an estate for inheritance tax. Pensions left to a husband, wife or civil partner remain exempt. Children who inherit a pension may face inheritance tax and income tax on it. Buzz Financial Services explains who pays inheritance tax on a pension.
This makes your own will and pension nominations more important. Update them once the estate is settled.
Sources: GOV.UK (Tell Us Once, Bereavement Support Payment, Pension Tracing Service, probate, inherited State Pension); Scottish Widows and NextWealth, Closing the advice participation gap, September 2026. Figures checked 15 October 2026.