How to cope with all of the admin after losing a loved one - and what comes next
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Planning for what will happen after a loved one dies isn’t easy to contemplate, let alone talk about. But dealing with finances and admin after a bereavement – the “sadmin” – is a process many of us will go through at some stage. With families coming together over Christmas, it offers the chance to kickstart a few conversations about life planning. It might be awkward at first, but could provide reassurance, and help make things easier for those carrying out final wishes.
Dealing with the practical and financial aspects of death is particularly challenging, as it comes at a time when those left behind are still dealing with emotional distress and shock. “Dealing with death is horrendous, but coping with the financial aspects after someone has passed away can make a terrible time even harder,” says Sarah Coles, head of personal finance at Hargreaves Lansdown.
“There’s an enormous amount to do, from sorting out energy bills to stopping pension payments, and then going through the miserable business of probate.”. There are steps people can take to ease the pain of so-called sadmin. First of all, Sarah says when registering the death, “It’s worth paying for copies of the death certificate at this stage, because you will need to send them to a number of people”.
If the person who has died was living in Britain, people can also use Tell Us Once, a service that enables a death to be reported to many government organisations in one go. Sarah continues: “You also need to contact any organisation they had dealings with, to let them know. This will include pension scheme providers, insurance companies and banks. If they were still working, you need to tell their employer.”.
