Report a death

To report the death of a pensioner, write to us or call us with the following details about the deceased:

• Name
• Date of birth
• Date of death
• Address
• Pensioner number (if known)
• Spouse’s/civil partner's name and address.

Once we’ve been notified, we will stop making pension payments and process any death benefits that are due – this might be a dependant’s pension, a lump sum or bereavement grant.

To be able to action any changes, we’ll also need your name, address and relationship to the member.

Useful information

In addition to updating Mercer, there are a few things you must do in the first few days after someone dies:

• Get a medical certificate: from a GP or hospital doctor. You’ll need this to formally register the death.
• Register the death: you will need to register the death within five days (eight in Scotland). When you register the death, you’ll get:
  • ‘certificate for a burial’ to give to the funeral director, or an application for cremation which you need to complete and give to the crematorium
  • a Certificate of Registration of Death (form BD8) – you may need to fill this out and return it if the person was getting a State Pension or benefits (the form will come with a pre-paid envelope).
• Arrange the funeral: the funeral can usually only take place after the death is registered. Most people use a funeral director, though you can arrange a funeral yourself

The Government has a Tell Us Once service to report a death to most Government organisations in one go. To find out more about registering a death and the Tell Us Once service, visit the Government’s website.