Tell Us Once

How to use the government's 'Tell Us Once' service when someone has died.

Tell Us Once is a service that lets you report a death to most government organisations in one go.

Many services can be notified and these include:

  • the local council
  • HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
  • Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
  • Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)
  • Passport Office

Find out all the services that can be notified and the information you need to provide on GOV.UK.

How to use the Tell Us Once service

First you should register the death with the registrar

The registrar will provide you with a unique Tell Us Once reference number. This reference number allows you to access the Tell Us Once service at GOV.UK.

You must use the Tell Us Once service within 28 days of registering the death.

If you have been issued with a Coroners Fact of Death (Interim Death Certificate) 

You can still use the service although the death has not been registered at this stage. In order for the registrar to provide the unique Tell Us Once reference number, they will need a copy of the Coroners Fact of Death (Interim Death Certificate).  

If the document was emailed

If you have had this document emailed to you, please forward the document to CTUO@cumbria.gov.uk and tell us your name and contact number. One of our team will then contact you within 48 hours to provide the service and the unique reference number.

If the document was posted

If you had this document sent to you in the post then please refer back to the coroner and give them your consent to share the Coroners Fact of Death (Interim Death Certificate) and your contact details to us. When we receive it we will contact you within 48 hours to provide the service and the unique reference number.