Information that’s needed in event of death?

[Witchgonebad]

I’m trying to put together a ‘death’ file so everything is together and easy to find.

It’s me, Dh and 2 DC. One is young adult, the other a teenager.
I want to make life easier for whoever may be left behind. Whether it’s me, Dh or the DC’s.

In this file we shall have...
Details of Wills
Bank account details
Life insurance details
Pension details

Is there anything else we should be including? Household utilities accounts?
Email accounts and passwords?

Has anybody been in the position of trying to sort out an unexpected death and wished they’d had access to certain information that would have made the situation easier?

This is not something I’ve had to deal with myself so far , so I’ve no idea what would be needed.

Posting to follow, useful information thanks people who have posted.

Places and dates. DOB for everyone. Date of marriage/divorce. Place of birth. Maiden names.

Everything PP’s say including utilities (all resolvable but a right pain) and a big emphasis on passwords for the tech. My dad was an apple man - sorting out his phone, tablet and computer was a nightmare. The tablet and computer were pretty new but not knowing all the passwords has really restricted what we can do with them.

Thank you, WitchgoneBad.

NHS numbers are also important (will be on prescriptions or letters from Drs/hospitals)

Deaths are being registered over the phone at the moment (by appointment) and they were actually talking about continuing that even after COVID, rather than having to go in, because it was actually easier. They gave me a list of questions that were going to be asked - it's date and place of death, full name and any previous names, date and place of birth, last occupation and details of spouse (name, occupation etc.)

There's a national register of wills, but it there's a charge to search it so either have a copy in the house or make sure your notes say which solicitor has it. (I remember my mum telling me about 20 years ago where her will was I got the right solicitor when the time came).

My family always deal with the same funeral director (and the funeral directors can do a lot of the practical sorting out) so if you have a preference it's probably a good idea to note that down somewhere.

If your estate is going to need probate (depends on the value) you might want to think about inheritance tax planning as well. That needs to be paid upfront so some people get insurance policies that will pay out to cover it whenever the second person dies.

Thank you all, some good points to consider.