Practical, Financial and Legal Help

After somebody dies, grief arrives alongside forms, telephone calls, money worries and decisions you may never have dealt with before. These official services and tools can help with the practical side of a death in Northern Ireland.

On this page

• Official Northern Ireland guidance
• Money, benefits and funeral costs
• Probate and legal help
• Notifying organisations
• Work and funeral services

Official Northern Ireland guidance

• Northern Ireland Official hub nidirect: Death and Bereavement
  Official information about registering a death, funerals, benefits, wills, probate and practical arrangements.
• Northern Ireland Who to notify Who to Tell About a Death
  A practical list of government bodies, financial organisations and other services that may need informed.
• Northern Ireland Coroner Coroners, Post-mortems and Inquests
  Official information about when a death is reported to the coroner and what can happen afterwards.

Money, benefits and funeral costs

• Northern Ireland Benefits Department for Communities Bereavement Service
  A single point of contact for reporting a death to relevant benefit offices and discussing possible entitlements.Telephone: 0800 085 2463
• Northern Ireland Benefit Bereavement Support Payment
  Eligibility, payment information and how to claim following the death of a spouse or civil partner.
• Northern Ireland Funeral costs Funeral Expenses Payment
  Information for people receiving certain benefits who need help paying for a funeral.
• Northern Ireland Child funeral costs Child Funeral Fund
  Financial support towards eligible funeral costs following the death of a child.
• Northern Ireland Independent advice Advice NI: Bereavement Benefits
  Independent information about bereavement-related benefits and financial support.
• UK and Northern Ireland Money guidance MoneyHelper: What to Do When Someone Dies
  Guidance about bills, debts, pensions, tax, benefits and other financial tasks.

Probate and legal help

• Northern Ireland Probate Probate in Northern Ireland
  Official information about applying for probate or letters of administration.
• Northern Ireland Estate Dealing With a Deceased Person’s Money and Property
  Guidance about the estate, debts, property and the responsibilities of personal representatives.
• Northern Ireland Solicitor directory Law Society of Northern Ireland
  Search for a Northern Ireland solicitor. Ask directly about experience in probate, intestacy or contentious estates.
• Northern Ireland | Debts after a death Debt When Someone Dies
  Official guidance explaining how debts are dealt with through the person’s estate and when a surviving relative may be responsible for a joint debt or financial agreement.
• Northern Ireland | No will and intestacy What to Do if There Is No Will
  Official guidance about who can deal with the estate, applying for Letters of Administration and how the estate is distributed when somebody dies without a will.

Notifying organisations

• UK and Northern Ireland Banks Death Notification Service
  A free service for notifying participating banks and building societies about a death.
• UK and Northern Ireland Companies and accounts Life Ledger
  A free service that helps notify multiple companies and close or transfer accounts.

Work and funeral services

• Northern Ireland Employment Labour Relations Agency
  Free and confidential information about employment rights, leave and workplace problems.
• Northern Ireland Parental leave Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay
  Official guidance on leave and pay following qualifying child bereavements from 6 April 2026.
• UK and Northern Ireland Funeral director directory National Association of Funeral Directors
  Search for a member funeral director by location.
• UK and Northern Ireland Independent funeral directors SAIF: Find a Member
  Search for an independent funeral director belonging to SAIF.

This directory provides general information, not legal or financial advice. Rules depend on individual circumstances, so check important decisions with the relevant organisation or a suitably qualified professional.

Know of a useful resource?

If you know of a useful website, organisation or service that should be included, please contact me with the details. I’ll review your suggestion and, if it is relevant, add it to the directory. Alternatively, if you need to update, please do let me know.

Back to the Bereavement Support directory

Information last checked: October 2026. Services, eligibility and referral arrangements may change, so please confirm details directly with each organisation.