Planning ahead

• Making choices (PDF 90.4Kb)
  a document for you to fill in to record your wishes
• Your family's benefit entitlement after your death
• Terminal illness.
  • BBC Health (external)
    Practical information for the terminally ill
    
• Making a will (external)
• Advice about wills (external)
  Advice about importance of making a will, costs, requirements, executors, validity, searching for, changing, destroying and where to keep it.
• Solicitors (external)
  search for a solicitor in your area

When someone dies

• Sudden Death local support group
• Sudden Infant death (external)
• Miscarriage (external)
  information for those wanting to know more about miscarriage. Why it happens, recurrent miscarriage, confirming a miscarriage, after a miscarriage, how you might feel .
  
• Loosing a child through terminal illness (external)
  Online support for parents
  
• Suicide (external)
  MIND has published these facts and statistics
  
• Registering a death - information and application form from the Kirklees Registrar's Office
  The death certificate A death certificate will be needed to apply to agencies for the settlement of the deceased affairs. You may need several copies
• Register Offices in the Kirklees area
  Where to find offices, their opening times and what services are offered.
• Contact the Kirklees Council burial service
  
• Funeral directors in West Yorkshire external)
  
• Funeral directors (PDF 39Kb) - list of firms local to Kirklees.
  
• Help with funeral expenses
  In certain circumstances help with funeral expenses is available from a Social Fund payment
  

• Her Majesty's Coroners for West Yorkshire Area
  Telephone: (01274) 391362
• The work of the coroner (external)
  What to do about tax when someone dies (external)
  The leaflets in series IR45 can be downloaded from the Inland Revenue web site. They will help you understand the tax consequences that arise when someone dies

Stillbirths and miscarriages

• the mother
• the father (but only if he was married to the mother)
• the owner or occupier of the premises where the stillbirth took place
• anyone else present at the stillbirth

A death certificate will not usually be issued. Many funeral directors make no charge for arranging the funeral of a stillborn baby and many cemeteries and crematoria also make no charge for burial or cremation.

Organising a funeral

• Help covering funeral costs (external)
  The office of fair trading guide to costs and financial help
• Funeral payments (external)
  
• Cremation in Kirklees
  Contact information for Crematoria in Kirklees
  
• The natural death centre (external)
  Information about green or woodland burials
  
• Funeral directors list of local firms (PDF 34Kb)
  
• The memorial
• Halls for Hire in Kirklees Area
  There are details here of halls and community centres where you can hold a wake or remembrance ceremony.
  

Getting your affairs in order after the funeral

• Wills and probate (external)
• Probate Records (external)
  A guide to obtaining copies of Probate Records
• Find forms and leaflets related to Probate (external)
• Who to inform about the death
• If you need help clearing the deceased's home
  The Council's refuse - bulky items collection service can help you remove large items of furniture.
  
• Obtaining copy death certificates
  

Who to tell

• Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit if the person who has died was getting Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit
• Neighbourhood housing officesif the person who has died was living in a council house. More information
• Social Servicesif the person was receiving meals on wheels, home help, day centre care, or had an appliance or piece of equipment issued by them
• Electoral Registration

• Any hospital the person was attending
• The family doctor to cancel any home nursing
• The Inland Revenue - What to do about tax when someone dies
• The social security office if benefit was being paid directly into the deceased's bank or building society account, for example Retirement Pension, Attendance Allowance, Child Benefit
• Any employer and trade union
• A child or young person's teacher, employer or college if a parent, brother, sister, grandparent or close friend has died
• A car insurance company (if you are insured to drive the car under the deceased's name, you will cease to be legally insured)
• The deceased's gas, electricity and telephone suppliers
• The Post Office so that they can redirect the deceased's mail.
• Landlord
• Insurance company

Things to send back

• Order books, payable orders or girocheques, to the social security office or other office which issued the payment. A child benefit book which includes payments for a child who has died. Orders should not be cashed after the death of a person.
• The deceased's passport to:
  

  UK passport Agency Clive House 70-78 Petty France London SW1H 9HD

  
  
• The deceased's driving license to:
  

  DVLA Longview Road Swansea SA6 7JL

  
  
• The registration documents of a car, for the change of owner to be recorded
• Any season tickets. Claim any refund due
• Membership cards of clubs and associations. Claim any refund due
• Library books and tickets
• National Insurance papers to relevant offices
• NHS equipment - wheelchairs, hearing aids, artificial limbs
  

Grieving (external)

• Cruse Bereavement Care advice (external)
  support and counselling for the bereaved.
• The Compassionate Friends
  supports relatives after the death of a child.
  
• The Child Bereavement Trust
  (CBT) is a national UK charity.
  
• The Miscarriage Association
  support and information after pregnancy loss.
  
• Roadpeace
  support and advice for road crash victims or bereaved.
  
• The Samaritans
  confidential emotional support for the bereaved.
  
• Hope
  support through miscarriage and pregnancy loss.
  

Memorials

• Rules
  
• Monumental Masons (PDF 24Kb)
  A list of Kirklees approved Monumental Masons
• Applying for a permit to erect a memorial with inscription
  How to apply and an application form

Benefits for those who are left

• Bereavement Payment (external)
  replaces widows payment
• Widowed Parent's Allowance and Bereavement allowance (external)
  

• Social Fund Payments Questions and answers relating to Social Fund Payments
• Council Tax Discount You may be entitled to a Council Tax reduction if your partner has died
• Discount for Kirklees Passport holders
  10% discount is available to Kirklees Passport holders for bereavement services
  Information about the Kirklees Passport