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Bereavement support

Dealing with financial matters while you are grieving can be overwhelming. Our bereavement team are here to support you through each step. We'll guide you through what you need to do.

The first step is to tell us about the death and you can do this online here.

What's on this page

Information for lawyers:

If you've been instructed to manage the estate of one of our customers, please visit our information for lawyers page.

Tell us about the death online

If you are named in the person’s will as the executor, or you are the administrator if there is no will, you are the personal representative who can tell us about the death. Often this is the person’s close family members like the husband, wife, siblings or children if they are over 18 years. If you are not the named personal representative, or there’s no will, don’t worry, you can still tell us.

If you have questions about what being a personal representative, executor or administrator means, our guide page Dealing with the estate, wills and probate may help.

What you need to do:

  • Tell us about the death by completing our online form.
  • If you are not the spouse, close relative or personal representative, let us know their name and address, so we know who to send information to.
  • Upload a copy of the death certificate. If you don't have it, you can send it to us once you receive it.

We use DocuSign as our online form to record this information securely.

Tell us securely online now

Other ways to tell us

Call us

Our specialist bereavement team are here to support you.

Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
Saturday, 9am to 12pm.

Closed Sundays and bank holidays.

0800 464 30 18

In branch

Bring with you the original or a copy of the death certificate.

You can come into branch at any stage through the process. Our specially trained staff are here to support you.

Post

You can send us either the original death certificate or a copy to:

Bereavement Services
Specialist Customer Support
Nationwide Building Society
Swindon
Wiltshire
SN38 3FN

Information:

If you haven’t already, you should register the death at a register office to get the death certificate. Visit GOV.UK to find your local register office. Follow their guidance on what to do. When you have registered, you will be given the death certificate.

gov.uk register a death (opens in new window)

What happens after you tell us

When you have told us about the death and shown us the death certificate, we will send you a letter. You can expect to hear from us in 10 working days.

The letter will explain what you need to do next and includes:

  • A summary of the account(s) the person held with us. Including information on how much they had in the accounts, or how much they owed.
  • Information on what we have done to protect their account(s). This depends on the type of account and we will explain this in the letter.
  • An account closure form.

We will close the account(s) once we have all of the required information and completed our checks. This normally takes up to 2 weeks, and we may ask for additional information. For example, proof of probate.

Our support leaflet further down this page contains a list of all our accounts, with details of what happens for each one.

If you’re worried about any debt left on the account(s), information can be found in the frequently asked questions on this page.

We will tell you if we need to see proof of probate

We will tell you if we need to proof of probate. This is the process of getting legal documents to prove that you have authority to deal with the estate. For example, the grant of probate or letter of administration.

Information on probate can be found on our guide page

We’ll stop marketing communications being sent

If the person who died opted into any Nationwide marketing communications, we will stop these being sent. Please be aware that some marketing may still arrive because it’s already prepared for mailing, but this should only be for a short period of time.

Information:

Did the person who died have accounts with both Nationwide and Virgin Money? You’ll need to tell us both separately.

Tell Virgin Money about a death

Download our support leaflet and checklist

You can download our bereavement support leaflet. The leaflet includes:

  • A useful checklist to help you work through everything you might need to do.
  • A list of all our types of account and what happens for each one.

Frequently asked questions

If you need money to pay for the funeral and expenses

We can release available money from the person’s account for urgent costs like:

  • The funeral
  • Court fees for the grant of probate, letters of administration or confirmation. We will make a cheque payable to the relevant courts and funeral service.
  • Inheritance Tax
  • We can’t release money to pay for other costs such as care home fees or utility bills.

To find out how to request money and get guidance on expenses, visit our guide page.

Paying for the funeral and expenses guide page

Dealing with the estate, wills and probate

If you need help because:

  • there’s no will
  • there’s no named executor in the will
  • we’ve asked to see proof of the grant of probate.

Our guidance page may be a good place help you understand the probate process.

Guide to dealing with estate, wills and probate

Jargon explained

There are many legal terms used when someone dies. Here are some of the most common ones you’re likely to come across.

The legal terms and phrases explained

Contact us if you need support

Our bereavement team are here for you if you have questions or need help.

Call us

Call our bereavement helpdesk:

Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
Saturday, 9am to 12pm.

Closed Sundays and bank holidays.

0800 464 30 18

In branch

You can come into branch at any stage in the process. Our specially trained staff are here to support you every step of the way.

Please use our branch finder to check opening hours before you come and see us.

Branch finder

Post

Write to us at:

Bereavement Services
Specialist Customer Support
Nationwide Building Society
Swindon
Wiltshire
SN38 3FN

Emotional and financial support

Living with bereavement can be a challenging time. There are several charities and support organisations that can help you.

Find out about support organisations

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