Household bills guide

What happens to household bills when someone dies?

Short answer

Tell Us Once informs government bodies such as HMRC, DWP and DVLA, but not utility companies, and it is not available in Northern Ireland. Tell the energy, water, broadband and phone providers yourself. Phone and broadband providers should close the account without an exit fee, and an empty home is usually exempt from council tax for a time.

Updated 15 October 2026

28 days

To use Tell Us Once after getting its reference number

No exit fee

What Ofcom says you should pay to close a phone or broadband account after a death

6 months

Further council tax exemption after probate for an empty home in England

Changing the account holder on a bill Find who supplies the energy

The bills in someone's name do not stop on their own when they die. This guide sets out who to tell, what Tell Us Once does and does not cover, and what usually happens to each account. There is no need to do it all at once.

Who to tell about each household bill

Bill	Who to tell	What usually happens
Government bodies	Tell Us Once, if the person lived in England, Scotland or Wales.	One report reaches HMRC, DWP, HM Passport Office, DVLA and the council's benefits, housing and electoral teams. It does not reach utility companies.
Gas and electricity	Each supplier, with meter readings and the executor's details.	Energy used before the death is paid from the estate unless your name is also on the account. Whoever lives there, or inherits the home, pays from the death onwards.
Water	The water company, in England and Wales.	Closed, moved to another name or reopened, depending on the company. Welsh Water removes charges for up to a year on a sole occupier's home while probate is pending.
Council tax or rates	The council, or Land & Property Services in Northern Ireland.	An empty home is usually exempt for a time. How long differs by nation.
Broadband, landline and mobile	The provider's bereavement team.	Closed on request without an early termination charge, Ofcom says, or moved into another name. A joint account should pass to the surviving holder on request.
TV Licence	TV Licensing.	GOV.UK says you can cancel a licence or apply for a refund on the TV Licensing website. The home still needs one if anyone there watches live TV.

Who to tell

Who needs to know about the household bills?

Government bodies can be told in one go. The companies that send the bills have to be told one by one.

Tell Us Once covers most government organisations, but GOV.UK lists utility companies, landlords and housing associations among the organisations you contact yourself.
Start with the bills that keep running: energy and water, then broadband, phone and the TV Licence.
Have the account numbers, the meter readings and the executor's or administrator's details to hand. The table above shows who to contact for each bill.
In Northern Ireland, nidirect's checklist includes utility companies if accounts were in the person's name, TV and internet companies, and Royal Mail if post needs redirecting.

Tell Us Once

What does Tell Us Once tell, and what does it not?

It reports a death to most government organisations in one go.

The registrar explains it when you register the death, and either completes it with you or gives you a reference number. GOV.UK says you must use the service within 28 days of getting that number.
It tells HMRC, DWP, HM Passport Office, DVLA, Veterans UK and Social Security Scotland, and some public sector pension schemes.
At the local council it cancels Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction and a Blue Badge, informs council housing services and removes the person from the electoral register. Ask the council tax team about the bill for the home itself.
It does not contact the companies the person had contracts with, such as utility companies, landlords, banks or insurers.
You can use it if the person lived in England, Scotland or Wales. It is not available if they lived in Northern Ireland, where nidirect says to report the death to the Bereavement Service for Northern Ireland.

Sources: GOV.UK: Tell Us Once (read 15 October 2026); nidirect: who to tell about a death (read 15 October 2026)

Gas and electricity

What happens to the gas and electricity account?

If you are the executor or administrator, Citizens Advice says to tell the energy suppliers about the death and give them meter readings.
Energy used before the death: if your name is also on the account, you have to pay. If the person who died was the only name on it, the supplier should not ask you to pay, even if you are a close relative. The executor or administrator pays from the estate.
Energy used after the death: you need to pay if you live at the property, or if it was left to you in the will. Ask the supplier to put the account in your name.
Suppliers ask for the person's details and the executor's or administrator's contact details. EDF also asks for a copy of the death certificate if you have it, and says you can send it later.
The supply usually stays on. OVO, for example, moves the account into a spouse's or partner's name, keeps it running in the name of the executors, or closes it once the estate is no longer responsible for the property.
OVO sends statements until the property is sold or the keys are returned, and says it does not expect you to pay them personally, as these costs are usually settled from the estate. Octopus says it typically keeps the account open until the home is sold or the keys are handed back.
This is Citizens Advice's guidance for England. In Northern Ireland, nidirect says anyone who lived in the property jointly may be liable for fuel bill arrears.

Sources: Citizens Advice: check if you're responsible for paying an energy bill (read 15 October 2026); OVO: what to do if the account holder passes away (read 15 October 2026); Octopus Energy: managing an energy account after someone has passed away (read 15 October 2026); EDF: how to tell us about the death of an account holder (read 15 October 2026); nidirect: debt when someone dies (read 15 October 2026)

Water

What happens to the water account?

In England and Wales, tell the water company. Thames Water, for example, says it can close the account or move it to a different name, and will say if a refund or balance is due.
Not every company can change the name. Yorkshire Water says it cannot change the name on an account with only one customer named, so it closes the account and opens a new one for anyone still using the water.
Charges on an empty home vary. Welsh Water says charges are usually payable on an unoccupied home that stays furnished, but where a sole occupier has died it removes them for up to a year while you wait for a grant of probate.
Scotland: water and sewerage charges come with the council tax bill, and mygov.scot says any council tax discount also applies to them.
Northern Ireland: households pay no domestic water charges.

Sources: Thames Water: help when someone has passed away (read 15 October 2026); Yorkshire Water: tell us someone has passed away (read 15 October 2026); Welsh Water: bereavements (read 15 October 2026); mygov.scot: public water and sewerage services (read 15 October 2026); NI Water: 2026/27 charges (read 15 October 2026)

Council tax and rates

Is council tax due on the home of someone who has died?

Often not while the home stays empty, for a period that differs by nation.

England: GOV.UK says no council tax is due on an empty home until probate is granted. After the grant, you may get a further 6 months' exemption while the home stays empty and in the name of the person who died.
England also exempts a rented home while the executor or administrator is still liable for the rent, within the same 6 months after a grant (Council Tax (Exempt Dwellings) Order 1992, Class F).
Wales: where a person who lived alone has died, the Welsh Government says the empty home is exempt for up to 2 years from the death or until probate or letters of administration are granted, whichever comes first, and may stay exempt for 12 months after the grant.
Scotland: an empty home whose council tax would be paid only from the estate is exempt until confirmation is granted, and for up to 6 months after it.
Northern Ireland: tell Land & Property Services if the person paid rates. If they lived alone, their personal representative is responsible for the rates and can apply to have the empty home excluded while it is empty, unfurnished and not used for storage.
If someone else lived there, the bill usually carries on. In England and Wales the 25% discount applies if only one adult is left, and in Northern Ireland nidirect says the remaining occupant will usually be responsible for rates.

Sources: GOV.UK: Council Tax on second homes and empty properties (read 15 October 2026); legislation.gov.uk: Council Tax (Exempt Dwellings) Order 1992, article 3 (Class F) (read 15 October 2026); Welsh Government: Council Tax discounts, disregards, exemptions and reductions (read 15 October 2026); legislation.gov.uk: Council Tax (Exempt Dwellings) (Scotland) Order 1997, Schedule 1 (read 15 October 2026); nidirect: when a ratepayer has died (read 15 October 2026); nidirect: rating of empty homes (read 15 October 2026); GOV.UK: who has to pay Council Tax (read 15 October 2026)

Broadband and phone

Do I have to pay an exit fee to close a phone or broadband contract?

Ofcom says a provider should close the deceased person's account on request, and you should not have to pay an early termination charge, although business accounts may be treated differently.
Providers need not backdate the closure or refund money already paid, though some do. They can recover outstanding charges through probate, and Ofcom says they often waive them.
The provider may ask for the death certificate or its number. A photocopy or scan should do.
To keep the service, some providers transfer the account into another name, and others close it and open a new one, which can mean a new minimum term and a credit check. An account in joint names should be put into the surviving person's name on request.
Ofcom says many larger providers have a specialist bereavement team. Virgin Media, for example, has forms to transfer or close the account and says it updates accounts within 7 days, and EE lets you transfer or close a broadband line or number.
You may be asked to return a recent, valuable handset or a router. If a complaint is not resolved after 6 weeks, you can take it to the provider's dispute resolution scheme.

Sources: Ofcom: notifying a phone or broadband provider of a customer's death (read 15 October 2026); Virgin Media: change account holder details (read 15 October 2026); EE: changing an account in the case of a life event (read 15 October 2026)

TV Licence

What happens to the TV Licence?

GOV.UK says you can cancel a TV Licence or apply for a refund on the TV Licensing website.
If anyone still living at the address watches or records live TV, or uses BBC iPlayer, the home still needs a licence.
A licence costs £180, and GOV.UK says someone aged 75 or over who gets Pension Credit may be able to get a free or discounted one.

Sources: GOV.UK: TV Licence (read 15 October 2026)

Step by step

In what order should I deal with the bills?

Six steps, taken at whatever pace you need.

1
Ask the registrar about Tell Us Once
If the person lived in England, Scotland or Wales, it reports the death to most government organisations in one go. It does not cover the household bills.
2
Find each bill and whose name it is in
Look through recent statements and bank payments for energy, water, council tax, broadband, phone and the TV Licence.
3
Read the meters and note the date
A dated photo of each meter helps the supplier close or transfer the account on the right figures.
4
Tell each provider what you need
Close the account, keep it running for the estate, or move it into the name of someone who lives there.
5
Ask the council about an exemption
Tell the council, or Land & Property Services in Northern Ireland, whether the home is now empty.
6
Keep a note of every call
Record the date, the reference number and what was agreed, and pass final bills to whoever is dealing with the estate.

Sources: GOV.UK: Tell Us Once (read 15 October 2026); Citizens Advice: check if you're responsible for paying an energy bill (read 15 October 2026); Ofcom: notifying a phone or broadband provider of a customer's death (read 15 October 2026); GOV.UK: Council Tax on second homes and empty properties (read 15 October 2026)

Support

Where can I get help?

GOV.UK lists organisations that offer bereavement support, including Cruse Bereavement Support, the Marie Curie helpline and Sue Ryder's online bereavement support.
It also points to Citizens Advice's guidance on what happens after a death and the things you might need to do.
If a bill is now yours and you will struggle to pay it, Citizens Advice says the energy supplier has to help you find a solution.

Sources: GOV.UK: bereavement help and support (read 15 October 2026); Citizens Advice: check if you're responsible for paying an energy bill (read 15 October 2026)

Where Taupia fits

Can Taupia help a household after a death?

If you share the home and some bills are carrying on, Taupia keeps the energy, broadband, mobile and water bills in one place, so the household can see which accounts are still running.
In a shared home it splits the bills that continue and tracks who has paid, without moving any money.
It does not tell providers about a death, and it does not set up council tax or switch water.
Taupia is free.

Bills after a death FAQ

Questions about household bills after a death

Does Tell Us Once tell the energy company?

No. Tell Us Once reports a death to government organisations such as HMRC, DWP, DVLA and the local council's benefits teams. GOV.UK says you contact companies the person had contracts with yourself, including utility companies, landlords and housing associations. It is not available if the person lived in Northern Ireland.

Do I have to pay the energy bills of someone who has died?

Not personally for energy used before the death, unless your name is also on the account, says Citizens Advice. Those bills are paid from the estate. If you live at the property, or it was left to you in the will, you pay for energy used after the death.

Is there an exit fee to cancel broadband after a death?

Usually not. Ofcom says a provider should close the deceased person's account on request, and you should not have to pay an early termination charge, although business accounts may be treated differently. The provider may ask for a copy of the death certificate or its number.

Do you pay council tax on the house of someone who has died?

Often not while it stays empty. In England, GOV.UK says nothing is due until probate is granted, and a further 6 months' exemption may follow. Wales allows up to 2 years before the grant and 12 months after it, and Scotland exempts the home until 6 months after confirmation.

What happens to a joint account when one holder dies?

It usually carries on in the surviving holder's name. Ofcom says a phone or broadband account in joint names should be put into the surviving person's name on request. For energy, Citizens Advice says that if your name is also on the account, you have to pay for energy used before the death.

Can I get a refund on a TV Licence after a death?

You can apply. GOV.UK says you can cancel a TV Licence or apply for a refund on the TV Licensing website. If anyone still living at the address watches or records live TV, or uses BBC iPlayer, the home still needs a licence.

Related guides

Guides that may help next

Moving an account into your name, and finding who supplies the home.

Start here

Changing the account holder on a household bill

Recommended

Which providers transfer an account and which open a new one.

Official references

Cite this page

Taupia. "What happens to household bills when someone dies?". Last updated 15 October 2026. https://taupia.com/manage-bills/bills-after-a-death

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