We're here to help
Losing someone in your business can be very difficult. In addition to the emotional upheaval of coping with a death, you may also need to take care of your business’ financial matters.
We can help at this difficult time by giving you practical help and guidance on the things you need to do. Our dedicated bereavement team is on hand to talk you through how to deal with your business accounts.
If the deceased was also a Santander personal banking customer, please let us know by calling the bereavement team, visiting any branch, writing to us or completing the online notification form
You can learn more in our personal banking bereavement pages
Call our dedicated bereavement team
You can get in touch with our bereavement team on 0800 587 5870 and they'll be able to talk you through how to deal with the financial side of things if the deceased was a Santander customer. If dialling from abroad, please call us on: +44 1908 520814 option 3.
We're open 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 2pm on Saturday.
Come into a branch
If you'd prefer, you can visit your local branch. Check branches near you with our branch locator
If you'd like to make an appointment before you come in please phone 0800 587 5870.
Write to us
You can send a letter to:
Santander Bereavement
Operations, Sunderland,
SR43 4FJ
Use our online form
Please read our bereavement guide (4.49 MB) before using our online notification form
Death Notification Service
Santander is a member of the Death Notification Service which allows you to notify a number of banks and building societies at the same time. Find out more about this in our useful contacts section and in our bereavement guide (4.49 MB)
If the holder of a sole trader bank account has passed away their account will be frozen. This means that no payments will be made out of the account, including Direct Debits and standing orders. Cards and cheque books will also be cancelled.
If you're the next of kin of a sole trader please speak to your solicitor about what should happen next with their business bank account. You can also call our bereavement team on 0800 587 5870.
Accounts for a Limited Company or LLP with multiple directors or partners will remain operational unless the death of a director or partner invalidates the mandate i.e. if one director or partner has passed away and two directors or partners are needed to sign.
We will provide you with a change of details form to remove and add signatories. Please note that if a director or partner is being added to the account you must also register this at Companies House.
LLPs and partnership agreements
It is a Santander requirement for all LLP and partnership accounts to have a partnership agreement to replace the deceased partner. For partnership accounts with multiple surviving partners, the payments will continue while the account remains active.
If the business has lending facilities, we will work with you to deal with any outstanding lending.
For partnerships with multiple remaining partners, the account(s) will remain operational unless we are instructed otherwise.
For partnerships with only one remaining partner, the deceased partner will need to be replaced. The partnership will need to provide:
- a completed change of details form
- full ID for the new account holders
- a new bank mandate.
Alternatively, we can help the remaining partner set up a new sole trader account.
Accounts for a club or charity will continue if allowed under the club or charity’s constitution and the bank’s existing mandate. We can help you confirm if the account can continue to operate or if a new officer is needed to be appointed.
Practical and emotional support
There are many organisations that can help if you've been bereaved. You can find information, support and guidance on both the practical and the emotional.
We've compiled a list of some of them here. They aren’t affiliated to Santander.
Practical support
Tell Us Once
Bereavement Register (to help reduce direct mail being sent to the address of a person who has died)
Government service and advice
Department for Work and Pensions
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Citizens Advice Bureau
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)
Government Direct (free legal advice on a wide range of topics including what to do if a will has not been made)
Lost Accounts
The General Register Office (England and Wales) PO Box 2, Southport, PR8 2JD
The General Register Office (Scotland) New Register House, 3 West Register Street, Edinburgh EH1 3YT
Probate Registry (for application for powers to process the Will in England and Wales)
Companies House
Death Notification Service
- Allows you to notify a number of participating banks and building societies at the same time.
- Online and free to use.
- An additional service to the notification and bereavement services already offered by banks and building societies.
How does it work?
- The service asks you to fill in a form. When you send it in you'll get confirmation that it's been received, and the relevant banks or building societies will be notified.
- The banks or building societies will then contact the person dealing with the estate to let them know on the next steps. They will be specific to the types of accounts the deceased held with that bank or building society and include key information on what is needed to close the accounts.
- You can find out more information, including the participating banks and building societies, and use the service by visiting the website Death Notification Service
Emotional support
Age UK
Cruse Bereavement Care
The Samaritans
Child Bereavement Charity
Santander contacts
You can find specific information on Santander products and useful contacts in our Bereavement Guide (4.49 MB)
Bereavement Assist : 0800 587 5870
To help and support you deal with this matter, we will need you to provide us with some information.
Bereavement guide (4.49 MB)
Practical advice and support on what to do when someone dies.
Bereavement instruction form (telephone) (49 KB)
For telephone notifications only.
Bereavement instruction form (post) (1.13 MB)
For postal notifications and solicitor use.
Customer ID requirements (60 KB)
For telephone and postal notifications, you'll need to send us one item of ID from list 1.
Depending on the business type, we may ask for some additional documentation. We’ll let you know if this is the case.
We’ll usually only need to see the Grant of Probate or equivalent document if the value of the accounts is £50,000 or more. This document may not be immediately available to you but we’ll need to see the original or a certified copy when you have access to it.
We've compiled a list of some of the words and terms you may see when you’re dealing with a bereavement. Don't forget, if there are things you're having trouble understanding our trained bereavement specialists are at the end of the phone to help out. Just call 0800 587 5870.
Beneficiary: a person who inherits part or all of the estate.
Certified copy: a copy of the original document that has been signed and verified by a solicitor/Santander branch.
Certificate of confirmation: a document giving the authority to administer an estate in Scotland.
Companies House: Companies House is the United Kingdom's registrar of companies and is an executive agency and trading fund of the UK government.
Customer representative: generic term for someone who is administering the estate.
Death certificate: the legal document issued by the registry office after a death has been registered.
Estate: all assets belonging to the deceased.
Executor: a person appointed by a will to administer the estate.
Funeral invoice: the bill to pay the funeral director. We need this to be able to release funds from the deceased’s accounts to pay for the funeral.
Grant of letters of administration: a document giving the authority to administer an estate where there is no will.
Grant of probate: a document giving the authority to administer an estate in accordance with the will.
Grant of representation: a collective term for both the grant of probate and the grant of letters of administration.
Inheritance tax: a tax paid to HMRC on the estate of the deceased.
Intestacy rules: the rules dictating how the deceased’s estate is to be shared when there is no will.