The UK Death Folder: everything your family needs, in one place
If something happened to you tomorrow, could your family find your will, your accounts, your pensions and your passwords? A death folder means they never have to play detective. Start with the free checklist below.
What goes in it
The death folder checklist
The documents, accounts and wishes your family will need. Use it as a checklist now — then keep it somewhere your executor can find it.
The essentials
- Your will — and where the signed original is kept
- Birth and marriage certificates, passport, National Insurance number
- Lasting Powers of Attorney (financial, and health & welfare)
Money and property
- Bank, savings and ISA accounts
- Property deeds and mortgage details
- Pensions and life insurance — with up-to-date beneficiary nominations
- Investments and shareholdings
- Debts and liabilities — loans, credit cards, anything owed
Digital and day-to-day
- Utility, insurance and subscription accounts
- Digital accounts and passwords — stored securely, never written into your will
Wishes and people
- Funeral preferences and any final messages
- Key contacts — executor, solicitor, accountant, financial adviser
What is a death folder?
A death folder is a single, organised place that holds everything your family will need to settle your affairs after you die — your will, accounts, property, pensions, passwords, key contacts and final wishes. You will also see it called a "when I die" file, an "in case of death" file, or simply part of getting your affairs in order. Whatever you call it, the job is the same: it is the practical map your executor uses to find and value everything. It is not a legal document in itself, and it does not replace a valid will — it sits alongside one.
Why does every UK family need one?
Around 59% of UK adults do not have a will (IRN Legal Reports, 2025) — and even those who do rarely leave a map to their assets. When someone dies, the executor must locate every account, policy and document before they can apply for probate and distribute the estate, which varies widely but commonly takes 9–12 months from death to final distribution (an industry estimate, not an official figure). Without a death folder, that begins with weeks of detective work: ringing banks, hunting through drawers, guessing at online logins. A death folder turns that scramble into a single, calm handover.
How do you make a death folder?
Four steps. First, gather the essentials using the checklist above. Second, record where things are rather than just copies — note which bank holds which account, and where the signed original of your will is kept. Third, add access notes safely: list your online accounts and where the passwords live (in a password manager or encrypted vault), but never write passwords into the will itself. Fourth, tell your executor the folder exists and how to reach it — a folder no one can find is a common and avoidable mistake.
Where should you keep a death folder?
Somewhere secure but findable. A locked drawer or fireproof box works if your executor knows about it; an encrypted digital vault works if you want to control exactly who sees what after you die. One rule matters above all: keep passwords and account details out of your will. In England and Wales, once probate is granted a will becomes a public document, so anything written in it stops being private. Store credentials separately — in a password manager or an encrypted store such as Beqst — and let the folder simply point your executor to them.
Death folder vs will vs Lasting Power of Attorney
These three do different jobs and work best together. A will says who inherits and names your executor, and only takes effect after death. In England and Wales, a Lasting Power of Attorney lets someone you trust make decisions for you if you lose mental capacity while you are still alive. A death folder is neither a legal document nor a substitute for either — it is the organised record that makes both usable in practice, so your executor and attorney are not left guessing. This is general information, not legal advice.
Paper folder, or a living digital one?
A paper "kitchen-drawer" file is better than nothing, but it goes out of date the moment you open a new account, and it can be lost, damaged, or found too late. A living digital version stays current, can be updated in minutes, and lets you decide precisely what your executor sees after you die. That is what Beqst is built for: keep your will, assets, credentials and final wishes in one protected place, with additional encryption for selected high-risk data, and hand over access on your terms.
Last reviewed June 2026 against GOV.UK and HMRC sources. Beqst is a UK estate-organisation tool, not a law firm; this guide is general information, not legal advice.
Free template
Start your Death Folder
A clean PDF checklist to download, print or share, for yourself or someone you love.
Free, and no email needed. If you would like a copy in your inbox too, add your email below.
Kept safe
Your details, properly protected
A death folder holds highly sensitive information. Beqst applies AES-256-GCM encryption to selected secrets and uploaded documents, with role-based controls over what an executor can see. Documents, passwords and full financial details stay locked until a death certificate has been checked.
Related reading
Learn more about getting organised
Plain-English guides on the admin a death folder helps your family avoid.
- What goes in a death folder — the six sections
- What to do when someone dies in the UK: the admin checklist
- Free letter of wishes template (UK)
- How to write a will in the UK
- How to find someone's will after they die
- How to close a deceased person's accounts
- Tell Us Once: what it does (and what it doesn't)
- The UK estate planning checklist
Death folder FAQs
General information from a UK estate-organisation tool — not legal or financial advice. For your own situation, speak to a regulated adviser.