Help no idea what Im doing

Maybeanotherday

Please can someone help...
My mother in law whos an alcoholic was found dead this am....
Ive never planned a funeral and due to her nature nobody in her family want to get involved...
So my partner works, so we are not entitled to any help we dont claim benefits so apparently the cost sits with us.
she has a couple of hundred pounds in the bank but her body is being held for a post mortum, we have no death certifficate and feel like were wondering about blind.
Ive read the guide on here but we have noticed she has a payment for a pension into her bank which is a private fund, is there anyway this can be used for the funeral?
Do we need to pay up front...I basically have no idea what Im doing hope someone can advise

Mojisola

It's very hard coping when this is thrust on you unexpectedly.

First thing is, you don't have to do anything in a hurry. Until the coroner releases the body, you can't even register the death. I found the coroner's office very kind and helpful when my Mum died suddenly - they are used to people not knowing how to cope. Our registrar was also very understanding and took us through everything very carefully.

If you have access to all her paperwork, go through it and identify what money is coming in and from where and also what bills are being paid. Start making lists.

Whatever money she has can be used for the funeral. Check to see if she had any life insurance.

It can be a hard decision but, if you can't afford to pay for a funeral, you can step back from arranging it and let the council deal with everything. Whoever starts arranging the funeral will be responsible for paying for it - whether from the deceased's estate or their own resources - so check things out before you start the process.

Crabapple

Sorry you're having to deal with this.

You need to speak to the coroners office to even find out when a funeral can be organised. They should issue an 'interim certificate as to the fact of death' which proves that a death has occured even if it can't be registered immediately.

You don't personally need to pay for this funeral. Any and all monies she has in her bank can be used but by the sounds of things that won't be nearly enough. It's worth speaking to the pension company to see if there is any kind of death benefit lump sum payable now.

I think that if there is not enough money for a funeral the council has to deal with it. Hopefully someone with a bit more knowledge on that front will come along and advise. The situation may be different if she owned a property.

There's other things to consider, but frankly you probably have enough on your plate at the moment.

Mojisola

This sets things out quite simply -
https://www.gov.uk/after-a-death

In particular, the "Tell Us Once" scheme (section 5) saves you having to contact a lot of different agencies to inform them of her death.

If it looks as if there won't be enough money to pay for the funeral and any debts she has, the usual advice is don't start managing the estate beyond registering the death and arranging the funeral.
https://www.bereavementadvice.org/probate-and-other-legal-procedures/insolventestates.php

RAS

Hi

Take this very gently as I doubt the past few years have been easy for you. There is no rush and there is no obligation on you to do anything.

Whatever your mother might have in the way of an estate, the first call on the money is the funeral. If there is insufficient, you can decline to get involved and the Council will arrange one which you can attend. Note Councils pay less than £1000 for a funeral so they can fund one from the estate more easily that you might be able to.

Or you could DIY (a colleague and family bought a coffin, decorated it, organised a plot and took it there in the back of an estate car).

Do not get yourselves sucked into making any arrangements with a funeral director if you cannot afford the cost.

It is worth check for life insurance, pension benefits, and if she worked in an industry for any organisation that might help.

You will have to wait for the coroner to sort things out.

Beware of getting too involved in finances beyond the funeral; her estate may well be intestate so you do not want to "intermeddle." That way you can just tell any creditor that she has died and the estate is insolvent (if that proves to be the case).

Maybeanotherday

Thankyou for the replies, unfortunatly she had a mass payout from a pension 3years ago and appears to have spend the lot and just has a low amount coming in with the reminder...possibly the take a big lump and the rest dies when you do kind of thing.
Its with the prudential so Im guessing we need to phone them tomorrow.
Ive phoned a couple of funeral directors but neither have phoned me back yet.

Maybeanotherday

another curve ball....shes still married to another alcoholic.... but hasnt lived with him for three years is he the next of kin? Never even crossed my mind but my husband just mentioned it

Mojisola

Maybeanotherday wrote: »

another curve ball....shes still married to another alcoholic.... but hasnt lived with him for three years is he the next of kin? Never even crossed my mind but my husband just mentioned it

Yes. Although that doesn't mean your husband can't register the death and deal with the funeral if that's what he wants to do.