Nationwide’s bereavement closure form is called the Bereavement Request to close accounts form, and you cannot download it. Nationwide sends it to you by post after you notify them of the death and provide a death certificate.1Nationwide Building Society. Deceased Customers You can use the form on its own to close a deceased customer’s sole accounts if the combined balance is under £50,000 and no Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration is being sought. Above £50,000, the form still needs to be completed, but it must be accompanied by a Grant of Representation and signed by the personal representative.
Nationwide’s own documentation does not use the “SF220” designation that circulates informally.
How to Get the Form
The form only arrives after Nationwide has been told about the death. There are four ways to notify them:2Nationwide Building Society. Bereavement Support
- Online, through Nationwide’s secure DocuSign notification on the bereavement support page.
- By phone, on the bereavement helpdesk at 0800 464 30 18 (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, Saturday 9am to 12pm, closed Sundays and bank holidays).
- In branch, taking a copy of the death certificate with you.
- By post, sending a copy of the death certificate to Bereavement Services, Specialist Customer Support, Nationwide Building Society, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN38 3FN.1Nationwide Building Society. Deceased Customers
If you don’t yet have the death certificate, notify Nationwide anyway. The bereavement team will attempt to verify the death through the government database, and you can send the certificate on once it arrives.2Nationwide Building Society. Bereavement Support
What Arrives in the Post
Within 10 working days of confirming the death, Nationwide sends you a letter containing a summary of every account the deceased held, what Nationwide has done to protect those accounts, and the closure form itself.2Nationwide Building Society. Bereavement Support If you are the personal representative and not already a Nationwide customer, the letter also explains how they will verify your identity before the closure can proceed.
Completing the Form
The form asks for your details as the person handling the estate, confirmation of which accounts are to be closed, and instructions for where the funds should be sent. Fill every field in legibly. Incomplete forms delay the closure, and Nationwide may come back with follow-up questions, particularly on larger estates where they need to see the Grant of Representation.
If a section is unclear, call the bereavement helpdesk before sending the form back. It’s quicker than a correction letter later.
What to Send With the Form
Alongside the completed form, you need to send:
- A death certificate, or equivalent evidence such as a coroner’s interim certificate, if Nationwide doesn’t already hold one.1Nationwide Building Society. Deceased Customers
- A Grant of Representation (Grant of Probate if there is a will, Letters of Administration if there is not) if the combined balance is £50,000 or more. In that case, the personal representative must sign the closure form.1Nationwide Building Society. Deceased Customers
Under the £50,000 threshold, the completed form on its own is sufficient, provided no Grant is being sought. Order more than one certified copy of the death certificate at the outset. Other banks and institutions will want their own, and some will keep the copy they receive.
Where to Return It
Send the completed form and any accompanying documents to the same address used for notification: Bereavement Services, Specialist Customer Support, Nationwide Building Society, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN38 3FN.1Nationwide Building Society. Deceased Customers Keep copies of everything you post.
Joint Accounts Don’t Use This Form
If the deceased held an account jointly, the closure form does not apply to it. Nationwide transfers the account into the surviving holder’s sole name once they’ve been notified of the death and seen the death certificate.1Nationwide Building Society. Deceased Customers No closure form, and no Grant of Representation, is needed for the joint account itself.
How Long the Closure Takes
For a straightforward estate, expect the whole process to take roughly four to six weeks. Nationwide issues the letter and form within 10 working days of receiving the notification and death certificate, and once you return the completed form with any required documents, the accounts are usually closed within about two weeks.2Nationwide Building Society. Bereavement Support
The main thing that stretches the timeline is obtaining a Grant of Probate where the balance exceeds £50,000. Below that threshold, with the death certificate in hand at the point of first notification, the process moves considerably faster.
Getting Money Out Before the Accounts Close
Nationwide can release funds from the deceased’s account before the closure is finalised, but only for three specific costs: funeral expenses, court fees for the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration, and Inheritance Tax. Cheques are made payable directly to the funeral provider or the relevant court, not to the personal representative.2Nationwide Building Society. Bereavement Support Other bills, such as care home fees or utilities, have to wait until the accounts are closed and the estate is distributed.