Separation admin checklist
This covers the admin both people share, not who's right about anything. Work through it together where you can, and get advice for whatever can't be agreed here.
19 items
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
The items
- Bank accounts
- Joint account decision agreed — freeze, split or keep running
- Standing orders and direct debits moved to the accounts they now belong on
- New sole accounts opened, if needed
- Tenancy or mortgage
- Landlord or lender told of the change
- Names on the agreement checked against who's actually staying
- Next steps agreed — this differs for renting versus owning
- Utility accounts and council tax renamed, and any single-occupant discount checked
- Insurance policies reviewedHome, car and life cover often assume a shared household — check each one.
- Any child-related admin agreed between youKept neutral here — this is for the paperwork, not the arrangement itself.
- Pension and life insurance beneficiary nominations reviewed
- Will checked and updated to reflect the new situation
- Shared passwords changedEmail, cloud storage, streaming and anywhere financial details are saved.
- Post redirected or address updated with anyone still sending mail to the old address
- Vehicle ownership and insurance sorted, if a car is jointly owned or registered
- Employer and next-of-kin details updated
- Everything agreed put in writing, even informally, for both records
- Legal advice sought for anything contestedA solicitor is who can advise on that — this list only covers the administrative side.
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
Questions people ask
- Do we need a solicitor for any of this?
- Only for anything contested, or where a formal agreement needs drawing up — this list covers the administrative notifications, not legal advice on dividing anything.
- What should be sorted first?
- Shared money — a joint account or a joint bill is the thing most likely to cause a problem if it's left until later, so agree what happens to it early.
- Does this apply to a marriage or an unmarried relationship?
- Both — the accounts, tenancies and bills involved are much the same either way. What legally follows from ending things differs, so check the current rules for your situation.