How to Deal With Zopa After Someone Dies in the UK

How to Deal With Zopa After Someone Dies in the UK

If the person who died used Zopa, it is worth knowing early that Zopa’s bereavement process can look slightly different depending on the product involved. Someone may have had a current account, savings product, credit card, personal loan or more than one of these at the same time.

The good news is that Zopa does have published bereavement guidance. The important thing is to contact the bank early, send the right documents, and ask which process applies to the specific product your loved one held.

The first step: tell Zopa about the death

Zopa says the first step is to notify it by phone or live chat and explain that the customer has died and that you are dealing with their affairs. Its bereavement guidance also says a death certificate is needed before it can discuss account details.

At the time of writing, Zopa’s help pages say a certified copy or clear photograph of the original death certificate can be emailed to accountcare@zopa.com for some bereavement cases. However, one of Zopa’s borrower-specific help pages says that for a loan case it may require the original death certificate or a solicitor-certified copy, and that electronic copies are not accepted for that part of the process.

That difference matters. It means you should not assume one document rule applies to every Zopa product. Ask clearly:

• which Zopa product the person held
• whether Zopa wants an emailed copy or a certified/original paper copy
• whether probate is needed now or later
• who Zopa will speak to while the estate is being sorted

What information should you have ready?

Try to gather:

• the deceased person’s full name and date of birth
• their Zopa email address, if you know it
• any account, savings or loan references
• your contact details and relationship to them
• the death certificate
• the grant of probate or Scottish confirmation, if it has already been issued

If you do not have every detail yet, still contact Zopa. Early notification helps stop confusion and lets the bank tell you what it needs for that exact case.

What happens if the person had a Zopa loan?

Zopa’s borrower bereavement guidance is more specific than many providers’ public pages.

It says that once it is told a borrower has died, collections activity is paused while it waits for the required death certificate evidence. Once the required certificate is received, Zopa says the loan is cancelled on its systems and the credit reference agencies are informed of the death.

After that, Zopa says it will discuss payment of the loan from the estate with the executor, next of kin or third party handling the affairs.

In practice, that means:

• you should contact Zopa promptly if repayments are still due
• you should not ignore letters or repayment notices that arrive before the bereavement marker is added
• you should ask Zopa to explain the next stage in writing if the estate is complex

As a general UK rule, personal debts are dealt with by the estate before beneficiaries inherit. Relatives do not usually pay those debts from their own money unless they were jointly liable. If you are unsure whether an account was joint or sole, ask before agreeing to anything.

What happens if the person had Zopa savings?

Zopa’s savings guidance says that for some changes, such as early closure or withdrawals when a fixed term ends, it is legally required to obtain a certified copy of the death certificate and the Grant of Probate in the UK or Grant of Confirmation in Scotland.

That is a strong clue that savings products may have a different path from loans.

If the person held fixed-term savings, ask Zopa:

• whether the account can remain in place until maturity
• whether early closure is possible
• whether interest continues to accrue during the estate process
• whether probate or confirmation is needed before funds can be released

Do not guess. With digital banks, the practical difficulty is often not the law itself but knowing which internal team handles which product.

What if there was more than one Zopa product?

This is where estates can get messy.

Someone may have had:

• a loan
• a savings account
• a credit card
• a current account
• multiple products together

If that applies, ask Zopa whether the bereavement case will be managed as one file or whether separate teams handle different products. You do not want to send the same documents three times unless you actually need to.

Will probate always be required?

Not always, but you should assume it may be needed for some products.

Zopa’s published wording specifically mentions probate or Scottish confirmation for some savings changes. For other products, the first step may simply be death notification plus the right evidence so the account can be noted, paused or reviewed.

The safest approach is:

1. notify Zopa immediately
2. ask which product-specific process applies
3. ask whether probate is needed before any funds can be released or any account can be closed
4. keep a written note of the answer

A practical checklist for families

Step	What to do
1	Identify whether the person had a Zopa loan, savings account, card or multiple products
2	Notify Zopa by phone or live chat as soon as possible
3	Ask exactly what form of death certificate is required for that product
4	Send only the evidence requested, and keep copies of everything
5	Ask whether probate or Scottish confirmation is needed
6	Check whether repayments, withdrawals or account access have been paused
7	Keep a timeline of every contact and response

If you are handling several providers at once, a simple tracker matters. Even families who are organised can lose track once banks, pension providers and utilities all start asking for different documents. GetPassage can help by keeping the estate admin in one place, but even a basic checklist is better than relying on memory.

Frequently asked questions

Can I just email Zopa and wait?

Not always. Zopa’s own guidance says the first step is to contact it by phone or live chat, then provide the required evidence. Email may be part of the process, but it should not replace initial notification if urgent action is needed.

Does Zopa accept digital copies of the death certificate?

Sometimes, but not always. One Zopa help page says a clear photograph or certified copy can be emailed for general bereavement handling. Another says electronic copies are not accepted for borrower death cases. Ask which rule applies to the product involved.

What if the person had a fixed-term savings account?

Ask whether the account can remain until maturity and whether probate is needed before withdrawal or closure. Zopa’s published savings guidance suggests this may be relevant.

Final thought

The most important thing when dealing with Zopa after a death is not speed for its own sake. It is clarity. Zopa is a digital bank with different product lines, and bereavement handling can branch depending on whether the issue is a loan, savings product or another account.

Notify them early, confirm the correct document requirements, and keep a careful record. That will save time later, especially when the estate involves more than one provider.