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Checklist

The important documents checklist for your family

What your family would need to find if something happened to you, and where people forget to look.

By Carl Jones · 21 Sep 2026 · 3 min read

A notebook with a ticked checklist and a pen on a wooden desk, beside a mug, books and house keys

If something happened to you tomorrow, could your family find everything? Tick off what you’ve already sorted. You don’t need to gather the documents themselves, just know what exists and where it is.

Where, not what

Your family mostly needs to know that something exists and who it’s with. Write down where things are kept, not account numbers or passwords.

Legal documents

Your will, and where the signed original is kept
Lasting power of attorney (or power of attorney in Scotland), if you have one
Birth, marriage or civil partnership certificates
Details of your solicitor, if you use one

Money

Current accounts and savings accounts, and which banks they're with
ISAs, investments and share schemes
Premium Bonds and any other NS&I products
Credit cards, loans and anything else you owe

Pensions

Workplace pensions from every employer, including old jobs
Personal pensions and SIPPs
Your State Pension details

Property and insurance

Home ownership or tenancy details, and your mortgage lender
Life insurance and any policies written in trust
Home, car and other insurance policies
Vehicle logbooks and finance agreements

Everyday life

Utilities, phone, broadband and council tax
Subscriptions and memberships that take regular payments
Email, photo and social media accounts, and what you'd like done with them
Pets, and who has agreed to look after them

Your wishes

Funeral wishes, and any pre-paid funeral plan
Anyone you'd like told, and how to reach them
Letters or messages you'd like passed on

Lost track of an old pension?

The government’s free Pension Tracing Service can help you find contact details for old workplace pensions.

Don’t write passwords on a list

A written list of passwords is a security risk while you’re alive. If you use a password manager, set up its emergency or legacy access feature instead.

Keeping it up to date

The list is only useful if it’s current. Review it once a year, and whenever something changes: a new job, a new home, or a new policy.

This is general information, not legal or financial advice. Cairn is a record-keeping tool.

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© 2026 Cairn. My Cairn Limited, registered in England & Wales (company no. 17456986). Registered office: 124-128 City Road, London, EC1V 2NX. A record keeping tool that does not provide financial advice.

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