Major life events

We want you to feel supported when times are difficult. We offer different ways of helping to make the financial side of things a bit easier. If you're worried about money, our financial support team can help.

You'll find information below on a number of situations that many of our customers will face, and the help and support we can offer.

Illness
Power of Attorney and Court of Protection
Bereavement
Divorce and separation
Financial or economic abuse
Redundancy, unemployment or reduced hours
Maternity and paternity
Retirement
Graduating from university
Legal support

Illness

If you're having money worries due to a physical or mental illness affecting yourself or a family member, contact us as soon as you need to.

You can reach our Financial Support team by calling 0344 844 8899. call charges

If you'd rather not talk about it over the phone, and have online banking, you can send us a secure message instead. We aim to reply within 24 hours.

Help with sending secure messages.

Power of Attorney and Court of Protection

Power of Attorney is a legal document that lets someone make important decisions on behalf of someone else. For example, if an elderly person can no longer manage their money, a person with Power of Attorney is able to look after their bank account for them.

Setting up Power of Attorney

You can only set up Power of Attorney whilst the account holder has mental capacity.

There are different types of Power of Attorney that can be arranged. Deciding on which is the most appropriate will depend on different factors, including the circumstances under which you think it may be needed.

Set up a Power of Attorney

Court of Protection

If someone has lost mental capacity and doesn't have Power of Attorney in place, a Court of Protection order is required. This is a court of England and Wales, which makes decisions on behalf of those who are incapable of doing so themselves.

If there is a need for ongoing decisions to be made on someone's behalf, the court can give these powers to an individual. In Scotland, a Guardianship order operates in a similar way to a Court of Protection order. In Northern Ireland, this is called a Controller order.

If you think you may need someone else to look after your money, or that you may need to look after money on behalf of someone else, learn more about how Power of Attorney and Court of Protection relates to bank accounts.

For some products we have the option to set up third party access. Speak to us to find out more on 03457 212 212 call charges

Bereavement

When dealing with bereavement, money should be the last thing you need to worry about.

If you're going through a bereavement and are concerned about what to do next, we've answered some of the common questions.

Find out more about what to do when somebody dies.

If you're worried about meeting the funeral costs of a loved-one or relative, the MoneyHelper website has additional information, including details of government help that you may be able to access.

Get help with funeral costs

If you need emotional support and guidance, the Cruse Bereavement Care charity offers free support online, by phone and in person where possible.

Divorce and separation

If you are going through a divorce or separation, please call the financial support team on 0344 844 8899 (call charges) if you're experiencing any of the following:

• you're worried about the security of the money in your accounts
• you're worried about money in general as a result of divorce or separation.

If you're worried about legal issues relating to your divorce or separation, get free and impartial advice from Citizens Advice.

Mortgages and divorce or separation

If you have a mortgage with us and are worried about being able to pay it as a result of getting divorced or separated, please call the mortgages team on 08000 288 288 call charges

Joint accounts and divorce or separation

If you have a joint current account or savings account with us and want to switch it to a sole account, you can request this using our transfer to sole account form.

Financial or economic abuse

Financial or economic abuse is when one person controls another person’s ability to acquire, use and maintain their own money and financial resources.

If you think you may be experiencing financial or economic abuse, we’re here to help. You can:

• Call us on 0800 781 1493 (call charges)
• Use our online form to let us know a safe time to get in touch with you.

To learn more about financial or economic abuse, visit our financial abuse and economic abuse page.

Redundancy, unemployment or reduced hours

If you've been made redundant, lost a job, or are working reduced hours, it's important to keep a close eye on your finances and to plan for any financial shortfalls.

We can help with that.

It's also important in these situations to be aware of your rights, and how you can get help.

Redundancy

Find guidance and support from Citizens Advice.

Unemployment

Check if you're entitled to job-seekers allowance (JSA) and other benefits. The Turn2Us website has a helpful benefits calculator.

Reduced working hours

If your employment circumstances change, let us know as soon as possible. Our financial support team can provide advice and support.

Call our financial support team on 0344 844 8899 call charges

Maternity and paternity

When you become a parent you are entitled to maternity or paternity leave.

You may also receive Statutory Maternity Payment (SMP).

You can find more information on maternity leave and maternity pay on the Government website.

If you're worried about your finances during maternity or paternity leave, please call the financial support team on 0344 844 8899 call charges.

Retirement

Many people worry how they'll manage financially after they stop working.

Before you retire:

Think carefully about retirement plans including pensions and tax considerations. For more information on private pension tax visit the Government website.

Plan your spending:

Before you retire, it's useful to take a look at your current spending habits to make sure your pension income will be enough.

If you're worried about retirement and money, please call our financial support team on 0344 844 8899 call charges.

For general information about pensions, contact Pension Wise.

Graduating from university

Going from graduating university to finding work can cause money worries.

If you are experiencing financial difficulties or are graduating soon and are worried about money, please contact our financial support team as soon as possible on 0344 844 8899 call charges.

If you need help managing your finances, visit managing your money day to day.