Do I need a separate folder for each person in a couple?

Usually not. One folder for the household works well, with both names on the front and separate lines where contacts or documents differ, for example two GP practices or two pension providers. A single folder is also easier to keep up to date.

Should I include my bank details so bills can be paid?

No. Write the bank’s name and where statements or letters are kept. Paying bills on someone else’s behalf involves arrangements that a solicitor or the bank can explain; the folder only needs to point a helper in the right direction.

How often should I update it?

Once a year is a good rhythm, plus whenever something big changes: a move, a new doctor, a change of insurer. Date the first page each time so a reader knows how fresh the information is.

Guide

What goes in a family emergency folder (and what stays out)

A family emergency folder is a short, clear set of pages that lets someone who loves you step in and cope. Here is what belongs in each section, and what is safer left out.

What the folder is for

Picture the person who would help if you were suddenly unavailable: a partner, an adult child, a sister, a close friend. They walk into your home and need to keep things running. Who do they ring? Where is the insurance? Who feeds the dog? Where is the will kept? The folder answers those questions in plain words, on paper, in one place.

It is not a safe, a filing cabinet or a legal document. It is a map. The documents themselves stay where they are; the folder simply says where that is.

The first page: a note to whoever finds it

Start with the household name, who prepared the folder, the date it was last updated and a short ‘find it’ note: who should read this first and where the other copy is. A sentence or two in your own voice helps enormously. Something like ‘Take your time, nothing here is urgent except the first page’ tells a frightened person exactly what they need to hear.

People to call

The first real section, and the one that matters most at the very start. List the people a helper should contact, in order, with a line about why and when.

Immediate family, with phone numbers and the town or time zone they live in.
A neighbour or friend who holds a spare key.
Anyone who would need to be told quickly: an employer, a carer, a club that expects you.
For each person, one short note: ‘first call, any time of day’ or ‘only once the family knows’.

Where documents are kept

This is the section people tend to get wrong, by trying to include the documents themselves. Resist that. Write the name of the document and the place it lives, nothing more.

Will: with the solicitor, giving the firm name and town, or in the grey box in the wardrobe.
Property deeds or tenancy agreement.
Passports, birth and marriage certificates.
Pension and investment paperwork, by provider name.
Vehicle documents.
Any power of attorney or similar arrangement, if one exists. A solicitor can explain what these are.

Locations rather than copies keep the folder light, keep it safe if it is mislaid, and mean it does not go out of date every time a document is renewed. The original is still where it has always been, and the folder points straight to it.

Home and household essentials

The practical things that keep a home running and that a visitor would never guess.

Where the stopcock, fuse box and gas shut-off are.
Who holds spare keys, and the alarm company if there is one.
The boiler engineer, electrician and plumber you actually use.
Bin day, the cleaner, the gardener, the window cleaner.
Any regular deliveries or standing arrangements to pause or continue.

Insurance and advisers

Home, contents, car, life, travel and health policies: the insurer’s name, the kind of policy, and where the paperwork or renewal letter is kept. Then the people who advise you: accountant, solicitor, financial adviser, with their firm and phone number. Policy numbers are not needed here; an insurer can find a policy from a name and address.

People and pets who depend on you

Anyone you look after or support, formally or informally: a parent you visit, a grandchild you collect on Thursdays, a neighbour you check on. Who should step in, and what they need to know. For pets: the vet, the feeding routine, anything they take regularly, and who could look after them for a while.

Health contacts

The GP practice, the pharmacy, the dentist, the optician, any specialist clinic. If you have written down care wishes or similar documents, say where they are kept. Keep this to contacts and locations; the folder is not the place for a medical history, and your doctor is the right person to ask about how to record wishes properly.

Digital life

Where the instructions for your accounts are kept, and who knows how to reach them. That might be a password manager with emergency access set up, or a sealed envelope held by a solicitor. The folder notes the arrangement; it never contains the passwords. List the accounts that matter in broad terms: email, phone contract, banking app, subscriptions, social media, with a note on what you would like done with each.

What should stay out

Passwords, PINs, security questions and recovery codes.
Full account, card and policy numbers.
Photocopies or scans of documents.
The contents of your will or who gets what.
Medical records, diagnoses and medication lists.
Anything you would not want a stranger to read if the folder were left on a train.

Printable or guided

There are two ways to make one. A blank printable folder has the same sections with space to write by hand; it suits people who like paper and want to fill it in at the kitchen table, and you can see it at /printable. The guided organizer at /start asks the questions one at a time in your browser, shows you a preview and produces a finished, typed folder. Either way, your answers are not sent anywhere; they stay on your device.

Whichever you choose, the folder is only finished when one person knows where it is.

Questions

Do I need a separate folder for each person in a couple?: Usually not. One folder for the household works well, with both names on the front and separate lines where contacts or documents differ, for example two GP practices or two pension providers. A single folder is also easier to keep up to date.
Should I include my bank details so bills can be paid?: No. Write the bank’s name and where statements or letters are kept. Paying bills on someone else’s behalf involves arrangements that a solicitor or the bank can explain; the folder only needs to point a helper in the right direction.
How often should I update it?: Once a year is a good rhythm, plus whenever something big changes: a move, a new doctor, a change of insurer. Date the first page each time so a reader knows how fresh the information is.

Published 2026-10-28. General information, not legal, financial or medical advice.