Australian Death Notification Service: What It Does and How to Use It

When someone dies, the family faces dozens of notification tasks — banks, super funds, utility companies, government agencies, insurance providers. Historically this meant a week of phone calls, hold music, and explaining the same loss over and over to different customer service teams. The Australian Death Notification Service (ADNS) was designed to change that.

Here is how it works, what it covers, and what you still need to handle separately when someone dies in New South Wales.

What the Australian Death Notification Service Is

The ADNS (deathnotification.gov.au) is a free government-operated platform that lets you notify multiple participating organisations about a death in a single online session. You enter the deceased's details once — name, date of birth, date of death, and the death certificate registration number — and the system simultaneously transmits that notification to every organisation you select.

The service is available 24 hours a day. No phone calls. No repetition. No waiting on hold.

Participating categories include:

• Banks and financial institutions — including Commonwealth Bank, ANZ, NAB, Westpac, Bendigo Bank, Bank of Queensland, and many others
• Superannuation funds — major retail and industry funds
• Telecommunications providers — Telstra, Optus, and others
• Utilities — electricity, gas, and water retailers
• Government agencies — including Services Australia (Centrelink and Medicare), the Australian Taxation Office, and NSW-specific services
• Insurance companies
• Loyalty programs and subscription services

The list of participating organisations changes as new members join. Before your notification session, it is worth checking the current list on the ADNS website to confirm which specific providers are included.

What You Need to Use the ADNS

To complete a notification through the ADNS you will need:

• The death certificate registration number (issued by NSW Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages)
• The deceased's full legal name and date of birth
• The date of death
• The address where the deceased was living at the time of death
• Your own details as the person making the notification

You do not need a physical copy of the death certificate to use the system, but you do need the registration number. This is issued once the death is formally registered — which the funeral director typically handles within a day or two of the death. The physical death certificate ($68 standard, $101 priority) takes several weeks to arrive; the registration number is usually available much sooner.

What the ADNS Does Not Cover

The ADNS is a notification tool, not an administration tool. Telling a bank about a death and actually accessing the deceased's accounts are two separate processes. After you notify an institution, they will initiate their own procedures — sending you forms, requesting a copy of the death certificate or probate grant, and eventually closing or transferring accounts.

Several important notification tasks also fall outside the ADNS entirely:

NSW-specific agencies — Transport for NSW (driver's licence, vehicle registration), NSW Electoral Commission (electoral roll removal), Revenue NSW, and local councils (rates, pensioner concessions) must be notified directly.

State and territory courts — If the deceased was involved in ongoing legal proceedings, those require direct notification to the relevant court.

Professional registrations — If the deceased held a professional licence (medical, legal, trade), the relevant registration board requires direct notification.

Employer and superannuation administrator — While super funds participate in the ADNS, the deceased's employer (for final pay, unused leave, and group life insurance through the employer) needs a separate direct notification.

Electoral commission — Remove the deceased from the electoral roll by contacting the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) at aec.gov.au or calling 13 23 26.

Medicare — Although Services Australia participates in ADNS, you should also call Medicare directly (132 011) to request removal of the deceased from any shared Medicare card, as this is a separate administrative step.

Toll accounts — E-Toll (NSW) and Linkt accounts must be notified and closed directly. The ADNS does not cover toll operators.

The NSW Notification Checklist: Who to Contact and When

Beyond the ADNS, here is a practical checklist of agencies and organisations that NSW families need to contact directly, grouped by urgency.

Within 48 Hours

• Centrelink (132 300) — Stop the deceased's payments immediately. Overpayments become estate debts that Centrelink will recover. If the surviving partner receives Centrelink benefits, notify them at the same time to begin the bereavement payment assessment.
• Employer — Notify the deceased's employer to stop wages and trigger calculations for final pay, unused annual and long service leave entitlements, and any death benefit under an employer-sponsored life insurance policy.
• icare/SIRA (13 77 22) — If the death was work-related. Failure to notify within 48 hours can complicate or delay the family's access to workers' compensation death benefits.

Within One Week

• NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages — The funeral director typically handles death registration, but confirm it has been lodged and apply for death certificates promptly. Allow up to four weeks for standard certificates.
• Australian Death Notification Service — Once you have the registration number, complete the ADNS session to notify banks, super funds, and other participating organisations.
• Private health insurer — Notify to stop premiums on the deceased's policy. A surviving spouse transferring from a joint policy to a single policy does not need to re-serve hospital waiting periods provided cover is continuous.
• Life insurance providers — Notify to initiate any claims process. You will need the policy document, the death certificate, and typically a completed claim form.

Within One Month

• Australian Taxation Office (via myGov or phone 13 28 61) — Notify the ATO of the death. The estate will need to lodge a "date of death" tax return for the period from 1 July to the date of death.
• Transport for NSW — Cancel the deceased's driver's licence and transfer or cancel vehicle registration as needed. Eligible joint vehicle owners may transfer without stamp duty.
• Electoral commissions — Australian Electoral Commission plus NSW Electoral Commission for state rolls.
• Local council — Cancel or transfer pensioner concessions on rates and water charges.
• Loyalty programs — Frequent flyer accounts (Qantas, Velocity), hotel and retailer loyalty programs.
• Subscriptions and digital services — Netflix, Spotify, newspapers, and any recurring digital subscriptions.

As Part of Formal Estate Administration

• NSW Land Registry Services — If real property needs to be transferred or a transmission application filed.
• Share registries — Computershare, Link Market Services, and others if the deceased held shares directly (not through a super fund or managed fund).
• Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) — If the deceased was a veteran or received DVA payments, notify DVA and ask about surviving family entitlements.
• ASIC — If the deceased held Australian Financial Services licences or was a company director.

How Long Does the Full Process Take in NSW?

The ADNS session itself takes 20 to 40 minutes. But the administrative process that follows — providing evidence, completing forms, waiting for asset releases — stretches over months. In NSW, the bottleneck is usually the death certificate, which takes two to four weeks for standard processing and two to three weeks on priority. Banks cannot release assets or formally close accounts until they receive certified copies.

Plan for a minimum of three to four months from death to full estate closure in a straightforward case, and six to twelve months for estates involving real property or superannuation disputes.

For a complete chronological roadmap — including which NSW agencies to contact in what order, how to use the ADNS alongside direct notification tasks, and what documents each institution requires — see the New South Wales Survivor Benefits Navigator. The guide covers the full six-phase administration process from the first 48 hours through to final distribution.

See more New South Wales guides →