Connecticut Funeral Planning Checklist: What to Do After Someone Dies

Most families have never done this before. You're grieving, sleep-deprived, and suddenly responsible for dozens of decisions — permits, phone calls, financial accounts, legal filings — each with its own deadline. Missing one can cost the estate money or delay the funeral by days.

This checklist covers the major milestones, roughly in the order they need to happen.

First 72 Hours: Immediate Actions

Determine who has legal authority. Connecticut law (C.G.S. § 45a-318) establishes a hierarchy for who controls funeral decisions: first, a person named in a written disposition agent designation; then the surviving spouse; then adult children; then parents; then siblings. Establish this clearly before contacting a funeral home — disputes about authority will delay everything.

Contact a licensed funeral director. Connecticut is one of a small number of states that legally requires a licensed funeral director's involvement for transporting remains and securing burial permits. You cannot transport the body yourself. Engage a funeral director promptly — they file the death certificate and begin the permit process.

Obtain the death certificate. The funeral director files the death certificate with the registrar of vital statistics in the municipality where the death occurred. Under Connecticut law, this must happen within five days (paper) or three days (electronic). The death certificate is the prerequisite for nearly everything that follows.

Order multiple certified copies. You will need certified copies for: probate court, bank accounts, life insurance claims, pension and retirement accounts, vehicle title transfers, and government benefit notifications. Each certified copy costs $20.00 from the town clerk or the state Department of Public Health Vital Records Office. Order 8 to 12 copies — ordering extras now costs less than ordering them piecemeal later.

If cremation is planned, understand the timeline. Connecticut mandates a 48-hour waiting period before cremation. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner must also issue a Form VS-47a cremation certificate ($150 fee) before the crematory can proceed. The funeral director handles this, but expect a minimum of two to three business days between death and cremation.

Week One: Decisions and Documentation

Select disposition method. Options in Connecticut include:

• Traditional burial (in a licensed cemetery)
• Flame cremation
• Alkaline hydrolysis (water cremation) — legal in Connecticut
• Green/natural burial in an appropriate cemetery

Note: Human composting (natural organic reduction) is not legal in Connecticut as of 2026.

Understand what you're required to buy. Under the FTC Funeral Rule, you may purchase only the individual goods and services you want. The only non-declinable charge is the Basic Services Fee, which covers the funeral director's essential professional services and permit coordination. Request the General Price List (GPL) at your first meeting — the funeral home is legally required to provide it.

Decide on embalming. Embalming is not legally required in Connecticut unless the body will be transported across state lines via common carrier, or the death involved a highly communicable disease. If you choose refrigeration instead of embalming, the funeral home must comply.

Notify Social Security. The funeral director may report the death to Social Security, but confirm this has happened. Any Social Security payment issued for the month of death must be returned if the person was not alive the entire month.

Notify other benefit agencies. Depending on the decedent's situation, this may include: the VA (if a veteran), Connecticut pension systems (SERS, TRS), employer HR, Medicare/Medicaid, life insurance carriers, and the Connecticut DMV.

Weeks Two to Six: Estate Administration

Determine if probate is required. Connecticut's small estate affidavit route (Form PC-212) is available if the total value of solely owned personal property does not exceed $40,000 AND the decedent owned no solely owned real estate. If the estate exceeds this threshold or includes real property in the decedent's name alone, full probate administration is required.

File with the appropriate Probate Court. Connecticut has multiple probate districts. File the Petition for Administration (Form PC-200) in the district court for the municipality where the decedent was domiciled at death.

Publish the creditor notice. Within 14 days of appointment, the Probate Court will ensure publication of a creditor notice in a newspaper of general circulation in the probate district. The 150-day creditor claims window begins from the date of appointment.

Address real estate. If the decedent owned real estate, Connecticut law automatically places an unrecorded lien on the property at the moment of death — to secure payment of estate taxes and probate fees. This lien must be formally released (via Form PC-205) before the property can be listed or sold. The release requires filing the CT-706NT estate tax return with the Probate Court.

The Six-Month Deadline You Cannot Miss

File Form CT-706NT within six months of death. Even if the estate owes zero estate tax (estates below $15 million are generally not taxable), the CT-706NT must still be filed with the Probate Court within exactly six months of the date of death. Missing this deadline triggers 0.5% monthly interest on the probate fee — compounding. This is one of the most common and costly administrative errors in Connecticut estate administration.

The Connecticut Funeral Laws & Consumer Rights Guide at /us/connecticut/funeral-law/ includes a printable 180-day countdown checklist that maps all statutory deadlines — from the 48-hour cremation waiting period through the six-month CT-706NT filing — so nothing falls through the cracks.

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