New Zealand Bereavement Payment Checklist: First 30 Days After a Death

The first month after a death in New Zealand is defined by competing deadlines. Grief doesn't pause for government forms, but the system doesn't wait either. Missing the 28-day window to transition a partner's NZ Super, failing to notify Work and Income before payments keep arriving, or paying a funeral bill before checking grant eligibility — each of these mistakes costs money that families rarely recover.

This checklist works through the first 30 days in chronological order. It is not a summary of what might apply — it is a sequenced action plan designed to prevent the mistakes that create financial damage.

Days 1–3: Register the Death and Secure Certificates

Register the death with Births, Deaths and Marriages (BDM). If you used a funeral director, they carry the statutory obligation to register the death on your behalf. If you arranged the funeral independently, you must complete BDM Form 28 and post it within three working days of burial or cremation. Missing this deadline prevents any death certificate from being issued, which stops every downstream step cold.

Order at least five certified death certificates. The standard death certificate costs $35 per copy from the BDM Online Portal. Banks, KiwiSaver providers, ACC, Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), and Inland Revenue each require their own certified copy. The cheaper $26 printout is rejected by most institutions. Over-order now rather than wait weeks for reorders later.

Use myTrove to notify multiple agencies at once. The free myTrove Notify portal sends a single notification to Inland Revenue, the Department of Internal Affairs, and ACC simultaneously. Do this within 48 hours of the death. It stops overpayments to the deceased, cancels their passport to prevent identity fraud, and triggers the ACC survivor benefit assessment process.

Days 4–7: Notify Work and Income and Determine Your Benefits Route

Contact Work and Income immediately if the deceased received NZ Super or Veteran's Pension. NZ Superannuation payments to the deceased can continue for up to 28 days after death — but only if you formally request the extension. Any payment beyond this window without authorization becomes a statutory debt recovered from the estate. Contact Work and Income on day four at the latest.

Determine whether ACC is your primary benefits channel. This is the most important decision in the first week. If the death resulted from an accident — motor vehicle, workplace injury, medical misadventure, or criminal act — ACC is the primary payer, not Work and Income. ACC benefits are substantially more generous and are not subject to asset testing. A surviving spouse can receive the ACC Funeral Grant (up to $7,990.30), the Survivor's Grant ($8,566.62 for a spouse), and weekly compensation of up to 80% of the deceased's earnings. Applying to Work and Income first when ACC should apply can create overpayment complications later.

Do not pay the funeral invoice before checking grant eligibility. Both ACC and Work and Income provide funeral grants. The Work and Income Funeral Grant (maximum $2,697.43) is specifically for estates that cannot cover the funeral cost themselves — paying the bill first from personal funds may disqualify you. Submit an itemized funeral invoice to ACC or Work and Income before any payment is made.

Week 2: Triage the Estate and Unlock Funds

Identify all financial accounts and check each against the $40,000 threshold. Under section 65 of the Administration Act 1969, if a financial institution holds $40,000 or less in the deceased's sole name, that institution can release the funds via a statutory declaration — without a High Court probate grant. Make a complete list of every bank, KiwiSaver provider, and investment account. Check the balance at each institution separately. A combined estate of $120,000 spread across three accounts may still qualify for informal administration if no single institution holds more than $40,000.

Important limit: This $40,000 threshold applies to banks and KiwiSaver. Company shares, debentures, and government bonds remain capped at the legacy $15,000 limit. Real property in the deceased's sole name requires probate regardless of its value.

Approach each bank with the death certificate and original will. Banks freeze the deceased's sole accounts on notification of death. Present the certified death certificate, original will, and your identity documents. For balances under $40,000, ask specifically about the informal administration process under section 65 and request the statutory declaration form. Joint accounts with survivorship rights transfer automatically without formal process.

Engage a solicitor if any institution holds more than $40,000. A Grant of Probate costs $269 to file with the High Court (Wellington registry) and takes approximately 15 working days to process. If probate is required, the sooner the application is lodged, the sooner accounts are unfrozen.

Week 3–4: Property, Pension, and Ongoing Support

Update the property title if the home was held as joint tenants. Joint tenancy means the surviving owner automatically holds full title by the principle of survivorship — but LINZ still shows both names on the record of title. A conveyancer must lodge a Transmission by Survivorship. This does not require probate, but it requires the certified death certificate, an Authority and Instruction (A&I) form, and a statutory declaration. Expect the conveyancer to charge several hundred dollars for this service.

Update your NZ Super to the Single, Living Alone rate. If you were previously receiving New Zealand Superannuation at the partnered rate, the rate for a single person living alone is $1,110.30 per fortnight as of 2026. This increase is not applied automatically — you must notify Work and Income. Some surviving spouses lose weeks of higher payments simply because they were not aware the change was theirs to request.

Apply for the council rates rebate. Territorial authorities offer a rates rebate of up to $830 per year for low-income homeowners. For SuperGold cardholders, the income threshold extends to $46,400 per year. As a surviving spouse transitioning to a single income, this rebate may now apply where it did not before. Contact your local council — applications typically reset in July each year.

File ACC survivor benefit claims if not already lodged. Dependent children of an accidental death victim receive a per-child Survivor's Grant ($4,283.32 per child under 18) and childcare payments — $182.17 per week for one child, $218.60 for two, $255.03 for three or more. These payments continue for five years or until the child turns 14. These are separate claims from the funeral grant and must be applied for individually.

What Every Step Has in Common

Each of the above steps requires a certified death certificate, photographic identification, and often a statutory declaration. The New Zealand system does not have a centralized "tell us once" service that spans all agencies and financial institutions. You will be submitting the same documents to multiple bodies, often repeatedly.

Getting the documents organized before starting any calls — and understanding exactly which benefit channel applies to your situation — is the difference between weeks of smooth progress and months of administrative stagnation.

The New Zealand Survivor Benefits Navigator provides step-by-step instructions for each of these actions, including statutory declaration templates, bank release letter guides, and the exact language to use when transitioning NZ Super. It covers every phase from the first 72 hours through estate closure.

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