Services Australia Bereavement: What to Do After Someone Dies

If the person who died was receiving a Centrelink pension, JobSeeker, or any other government payment, notifying Services Australia is one of the most urgent tasks you'll face in the first week. Every day you delay, pension payments continue flowing into the deceased's bank account — and the estate will be required to repay every dollar of overpayment to the Commonwealth.

Here's exactly what to do, who to call, and what happens next.

Why Speed Matters

Services Australia does not automatically know when someone dies. If the deceased was receiving Age Pension, Disability Support Pension, Carer Payment, or any other income support payment, those payments continue on their regular schedule until someone formally notifies the agency. The estate becomes liable for every overpayment, and Services Australia will recover that debt before the estate distributes anything to beneficiaries.

How to Notify Services Australia

You have three options:

Phone the Bereavement Line: Call the dedicated Services Australia bereavement number at 132 300. You'll need the deceased's Customer Reference Number (CRN), full name, date of birth, and date of death. The agent will immediately stop future payments and begin processing the bereavement notification.

Visit a Service Centre: Bring the death certificate (or a funeral director's letter if the certificate hasn't arrived yet), the deceased's Centrelink card or CRN, and your own ID. The staff can process the notification on the spot.

Use the Australian Death Notification Service (ADNS): The ADNS is a free federal platform that lets you notify multiple government agencies and financial institutions simultaneously once you have the official death certificate. It covers Services Australia, the ATO, banks, and telecommunications providers. However, you can't use ADNS until the death certificate arrives — and that takes up to 10 business days in Queensland (2 days with the urgent processing option at an extra $33.30).

What Services Australia Checks After Notification

Once notified, Services Australia will:

• Stop all future payments to the deceased
• Calculate any bereavement payment the surviving partner may be entitled to (usually 14 weeks of continued payment at the couple rate while they transition to the single rate)
• Assess the surviving partner's own entitlements — if they were receiving a couples rate pension, their own payment will be recalculated
• Check for overpayments — if a pension was deposited after the date of death, the agency will raise a debt against the estate

Medicare and Private Health Insurance

Medicare is handled through the same Services Australia notification. The deceased's Medicare card should be returned or their name removed from a family card. If the deceased had private health insurance, contact the fund separately — they won't be notified through ADNS or the bereavement line.

Don't Forget the Tax File Number

The Australian Taxation Office needs to be notified separately. The executor must lodge a "Date of Death" tax return covering the period from the preceding 1 July to the date of death. After that, a separate Tax File Number is issued for the deceased estate, and annual trust tax returns are required for any income or capital gains the estate generates during the administration period. For the first three income years, concessional individual tax rates apply.

What Else to Notify in Queensland

Services Australia is the highest priority, but it's not the only agency. In the first week, you should also contact:

• Banks and financial institutions — to freeze accounts and prevent unauthorized withdrawals. Banks will generally release funds directly to a funeral director upon presentation of an itemized invoice, even from a frozen account.
• Department of Transport and Main Roads — to restrict the deceased's vehicle registration and prevent unauthorized renewal
• Utility providers and telecommunications — to cancel or transfer accounts
• Queensland Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages — the funeral director usually handles this, but confirm it's been done

For a complete notification tracker with every agency, required documents, and key deadlines specific to Queensland estates, the Queensland Estate Settlement Guide includes a printable worksheet that tracks every communication.

See more Queensland guides →