Who to Notify After a Death in Nova Scotia: A Complete Checklist

The paperwork that follows a death in Nova Scotia spreads across federal agencies, provincial departments, financial institutions, and a long tail of subscriptions and accounts. Missing a notification is not just an inconvenience — overpayments from government agencies must be repaid, and some benefit windows close if you wait too long. This is a practical list of who to contact, what each agency needs, and which document — Proof of Death or official Death Certificate — is sufficient.

Federal Government Agencies

Service Canada

Contact first. Service Canada handles CPP, OAS, and GIS — payments that are issued monthly and will continue until you notify them of the death. Any payment issued after the date of death must be returned to the government. The sooner you call, the less you will need to recover.

Call Service Canada at 1-800-277-9914 or visit an in-person office with the Proof of Death.

At the same time, apply for:

CPP Death Benefit: A one-time lump sum of up to $2,500 to the estate (form ISP1200; recommended within 60 days of death).

CPP Survivor's Pension: Up to $803.54/month if the surviving spouse is under 65, or $904.59/month at 65 and older (2026 rates). Apply promptly — the benefit is not retroactive past the month following application.

CPP Children's Benefit: Up to $307.81/month per dependent child under 18 (or under 25 if in full-time education) (2026 rates).

Each is a separate application. None triggers automatically.

Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)

Notify CRA to:

• Cancel any benefit payments the deceased was receiving: Canada Child Benefit, GST/HST credit, Old Age Security
• Open an estate account (using the deceased's SIN as the base)
• File the Final T1 return

The Final T1 return covers January 1 of the year of death through the date of death. It is due April 30 of the following year, or 6 months after the date of death — whichever is later.

Before making any final distribution from the estate, the executor should obtain a Clearance Certificate from CRA confirming all taxes have been paid. This protects the executor personally from future CRA liability. If you distribute the estate before the Clearance Certificate arrives and a tax debt surfaces later, CRA can come after you.

Call CRA's estate enquiries line at 1-800-959-8281. The official Death Certificate is typically required for estate account registration and CRA correspondence.

Veterans Affairs Canada

If the deceased was a veteran or received VAC benefits, notify Veterans Affairs at 1-866-522-2122. Benefits must be cancelled, and survivors may be entitled to additional pension income or a Survivors' Death Benefit.

Once federal agencies are notified, the estate administration work begins in earnest. The Nova Scotia Estate Settlement Guide covers probate, tax filings, and final distribution in a single step-by-step reference.

Nova Scotia Provincial Agencies

MSI — Medical Services Insurance (Provincial Health Card)

To cancel the deceased's Nova Scotia health card:

By mail: Send a cover letter with the deceased's full name, date of birth, date of death, and health card number; include the original Proof of Death; include a copy of government-issued ID showing the deceased's identity. Mail to:

MSI Registration and Enquiry
PO Box 500
Halifax NS B3J 2S1

By phone: Call 1-800-563-8880 (toll-free within Nova Scotia) or 902-496-7008. A phone call is sufficient for the initial notification.

The Proof of Death from the funeral director is sufficient — the official Vital Statistics certificate is not required. Return the physical health card with the letter if it is available.

Access Nova Scotia — Driver's Licence and Vehicle Permits

Driver's licence: The deceased's driver's licence should be cancelled. Bring the original licence (or note that it cannot be located) to any Access Nova Scotia Service Centre along with the Proof of Death.

Vehicle registration and permits: If the deceased owned a vehicle, you have two options:

1. Transfer the vehicle to a beneficiary: The transfer fee is $13.20. Importantly, a beneficiary inheriting the vehicle from the estate is exempt from the provincial sales tax — but only if they complete a Sworn Statement for the Inheritance of a Used Motor Vehicle at the time of transfer. This exemption is lost if the transfer is not handled correctly, so confirm the form is completed at Access Nova Scotia.

2. Cancel the registration: If the vehicle is being sold or scrapped rather than transferred, cancel the registration. A pro-rated refund on unused registration fees may be available.

Bring the vehicle ownership documentation, the will or proof of executor authority, and the Proof of Death to Access Nova Scotia.

Financial Institutions

Banks and Credit Unions

Notify the deceased's financial institutions early. The bank will:

• Flag the accounts as deceased
• Suspend new transactions
• Accept the Proof of Death for initial notification

Bring: Proof of Death, your government-issued ID, and any documentation showing your legal authority (the will naming you as executor, or the court's Letters of Administration if probate is complete).

Executor access to funds: You will generally need a Grant of Probate before the bank releases solely-owned funds. Some banks will release funds directly to a funeral home to cover funeral costs — the funeral home must submit the invoice directly.

Joint accounts: If the deceased held a joint account with right of survivorship, those funds pass automatically to the surviving joint holder. The bank will require the Proof of Death to update the account; no probate is required for jointly-held accounts.

Canada Post — Mail Redirect

Redirect the deceased's mail to the executor's address. Apply online at canadapost.ca or at any Canada Post outlet. Missed correspondence from creditors or the CRA can cause real problems later — this step is easy to forget.

Insurance Policies

Life insurance: Contact the insurer directly. Named beneficiaries receive the payout outside the estate — no probate required. The official Death Certificate (not just the Proof of Death) is typically required to process the claim.

Home insurance: If the property is vacant during estate administration, standard homeowner's insurance may not apply. Ask the insurer about vacant property coverage and arrange it promptly.

Vehicle insurance: Notify the insurer. Coverage may be reduced or cancelled while the estate settles ownership.

Digital Accounts and Subscriptions

Email and Social Media

There is no legal obligation to close digital accounts, but leaving them open creates ongoing subscription charges and potential security risks.

Facebook: Can be memorialized or fully deleted. Request through Facebook's Special Request process; the Proof of Death is typically sufficient.

LinkedIn: Submit a Deceased Member Removal request. A Proof of Death is required.

Email and subscriptions: Major email providers (Gmail, iCloud, Outlook) each have an account closure process for deceased users. For recurring charges — streaming services, software, memberships — review the last 2–3 months of bank and credit card statements and cancel each one. They continue billing until cancelled.

When to Use Proof of Death vs. Official Death Certificate

The funeral director's Proof of Death is sufficient for: MSI cancellation, Service Canada notifications, initial bank notifications, driver's licence cancellation, most subscription cancellations, and Facebook/social account requests.

The official Death Certificate from Vital Statistics Nova Scotia (Short Form $33.00; Long Form $39.90) is required for: property transfers, life insurance claims, CRA estate registration, foreign institutions, and probate filings.

Order at least four to five copies of the official Death Certificate upfront. It is far easier to order extras at the initial application than to submit a second request weeks later when the estate is mid-process.

For a full walkthrough of the estate administration process — from probate filing through to final distribution — the Nova Scotia Estate Settlement Guide covers every step with the current forms and fee amounts.

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