Who to Notify After a Death in Saskatchewan: Agency Checklist

Missing a notification after a death creates two problems: overpayments that the estate must repay, and benefits the family was entitled to but never claimed. Both are avoidable. This checklist covers every agency an executor in Saskatchewan needs to contact, what each agency needs from you, and which notifications must happen within a specific deadline.

Federal Government: Start Here

Service Canada — 1-800-O-Canada (1-800-622-6232)

This is the most time-sensitive call. Service Canada coordinates multiple federal programs simultaneously:

• Canada Pension Plan (CPP): Stop retirement or disability payments. If the deceased was not receiving CPP but was a contributor, apply for the CPP Death Benefit (up to $2,500 lump sum). If you are the surviving spouse, apply for the CPP Survivor's Pension at the same time.
• Old Age Security (OAS): Cancel OAS payments immediately. Any OAS or Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) payments received after the date of death must be returned. Do not cash any cheques dated after the death.
• Employment Insurance: If the deceased was receiving EI, notify Service Canada to stop payments.
• GST/HST Credit: Cancel the deceased's GST/HST credit payments.

You do not need an eHealth Saskatchewan death certificate for most Service Canada notifications — a funeral home statement of death is sufficient. However, Service Canada will request the SIN of the deceased and may ask for a death certificate for certain applications.

Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) — 1-800-959-8281

Notify the CRA of the death to:

• Cancel pre-authorized tax installments
• Request the "deceased" flag on the account to prevent identity fraud
• Begin the process of filing the terminal T1 tax return (you will also need a T3 Trust return if the estate generates income while being administered)

Do not distribute estate assets until you have applied for a Clearance Certificate from the CRA and received it. Distributing without a clearance certificate makes the executor personally liable for any of the deceased's outstanding taxes.

Provincial Government

Saskatchewan Health Authority / eHealth Saskatchewan — 1-800-667-7551

Notify eHealth Saskatchewan to cancel the deceased's Saskatchewan Health Card. This also triggers internal processes to flag the person as deceased in provincial health databases, preventing identity fraud and fraudulent healthcare billing in the deceased's name.

Ministry of Social Services

If the deceased was receiving income assistance (Saskatchewan Income Support / SIS or Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability / SAID), notify the ministry immediately. Also contact this office if the family requires financial assistance with funeral costs — the Saskatchewan Assistance Program (SAP) can reimburse funeral expenses for eligible families, but applications must be submitted within three months of burial.

Saskatchewan Blue Cross

If the deceased was enrolled in a provincial or employer group benefits plan administered through Saskatchewan Blue Cross, cancel the membership to stop premiums and submit any outstanding claims.

SGI (Saskatchewan Government Insurance)

Vehicle plate insurance and driver's licence — contact a Motor Licence Issuer

Under Saskatchewan law, vehicle plate insurance must be transferred or cancelled within 60 days of the registered owner's death. This is a hard deadline — failure to meet it can leave the estate exposed if the vehicle is involved in an accident while technically uninsured.

To cancel or transfer the plate insurance, take the following to a local Motor Licence Issuer:

• The death certificate (a funeral home statement may be accepted)
• The deceased's driver's licence (to be surrendered)
• The vehicle registration documents

SGI vehicle registration: If the vehicle is being transferred to a beneficiary as a gift within the immediate family, it may be exempt from Provincial Sales Tax (PST) provided the vehicle had PST paid on it at least once previously. Confirm the exemption applies before the transfer is completed.

Banks and Financial Institutions

Contact the branch manager directly, not a general customer service line. Bring:

• The death certificate (or funeral home statement for initial contact)
• A copy of the will, if one exists
• Your identification and your relationship to the deceased

Banks have internal policies for releasing funds from accounts of deceased customers. Most will pay funeral invoices directly from a sole-owner account upon presentation of the invoice, even before probate — this is a common industry practice to prevent families from being unable to pay for essential funeral services. For sole-owner accounts above $25,000 where no probate is yet granted, banks will typically require formal Letters Probate before releasing funds.

Notify every institution where the deceased held accounts, loans, credit cards, or investment accounts.

Insurance Companies

Contact each life insurance provider separately. If the policy has a named beneficiary, the payout goes directly to that person and does not form part of the estate. You will need:

• The original policy (or policy number)
• A certified copy of the death certificate from eHealth Saskatchewan

Check for:

• Personal life insurance policies
• Group life insurance through an employer
• Mortgage life insurance
• Critical illness policies

Pensions and Benefits

• Saskatchewan Pension Plan (SPP): 1-800-667-7153. The SPP account will pay out to the named beneficiary or estate; surviving spouses can often roll the funds tax-free into their own RRSP or RRIF.
• Federal public service pensions (PSPC, RCMP, military): Contact the relevant pension office directly.
• Provincial and municipal employer pensions: Contact the HR or pension department of the employer.

Other Notifications

• Canada Post: Complete a mail forwarding request to the executor's address to catch any cheques, statements, or notices sent to the deceased.
• Canada's anti-spam / DMARC systems: Notify the Deceased Do Not Contact registry (managed by the Canadian Marketing Association) to reduce junk mail to the estate.
• Professional associations and licences: Cancel memberships in professional bodies (law society, medical college, trade licences) to avoid ongoing fees.
• Electoral roll: Contact Elections Canada to remove the deceased from the federal voters list.
• Municipal property tax: If the deceased was receiving a seniors' property tax assistance or homeowners grant, notify the municipality.

Protecting Against Identity Theft

Notify the two Canadian credit bureaus — Equifax (1-800-465-7166) and TransUnion (1-800-663-9980) — of the death. Ask each bureau to place a deceased flag on the credit file. This prevents anyone from opening new credit in the deceased's name.

The Saskatchewan Estate Settlement Guide includes a fillable notification tracker with phone numbers, what documents each agency requires, and a log for recording confirmation numbers and dates of contact.

See more Saskatchewan guides →