Who to Notify When Someone Dies Checklist

When someone dies, the administrative burden hits before you have time to process the loss. Dozens of institutions need to be told — and the order matters, because some notifications trigger account freezes that affect your ability to handle the next ones. Most families discover this the hard way when a bank locks the deceased's sole account before they have paid the funeral home.

This checklist is organized by urgency and dependency — what to notify first so the dominoes fall in the right direction.

Before You Start: Get Certified Death Certificates

Order 15 to 20 certified copies of the death certificate from the funeral director or your county's vital records office. Most institutions require an original certified copy and will not return it. Photocopies are almost universally rejected by banks, insurers, and government agencies.

The funeral home typically handles the initial order. Additional copies can usually be requested from your state or county vital records office for $10 to $25 each, depending on the jurisdiction. In the UK, the registrar issues copies at the time of registration. In Australia, your state's Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages handles it. In Canada, the provincial vital statistics office is the source.

Order the copies early, but do not wait for them before contacting SSA or other organizations that can report or record the death without one. Ask each institution whether it needs a certified copy; some retain the copy they receive.

First 48 Hours

Social Security Administration (US): A funeral home usually reports the death. Call 1-800-772-1213 if it has not been reported, or to apply for survivor benefits. Benefits for the month of death and any later months are not due and must be returned if issued; survivor benefit applications cannot be done online.

Department for Work and Pensions (UK): Use the Tell Us Once service, which notifies multiple government departments with a single call or online report — including the passport office, HMRC, DVLA, and local council.

Service Canada: Call 1-800-277-9914 to report the death and stop CPP or OAS payments.

Centrelink (Australia): Call 132 300. If both partners were receiving an eligible payment, the surviving partner will be reassessed from the couple rate to the single rate. If eligible, the bereavement lump sum is usually the difference between those rates calculated over up to 14 weeks from the date of death; notify Centrelink promptly.

Employer or pension provider: If the deceased was still working or receiving an employer pension, notify HR immediately. Employer-sponsored life insurance claims often have time-sensitive filing windows.

First Week

Banks and financial institutions: Notify the deceased's banks. Joint accounts with rights of survivorship continue to function — the surviving spouse retains full access. But sole accounts will be frozen upon notification. Do not use saved credentials to access an account or move funds without authority. The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), 18 U.S.C. § 1030, addresses intentional access without authorization; whether a particular login violates it depends on the authority granted and circumstances.

If the family needs access to frozen funds for essential expenses, ask the bank about their estate services procedures, small estate affidavit options (available in most US states for estates under a threshold — often $50,000 to $75,000), or Payable-on-Death designations that may allow immediate beneficiary access.

Life insurance companies: File claims as soon as possible. Most policies pay within 30 to 60 days of receiving the death certificate and completed claim form. Check for policies through the employer, professional associations, mortgage lenders, and credit card companies — many people carry policies they forgot about.

Credit bureaus: Contact Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion to place a "deceased alert" on the credit file and request a credit freeze. This prevents post-mortem identity theft, which is more common than most families realize. Fraudulent accounts opened under a deceased person's Social Security number can take months to resolve.

First Month

Mortgage company or landlord: The mortgage does not disappear when someone dies. Notify the servicer to discuss options — assumption by the surviving spouse, refinancing, or sale. If the property is in both names with rights of survivorship, the surviving spouse can continue making payments while retitling the deed.

Utility companies: Transfer accounts into the surviving spouse's name. If the deceased was the sole account holder, some utilities will shut off service without a name change and proof of residency from the new responsible party.

Insurance policies beyond life: Auto insurance, homeowners/renters insurance, health insurance (including Medicare Part B and supplemental plans), and umbrella policies all need notification. The surviving spouse's premiums will likely change, and coverage adjustments may be needed — particularly if the deceased was the primary driver or the policyholder.

Vehicle registration and title: Contact your state DMV (or equivalent) about its process for retitling a jointly held vehicle; required forms vary and may include the title, a certified death certificate, and proof of survivorship. Sole-ownership vehicles may require probate.

Subscriptions, memberships, and recurring charges: Cancel gym memberships, streaming services, magazines, club dues, and any auto-renewing subscriptions. Check the deceased's bank and credit card statements for the prior three months to catch recurring charges that are not obvious.

One to Six Months

Probate court (if applicable): If the deceased left a will, the named executor files for Letters Testamentary. Without a will, an eligible heir petitions for Letters of Administration; the court appoints the administrator under state priority rules. This step grants legal authority to manage and distribute the estate's assets.

Tax authorities: In the US, a final joint return can be filed for the year of death. The estate may also need its own EIN (Employer Identification Number) from the IRS if it generates income during the probate period. Consult a CPA before the first filing deadline.

Property deeds and titles: Contact the county recorder about retitling real estate held in joint tenancy with rights of survivorship; the required forms vary by jurisdiction and may include an Affidavit of Survivorship and a certified death certificate. Sole-owned property generally goes through probate unless a beneficiary designation, trust, or state small-estate procedure provides another route.

Digital accounts: Under the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (adopted in most US states), a fiduciary's access depends on the authority the deceased granted in a will, trust, or platform legacy tool. Providers generally require proof of authority and a certified death certificate. Platforms like Google (Inactive Account Manager) and Apple (Digital Legacy) have specific processes.

This checklist covers the major notifications, but every situation has jurisdiction-specific variations. If you are helping an elderly parent through this process after their spouse's death, the Helping Your Elderly Parent After Their Spouse Dies guide includes a complete notification tracker worksheet, a creditor auto-pay tracker, and day-by-day triage checklists for the first month.