What to Do When Someone Dies: A Complete Checklist

What to Do Immediately After Someone Dies

Get a Legal Pronouncement of Death

A medical professional at the hospital, nursing home or health care facility will handle this. If your loved one died at home under hospice care, call the hospice coordinator. If they died at home without hospice care, call 911; paramedics will determine the next steps for getting the legal pronouncement of death.

Notify Family, Friends and Employers

Inform family members, close friends, clergy and your loved one's employer of the death. You can ease this burden a bit by asking people you've notified to pass the news on to others. Once you've notified these key people, you may want to share news of the death on social media.

Arrange Transport to a Funeral Home

If you or your loved one had a funeral home in mind, contact the funeral home and arrange to have your loved one's remains taken there. If you haven't selected a funeral home, medical professionals or emergency medical technicians can suggest transportation services to one nearby.

Arrange for Care of Dependents and Pets

Make sure that any dependents, such as children or pets, are taken care of. While specific future arrangements may be noted in a will or trust, focus on immediate safety and caretaking for now.

Locate Key Documents

The following documents can help you make funeral arrangements, secure your loved one's property, access benefits and begin administering the estate.

• Estate-related documents (will, trust, power of attorney, prepayment contract for funeral or cremation)
• Personal identification (Social Security card or number, driver's license, passport)
• Insurance policies (life, health, auto, disability, property and funeral insurance)
• Contact information (family and friends; professionals your loved one worked with such as doctors, attorneys, accountants or financial advisers; location of and keys to any safety deposit boxes)
• Usernames, passwords and PINs (for online accounts, cellphones, computers and devices)
• Family records (birth certificate, marriage license, divorce papers, prenuptial agreements, military service/discharge papers)
• Deeds or titles (real estate deeds, mortgage documents, promissory notes, vehicle titles/registrations)
• Financial account information (bank accounts, retirement accounts, investment/brokerage accounts, annuities, credit and debit card accounts)
• Financial records (pension plans, veterans benefits, Social Security benefits, tax returns, income and property tax statements, loan documents)

Secure Their Property

Burglars sometimes target homes of people who have died. If your loved one lived alone, make sure their home is secure. Secure vehicles and remove any valuables or store them in a safe place.

Mail or newspapers piling up outside a home can signal it's empty, attracting burglars. Contact the post office to have your family member's mail held at the post office or forwarded to your home or the home of the estate executor.

What to Do Within a Few Days of Someone's Death

Make Funeral Arrangements

If your loved one made burial arrangements in advance, contact the funeral home or mortuary to finalize the plan. If no advance arrangements were made, ask a trusted friend or family member to contact funeral homes and then visit them with you.

Order Multiple Copies of the Death Certificate

Death certificates must typically be prepared within three to 10 days after a death, depending on state law. You'll need certified copies of your loved one's death certificate for each financial account, benefit plan, insurance policy and piece of real estate they owned, as well as for courts and government agencies. Certified copies are available from the funeral home, mortuary or your state or county office of vital statistics. Start by getting 10 to 20 certified copies; you can order more later if necessary.

Be aware: In some states, only immediate family members or the executor of the estate can get certified copies of the death certificate. You may need to provide proof of your relationship to your loved one in order to get certified copies.

What to Do Within a Few Weeks of Someone's Death

Within 30 days, you'll need to begin the process of estate settlement, which varies depending on state law and the type of estate plans your family member left behind.

Begin the Probate Process if Required

Probate is a legal process for distributing property after someone passes away. If your loved one had a living trust, the estate generally does not have to go through probate. If your loved one did not have a will, or had a will but not a trust, visit your state courts' website to determine if the estate must go through probate. Laws vary from state to state.

If probate is required, the executor named in your loved one's will should file the appropriate documents with the court within the required time frame. If your loved one had a will, the probate court will validate it and authorize the executor to pay any debts and distribute assets. If your loved one did not have a will, the probate court will decide how to distribute the estate and appoint an administrator to carry out those decisions.

Tip: Many states allow for informal probate if the estate's value is under a certain amount or no one contests the will. You generally won't need a probate attorney in this situation, but you may want one if the will is complex, is contested or the estate cannot pay its debts.

Learn more: What Is Probate?

Notify and Close or Transfer Accounts

• Contact the Social Security Administration (SSA) to report your family member's death (you can also ask the funeral home to do this) and get information about survivor benefits.
• Notify one of the consumer credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion and Equifax). The SSA and your loved one's creditors will eventually notify credit bureaus of the death, but this can take time. To protect your loved one's identity from theft, report the death directly to a credit bureau as soon as possible to have a deceased alert placed on the file. That bureau will notify the others.
• Contact banks or financial institutions where your loved one had accounts to report their death and close their accounts or change the name in which accounts are held.
• If your loved one had an outstanding mortgage, contact the loan servicer to report their death and find out what you need to do to assume or pay off the mortgage.
• Contact any credit card companies that your family member had accounts with to report their death. Either cancel the credit cards or transfer joint accounts into the surviving account holder's name.
• Contact your state's motor vehicles department to report your family member's death and cancel their driver's license.
• Get copies of your family member's credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus. The credit report will give you a list of any credit accounts that have outstanding balances and may need to be paid.
• Cancel services and subscriptions your family member had (such as cable, cellphone, internet, streaming services and memberships).
• Contact any service providers (such as a gardener or cleaning service) to let them know what happened and cancel service or transfer it into your name.
• Cancel your loved one's social media accounts or turn their account into a memorial.

Tip: Consider waiting six months or so before contacting email providers to close your loved one's email account. Their email may reveal recurring bills, account statements, people who should be notified of their death or important documents to download.

Learn more: Can You Inherit Debt?

Handle Insurance and Benefits

• If your family member had a life insurance policy, contact the company to start the process of claiming life insurance payouts.
• If your loved one was a military veteran, contact the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to report their death, apply for burial or mortuary benefits, and learn about survivor benefits.
• If your family member was receiving a pension, contact the pension provider to report their death and learn about survivor benefits or final pension payments.
• If your loved one was employed, contact their employer to find out about final wages or other payments, any job-provided life insurance, and what happens to survivors' health insurance coverage.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Happens if You Die Without a Will?

If you die without a will (or intestate), a probate court typically determines who gets your assets. In most cases, a surviving spouse will inherit some of your assets, and children may inherit too, but this can vary depending on state laws regarding intestate succession. If you have no living heirs under your state's laws, your estate may pass to the state.

Can You Avoid Probate?

Setting up a living trust, transferring assets during your lifetime or designating a beneficiary for certain assets may help avoid probate. Having a will doesn't avoid probate, but can shorten the process. Formal probate is typically reserved for very large or complex estates. Depending on state law, estates under a certain size may qualify for accelerated probate.

Does Credit Card Debt Die With You?

When you die, debts are paid using assets from your estate, such as your bank account. However, loved ones may be responsible for your credit card debt if they were joint account holders or cosigned on the account. Your spouse or partner may be responsible if you live in a community property state. Your state attorney general's office can confirm what debts you need to pay. Avoid using the credit cards unless you're a joint account holder.

Get the Support You Need to Move Forward

Handling the administrative tasks involved with the loss of a loved one takes time and can feel overwhelming. Prioritizing urgent items, keeping detailed records and asking friends and family members for help can make this difficult time easier. Avoid making major financial decisions or life changes, such as selling the family home, until you've had time to process your loss.

Your religious community, your loved one's hospice coordinator, doctors or the funeral home may be able to recommend bereavement resources and support groups. Other resources for helping you and your family deal with your loss include:

• GriefShare
• Grieving.com
• National Alliance for Children's Grief
• National Widowers Organization
• Pathways Center for Grief and Loss
• Widowed Parent