What to do When a Loved One Dies: A Checklist for Survivors
When your loved one dies, you might inherit the overwhelming responsibility of winding up their life. Aside from the funeral or memorial, there is much to attend to, including closing financial accounts, canceling recurring payments, and preparing the decedent's final tax return. Many of these tasks require focus and attention, which can add stress to an emotional time. Be kind to yourself. Don't try to handle everything alone if you don't have to. When people ask if they can help, take them up on their offer.
We've prepared the following checklist to help you navigate this challenging time. The first section suggests steps to take immediately after your loved one dies. The second section lists steps to take a bit later, although depending on the circumstances, you may want to prioritize a few of these steps, such as cancelling any autopayments on the decedent’s bank or credit card accounts.
As you review these tasks, consider which ones you can delegate and who can best handle them.
Immediately After Death
Arrange for organ donation if the person has made that wish known on their driver's license or advance directive. If so, the hospital where the person died should have someone on staff to guide you. If your loved one died at home, in hospice, or in a nursing home, contact the nearest hospital. There should be no cost for this process.
Contact immediate family
Bringing key family members together in person, by phone, or electronically (via mass email, Zoom, or similar service) enables them to comfort each other and participate in key decisions.
Honor the decedent's arrangement to donate their body to a medical school, if applicable. Review the decedent's advance directive, living will, or health proxy to see if a particular institution is designated. If the person didn't make arrangements, the family can donate the body, but must do so as soon as possible.
Consider funeral preparations
If possible, bring together key family members, particularly if the deceased left no instructions. Factors to consider:
What did the deceased want?
What can you afford?
What's realistic?
What will help the family most?
Choose a funeral home
Most people want funeral home staff to transport the body to its facility. If the deceased hasn't identified a specific mortuary or prepaid for funeral services, the choice will be up to the family. Researching and checking with people who have experience with different funeral homes is a good idea.
Notify close friends and extended family
Make a list of as many people as possible and find their contact information through email accounts and personal telephone books. Also, if necessary, contact the deceased's employer and the organizations the deceased belonged to.
Schedule a meeting with the funeral or memorial director
Use any instructions your loved one might have prepared and previous family discussions to help make decisions. Here are some important points to consider:
Will the body be embalmed or cremated?
Will there be a casket, and if so, will it be open or closed?
If the body is cremated, what will be done with the ashes?
Will they be scattered, kept in an urn, or interred?
Where is the burial site?
Are there any specific religious traditions to be followed?
Are there plans to make contributions to charities instead of giving flowers?
For veterans, ask about special arrangements and benefits that can help tailor the service. You can find details about options at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website (https://www.va.gov) or by calling Veterans Affairs at 1-800-827-1000 or your local veterans’ agency. Don't forget to inquire about survivor benefits.
Consider whether you need or want additional financial assistance for the funeral and burial. Help may be available from various sources, including a church, union, or fraternal organization to which the deceased belonged. You might contact the group and ask.
Enlist help for the funeral
You may need relatives and friends to serve as pallbearers, design the funeral program, prepare meals for a gathering after the funeral, take care of children or pets, or shop for any necessary items for the funeral or the deceased's household.
Make arrangements for a headstone
You can usually buy a headstone from the cemetery or from a vendor of your choice. Consult the cemetery about their rules, regulations, and specifications, such as color and size, especially if you choose an outside vendor.
Plan a post-funeral gathering
This could be called a repast or a wake, depending on your tradition. It can occur at a church, banquet hall, or someone's home. Enlist the help of friends and relatives to organize the gathering.
Inform others about the service
Once a date and time have been set for the service, share the details with your contacts. Include an address for sending cards, flowers, or donations. Make a list of well-wishers so that you can acknowledge them later.
Prepare an obituary
You can write the obituary, or the funeral home might offer the service. Avoid including sensitive personal details, such as the exact date of birth, which could be used by identity thieves.
Ethical Will
If the deceased left an ethical will - a letter sharing the person's values, life lessons, and hopes for the future - arrange to share it and consider printing it.
After the Funeral and Beyond
Death Certificates
Obtain duplicate death certificates, as you may need several certified copies to complete various tasks. You can request these from the vital statistics office in the state where the death occurred or from the city hall or local records office. Each certified record will cost around $10 or $20.
Thank-You Notes
Use the contact list you created earlier to send thank-you notes and acknowledgments. Consider delegating this task to a family member.
Notify Social Security
Usually, the funeral home notifies the Social Security Administration of the person's death. If not, contact the local Social Security office to inform them. If your loved one was receiving benefits, inquire about their surviving spouse's eligibility for increased personal benefits and a one-time payment of $255 to the survivor.
Medicare and Health Insurance
If the deceased was enrolled in Medicare, Social Security will inform the program of the death. You'll need to contact the Medicare Prescription Drug (Part D) provider, Medicare Supplement Plan provider, or Medicare Advantage plan provider to cancel the coverage.
Life Insurance
Notify life insurance companies and file appropriate claim forms if your loved one has life insurance. You will need to provide the policy numbers and a death certificate. If the deceased was listed as a beneficiary on a policy, arrange to have their name removed.
Other Insurance. Terminate other insurance policies such as homeowner's and automobile insurance. Contact the providers and provide a copy of the death certificate with the claim forms.
Meet with a probate attorney
The executor should choose the attorney. You can ask for recommendations from family and friends or conduct an online search. If the estate must be probated and there is a will, the executor is named in it, and the attorney will have the document admitted into probate court. If there isn't a will, the probate court judge will name an administrator instead of an executor. The probate process begins with an inventory of all assets (personal property, bank accounts, house, car, brokerage account, personal property, furniture, jewelry, etc.), which must be filed in the probate court.
Make a list of important bills, such as mortgage payments, and share the list with the executor or estate administrator to ensure bills are paid promptly.
Stop automatic payments from bank and credit card accounts as soon as possible to avoid having to submit refund requests.
Contact financial advisers, stockbrokers, etc., to determine the beneficiaries listed on these accounts. Depending on the type of asset, the beneficiary may gain access to the account or benefit by filling out appropriate forms and providing a copy of the death certificate. If there are complications, the executor may need to be involved.
Notify mortgage companies and banks
Each will require either an original or a copy of the death certificate. Change ownership of joint bank accounts if applicable. If the deceased had a safe deposit box, the executor may need a court order to open and inventory the box if the decedent's password or key is unavailable.
Close credit card accounts
Contact the customer service phone number for each account on the credit card, monthly statement, or issuer's website. Inform the agent that you would like to close the account of a deceased relative. If needed, submit a copy of the death certificate by fax, email, or registered mail with a return receipt requested. Keep records of the accounts you close and notify the estate executor about outstanding debts.
Notify credit reporting agencies by providing copies of the death certificate to Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion as soon as possible to flag the account and minimize the chance of identity theft.
Cancel the driver's license by contacting the state Department of Motor Vehicles and providing a copy of the death certificate to remove the deceased's name from the records and prevent identity theft.
Cancel the decedent’s passport
Submit the passport along with a certified copy of the death certificate and a letter requesting cancellation to the US Department of State, Consular Lost and Stolen Passport Unit (CLASP), 44132 Mercure Circle, P.O. Box 1227, Sterling, VA 20166-1227. The State Department will return the cancelled passport to you.
Close email and website accounts to avoid fraud or identity theft
Follow the procedures for each website, which may include providing a death certificate, proof of your identity or relationship to the deceased, and other detailed information.
Close streaming and app accounts and cancel the deceased’s cell phone plan, cable TV and other subscriptions.
Cancel memberships in organizations the deceased belonged to and find out how to handle their membership status and any special ceremonies that may be held.
Contact a tax preparer to file a final income tax and estate returns
Keep records for all individual and joint accounts that show the account balance on the day of death.
Documents and Records Needed to Complete This Checklist
Death certificates (maybe a dozen)
Deeds and titles to property
Automobile title and registration papers
Social Security card
Bank statements
Investment account statements
Honorable discharge papers for a veteran and/or VA claim number
Insurance policies
Recent income tax forms and W-2 forms
Loan and installment payment records and contracts
Digital asset records
Download the Checklist Here
