How to Fill Out and Submit a Notification of Death Form

There is no single federal “notification of death form” that covers every agency. Each one has its own paperwork: Social Security uses Form SSA-721 (filed by the funeral director in most cases), the VA accepts a phone call or a mailed death certificate with the veteran’s DD214, the Office of Personnel Management uses SF 2800 or SF 3104 depending on the retirement system, the IRS uses Form 56 for the personal representative, and credit bureaus and banks accept a certified death certificate. For an American who dies overseas, the U.S. consulate prepares Form DS-2060, the Consular Report of Death Abroad, which functions as the death certificate for federal purposes.¹

Which forms you actually submit depends on what the deceased was receiving, where they worked, and your legal relationship to them. The sections below walk through each notification in the order most families need them.

What You’ll Need Before Filing Anything

Every form and every phone call asks for the same core facts about the deceased: full legal name, Social Security number, date of birth, and date of death.² Some agencies also want the place of death and, for veterans, the branch of service.

Certified copies of the death certificate are the single most important document. Banks, insurers, the VA, the IRS, and credit bureaus each want their own certified copy — a photocopy will not do. Most families need somewhere between 10 and 15. The cost per copy ranges roughly from $10 to $25 depending on the state.³ The funeral home can usually order them at the time of death, which is the easiest route; additional copies can later be requested from your state’s vital records office.

If you are acting as executor or personal representative, keep your letters testamentary or letters of administration on hand. Banks and government agencies will ask for proof of your legal authority before they release information or make changes to an account.

Social Security: Form SSA-721 and the Phone Report

Social Security does not accept death reports online. You report by phone at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. in most time zones, or in person at a local Social Security field office.⁴²

In most cases the funeral home handles this using Form SSA-721, the Statement of Death by Funeral Director. The form collects the deceased’s identifying information, the location of death, and whether there is a surviving spouse or any minor children. The funeral director signs it under penalty of perjury, certifying that they prepared the body for final disposition.⁵ If no funeral home is involved, you report the death yourself by calling SSA.

Reporting a death to Social Security also notifies Medicare, so no separate call to CMS is needed.⁴

Reporting a Death to the VA

If the deceased was a veteran receiving VA benefits, a phone call is the fastest way to stop payments. Call the VA and select option 5, or report in person at a VA regional office.⁶ Have the veteran’s full name, Social Security number or VA claim number, date of birth, date of death, and branch of service ready.

To report by mail, include copies of the death certificate and the veteran’s discharge document (DD214) and send them to:

Department of Veterans Affairs
Claims Intake Center
PO Box 4444
Janesville, WI 53547-4444⁶

Surviving spouses and dependents may qualify for VA survivor and burial benefits, and the VA can walk you through those applications once the death is reported.

Reporting a Death to OPM

If the deceased was a federal employee or retiree receiving a civil service pension, report the death to OPM’s Retirement Services by phone or through their online form. OPM provides separate online reporting links for retirees and for current employees.⁷

A surviving spouse applying for benefits completes Form SF 2800 under the Civil Service Retirement System, or Forms SF 3104 and SF 3104B under the Federal Employees Retirement System. Attach a copy of the death certificate and the marriage certificate, then mail everything to:

Office of Personnel Management
Retirement Operations Center
ATTENTION: Survivor Processing Section
Post Office Box 45
Boyers, Pennsylvania 16017-0045⁷

Notifying the IRS: Form 56

If you are the personal representative of the deceased’s estate, file IRS Form 56 to notify the IRS of your fiduciary relationship. The form establishes your authority to handle the deceased’s tax matters, including filing their final return.⁸ You will need the decedent’s Social Security number and your proof of authority — letters testamentary if there is a will, or letters of administration if there is not.⁹ File a separate Form 56 for each person whose affairs you are managing.

Notifying Credit Bureaus

Reporting the death to a credit bureau prevents identity thieves from opening new accounts in the deceased’s name. You only need to contact one of the three major bureaus (Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion); that bureau notifies the other two.¹⁰

To report to TransUnion by mail, send a certified copy of the death certificate along with the deceased’s full name, Social Security number, date of birth, and date of death to:

TransUnion
P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19016¹⁰

Notifying Banks and Financial Institutions

Each bank, brokerage, and insurer has its own form, but the documents they ask for are predictable: a valid government-issued ID for you, a certified copy of the death certificate, and proof of your authority to act on the account. What counts as proof depends on your role:

Joint account holder: your ID and a certified death certificate are usually enough.
Named beneficiary on a payable-on-death account: same, your ID and the death certificate.
Executor or administrator: letters testamentary or letters of administration in addition to the death certificate.
Successor trustee: the certificate of trust naming you as successor, plus the death certificate.

A power of attorney does not survive death. If you held POA for the deceased, that authority ended the moment they died, and you cannot use it to close accounts or move funds afterward.

When the Death Occurs Abroad

When an American citizen dies outside the United States, the local U.S. embassy or consulate prepares a Consular Report of Death Abroad (CRDA) using Form DS-2060.¹ The CRDA is the legal equivalent of a domestic death certificate and is accepted by Social Security and other federal agencies as official proof of death.¹¹

To request additional certified copies of a CRDA after the initial filing, complete a notarized Form DS-5542, include a photocopy of your valid photo ID, and mail it with a check or money order for $50 per copy (payable to “U.S. Department of State”) to:

U.S. Department of State
Passport Vital Records Section
44132 Mercure Cir.
PO Box 1213
Sterling, VA 20166-1213¹²

Standard first-class delivery takes one to two weeks at no extra charge. Expedited 1–3 day delivery adds $22.05.¹²

Returning the Final Social Security Payment

Social Security cannot pay benefits for the month in which a person dies. If the person died in July, the August payment (which covers July) must be returned.⁴ If the benefit arrived by direct deposit, contact the bank and ask it to return the funds to SSA. If a paper check arrived, do not cash it; return it to your local Social Security office.¹³

Failing to return an overpayment creates a debt. Under federal law, SSA can recover overpayments from the deceased’s estate, reduce benefits payable to others on the same earnings record, or pursue recovery through tax refund offsets.¹⁴

Mistakes That Delay the Process

The most frequent problem is not ordering enough certified death certificates at the start. Photocopies are almost never accepted, and each institution keeps the copy you submit. Running out mid-process means waiting days or weeks for your vital records office to send more. Order at least 10 up front.

Another common error is looking for an online form to report a death to Social Security. There is not one. Only phone and in-person reporting are accepted. Call 1-800-772-1213 or go to your local field office.

Families also sometimes delay returning the last Social Security payment, not realizing the check for the month of death must go back. The longer you wait, the more complicated recovery becomes. If the payment was direct-deposited, call the bank right away and ask that the funds be returned to SSA before anything else happens to the account.

Finally, skipping the credit bureaus leaves the deceased’s identity exposed. Identity theft targeting the deceased often goes undetected for months because no one is checking the credit reports. One call or letter to any of the three major bureaus covers all three.

When mailing forms and death certificates, use USPS Certified Mail with a return receipt so you have proof of delivery. Keep a short log of every agency and institution you have contacted: the date, the method, any confirmation number, and the name of anyone you spoke with. The notification process stretches over weeks and sometimes months, and that log is what keeps it from unraveling.

1
U.S. Department of State. Report of the Death of an American Citizen Abroad (DS-2060)
2
Social Security Administration. What to Do When Someone Dies
3
USAGov. Agencies to Notify When Someone Dies
4
USAGov. Report the Death of a Social Security or Medicare Beneficiary
5
Social Security Administration. SSA-721 – Statement of Death by Funeral Director
6
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. How to Report the Death of a Veteran to VA
7
U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Report of Death
8
Internal Revenue Service. About Form 56, Notice Concerning Fiduciary Relationship
9
Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 56 (12/2024)
10
TransUnion. Reporting a Death of a Loved One to TransUnion
11
eCFR. 20 CFR 404.720 – Evidence of a Person’s Death
12
U.S. Department of State. How to Request a Copy of a Consular Report of Death Abroad (CRDA)
13
Social Security Administration. How Social Security Can Help You When a Family Member Dies
14
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 U.S.C. 404 – Overpayment and Underpayment