When someone close to you dies, the practical to-do list is long, and some items carry hard deadlines. What to do when someone dies breaks into three phases: handle the body and immediate paperwork in the first day or two, order plenty of certified death certificates and work through a notification list over the following weeks, then move into probate, taxes, and asset transfers over the months after that. The checklist below walks each phase in the order you’ll face it.
The First Day
If the death happens at home and was unexpected, call 911. Paramedics or a physician must formally pronounce the death before the body can be moved. When the person was in hospice, the hospice nurse handles the pronouncement and guides you from there. In a hospital or nursing facility, staff take care of it automatically.
Before the body is transported, ask about organ and tissue donation. Hospitals and medical examiners typically contact the local Organ Procurement Organization, which checks the state donor registry and the deceased’s driver’s license. If the person wasn’t registered, the OPO will ask the next of kin, so have that conversation early.1organdonor.gov. Donation After Life
Choose a funeral home; they will arrange transportation. Call close family. If the deceased lived alone, secure the home: lock up, remove visible valuables, put lights on timers. Locate any will, trust documents, or prepaid funeral plans right away, since they affect nearly every decision you make in the days ahead.
Getting Certified Death Certificates
A certified death certificate is the key that unlocks almost every administrative task to come. Banks, insurers, courts, and government agencies all require one, and most want an original certified copy rather than a photocopy.
The funeral director typically prepares the certificate, pulling personal details from the family and medical certification from the attending physician or coroner, and files it with the state’s vital records office. To get certified copies, apply through the vital records office or county clerk in the state where the death occurred. You’ll need the deceased’s full name, date of death, and Social Security number, plus proof of your own identity and relationship. Copies run roughly $10 to $30 each, often with a discount for ordering several at once.
Order more than you think you’ll need. Between life insurance claims, bank and brokerage accounts, probate court, real estate transfers, and the motor vehicle department, a typical estate can burn through five or more. Processing usually takes two to four weeks, so ordering extras upfront saves time later.
Funeral Costs and Your Rights
Funeral expenses are usually the first big bill a family faces. The most recent national data puts the median funeral with a viewing and burial at about $8,300, and a funeral with cremation at around $6,280.2National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA). 2023 NFDA General Price List Study Shows Inflation Increasing Faster than the Cost of a Funeral Those figures don’t include cemetery plots, headstones, or flowers.
The FTC Funeral Rule
Federal law gives you more control over costs than many families realize. The FTC’s Funeral Rule requires every funeral home to hand you a written, itemized General Price List the moment you ask about goods, services, or prices, free of charge, and you can take it home.3Federal Trade Commission. The FTC Funeral Rule You have the right to buy only the items you want. A funeral home cannot force you into a package or require one item as a condition of getting another, with the sole exception of a basic services fee that every arrangement includes.4Federal Trade Commission. Complying with the Funeral Rule You can supply your own casket or urn, skip embalming if the law and your plans don’t require it, and decline any add-on.
Veterans’ Burial Benefits
If the deceased served with an honorable discharge, the VA provides burial benefits that can offset a significant share of costs. For a service-related death, the maximum burial allowance is $2,000. For a non-service-connected death on or after October 1, 2025, the VA pays up to $1,002 for burial expenses, another $1,002 for a plot, and up to $441 toward a headstone or marker.5Veterans Affairs. Veterans Burial Allowance and Transportation Benefits The VA may also reimburse the cost of transporting remains to a national cemetery. To establish eligibility, you’ll need the veteran’s DD Form 214 or other discharge paperwork.6Military OneSource. Military Funeral Honors Eligibility
Who to Notify
Once death certificates are in hand, work through this list. Some notifications are time-sensitive; others simply prevent problems from compounding.
Social Security
Social Security does not pay benefits for the month in which the person died. If the person died in July, the payment received in August (covering July) must be returned.7USAGov. Report the Death of a Social Security or Medicare Beneficiary Funeral homes generally report the death to the SSA, but don’t assume it happened. Confirm by calling 1-800-772-1213.8Social Security Administration. What to Do When Someone Dies
The IRS
If you’re the executor or administrator, file IRS Form 56 to establish your fiduciary relationship with the IRS. This ensures tax notices come to you rather than to the deceased’s old address. Attach your letters testamentary or court certificate as proof of appointment.9Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 56
Banks and Brokerages
Notify every bank, credit union, and brokerage where the deceased held accounts. Bring a certified death certificate, Social Security number, and account numbers if you have them. Banks typically freeze individual accounts once notified, releasing funds only to the executor or administrator with proper court documentation. Joint accounts with a surviving co-owner generally remain accessible to that co-owner.
Insurers
Contact life, health, auto, and homeowner’s insurers. Life insurance claims require a certified death certificate and the insurer’s claim form. Health insurance needs quick attention, both to stop premiums and to understand coverage for surviving dependents. Keep homeowner’s or renter’s insurance active on any property the estate still owns.
The Deceased’s Employer
If the person was employed at death, contact the employer’s HR department about unpaid wages, accrued vacation, group life insurance, and retirement plan balances. The plan administrator can walk beneficiaries through claiming 401(k) or pension benefits and explain whether a lump sum or annuity payments are available.10Internal Revenue Service. Retirement Topics – Death
Utilities and Subscriptions
Cancel or transfer electricity, gas, water, internet, phone, and subscription services. Check bank and credit card statements for recurring charges that are easy to miss, like streaming or gym memberships. Each one left running bleeds the estate.
Benefits Survivors Can Claim
Social Security Survivor Benefits
Beyond stopping the deceased’s own payments, Social Security pays benefits that surviving family members often overlook. A surviving spouse can receive a one-time lump-sum death payment of $255 and must apply within two years.11Social Security Administration. Lump-Sum Death Payment If no surviving spouse exists, certain children may qualify instead.
Monthly survivor benefits are more substantial. A surviving spouse at full retirement age receives 100% of the deceased worker’s benefit; a younger spouse receives a reduced percentage based on age; a spouse caring for the deceased’s child under 16 gets 75%, and each eligible child also receives 75%. A divorced spouse can qualify if the marriage lasted at least 10 years.12Social Security Administration. Survivors Benefits These benefits are not automatic. The survivor must apply.
COBRA for Surviving Dependents
When the person who carried the family’s health insurance through an employer dies, the surviving spouse and dependent children don’t lose coverage immediately. Federal COBRA law treats the death of a covered employee as a qualifying event, giving dependents the right to continue the same group plan for up to 36 months.13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 USC Chapter 18, Part 6 – Continuation Coverage The catch is cost: you’ll pay the full premium (the employee share plus what the employer used to cover), often plus a 2% administrative fee.
Timing is critical. Dependents have 60 days from the later of the qualifying event or the date they receive the COBRA election notice to opt in.14CMS. COBRA Continuation Coverage Questions and Answers Miss the window and you lose the option. Compare COBRA against marketplace plans before electing, since losing employer coverage is also a qualifying life event that opens a special enrollment period on the health insurance exchange.
Documents to Gather
Estate settlement runs on paperwork. Pulling everything together early saves weeks of back-and-forth. You’ll want:
- Will and trust documents, which govern how assets are distributed and who has authority to act
- Real estate deeds and vehicle titles, needed to transfer ownership
- Financial statements for bank and brokerage accounts, retirement plans, and any outstanding loan balances
- Life insurance policies, both individual and any group coverage through an employer
- At least two to three years of federal and state tax returns, to help file the final return and spot income sources
- Outstanding debts: credit cards, mortgage, medical bills, personal loans
- Digital account credentials, including email, cloud storage, cryptocurrency wallets, and online banking
Check the filing cabinet, safe deposit box, email inbox, and mail. Bills and statements that arrive in the weeks after death often reveal accounts nobody knew about.
Assets That Skip Probate
Not everything the deceased owned goes through probate, and this is where families sometimes leave money on the table. Several categories pass directly to a named beneficiary or surviving co-owner, bypassing the court entirely:
- Retirement accounts (401(k)s, IRAs, 403(b)s, pensions) with a named beneficiary go straight to that person once the plan administrator receives a death certificate
- Life insurance proceeds go directly to the named beneficiary upon filing a claim
- Payable-on-death (POD) bank accounts transfer to the named beneficiary with a death certificate
- Transfer-on-death (TOD) securities and brokerage accounts transfer automatically
- Jointly owned property held in joint tenancy with right of survivorship passes to the surviving owner, who typically just files a death certificate and an affidavit to clear title
- Real estate with a transfer-on-death deed, where state law allows one, passes to the named beneficiary without probate
Identifying these assets early matters because they’re often the fastest source of funds for a surviving spouse or family, and they don’t need executor approval or court involvement. One important caveat: if a beneficiary designation is outdated (naming an ex-spouse, or someone who died first), the asset may end up in probate anyway or go to someone the deceased didn’t intend.
The Probate Process
Probate is the court-supervised process of validating the will, paying debts, and distributing whatever assets don’t pass automatically. The specifics vary by state, but the broad strokes are consistent.
With a Will
The person named as executor files the will with the local probate court and petitions for authority to act. The court issues letters testamentary, which serve as the executor’s legal proof of authority to collect assets, pay debts, and distribute property. The executor typically opens a dedicated estate bank account to keep estate money separate from personal money.
Without a Will
If the deceased left no will, the estate is intestate and state law dictates who inherits. The court appoints an administrator (usually the surviving spouse or closest relative) and issues letters of administration, which function the same as letters testamentary. Intestate succession follows a rigid hierarchy: a surviving spouse and children generally take priority, followed by parents, siblings, and more distant relatives. The exact split varies by state. Without a will, the deceased’s wishes are irrelevant to how the court divides property.
Small Estate Shortcuts
Most states offer a simplified procedure for smaller estates. If total probate assets fall below your state’s threshold, beneficiaries may be able to claim property using a small estate affidavit instead of opening a formal probate case. The affidavit is signed before a notary and presented to whoever holds the asset, along with a death certificate, and the asset is released without court involvement. The process is faster and cheaper, but it usually can’t be used for real estate, and there’s typically a waiting period of at least 30 days after the death before you can file.
Notice to Creditors
One of the executor’s first duties after receiving letters testamentary is publishing a notice to creditors in a local newspaper. The formal announcement gives creditors a limited window to submit claims against the estate. Any creditor who misses the deadline is generally barred from collecting. Requirements and claims periods vary by state. Skipping this step can leave the executor personally liable for distributing assets before legitimate creditors had a chance to collect.
Tax Returns the Executor Files
Death doesn’t cancel anyone’s obligation to the IRS. Three distinct filings may be required, and the executor is responsible for all of them.
Final Form 1040
A final individual return covers income the deceased earned from January 1 through the date of death. The deadline is the same as any individual return: April 15 of the year after death. If a refund is due, the person claiming it files Form 1310 along with the return.15Internal Revenue Service. File the Final Income Tax Returns of a Deceased Person
Estate Income Tax (Form 1041)
If the estate itself earns income after the date of death (interest, dividends, rent), the executor must file Form 1041 for any tax year in which the estate’s gross income reaches $600 or more.16Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 1041 and Schedules A, B, G, J, and K-1 It’s a separate return from the deceased’s final 1040 and covers income the estate earns as an entity.
Federal Estate Tax (Form 706)
For deaths in 2026, a federal estate tax return is required only if the gross estate exceeds $15,000,000.17Internal Revenue Service. Frequently Asked Questions on Estate Taxes The threshold was raised significantly by the One, Big, Beautiful Bill signed in 2025, so most estates will not owe federal estate tax.18Internal Revenue Service. What’s New – Estate and Gift Tax Some states impose their own estate or inheritance taxes at much lower thresholds, so check your state’s rules separately.
Flagging the Credit Report
Identity theft against deceased individuals is a real problem. Criminals monitor obituaries and public records to apply for credit using a dead person’s Social Security number, sometimes before the family realizes it.
Report the death to one of the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion), and that bureau will notify the other two. Send a letter with a copy of the death certificate, the deceased’s full legal name, Social Security number, date of birth, and date of death. The bureau will flag the credit report as deceased, which blocks most new credit applications.19USAGov. Agencies to Notify When Someone Dies Do this as early as possible. The gap between the death and the flag is when fraud is most likely.
Mail and Digital Accounts
Digital accounts don’t disappear when someone dies, and leaving them unattended creates both security risks and emotional complications. Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram offer the option to memorialize an account, which freezes it as a tribute page and prevents anyone from logging in. Other platforms let a designated legacy contact download data or close the account. Close email accounts once you’ve reviewed them for financial correspondence, subscription renewals, and any accounts linked to that email.
For physical mail, USPS allows the executor or administrator to forward the deceased’s mail. If you lived at the same address, manage incoming mail as it arrives. If your address is different, you’ll need to go to a Post Office in person with your letters testamentary or letters of administration. A death certificate alone isn’t enough to redirect someone else’s mail.20USPS. How to Stop or Forward Mail for the Deceased Forward the mail early. Estate correspondence, bills from creditors you didn’t know about, and tax documents will keep arriving for months.