Figuring out who to notify when your spouse dies starts with the Social Security Administration and one of the three credit bureaus, then moves outward to other government agencies, banks and card issuers, insurers, your spouse’s employer, retirement plan administrators, the IRS, the probate court, title offices, and finally utilities and digital accounts. Each contact will ask for the same core document, so your very first step is ordering enough certified death certificates to go around.
Order Certified Death Certificates Before You Call Anyone
Almost every agency and company on the list below will ask for a certified copy of the death certificate. That is not the paper the funeral home gives you; it is an official version with a raised seal, issued by your county’s vital records office or state Department of Health. Order at least 10 to 15 copies. Each one runs roughly $10 to $30, and ordering extras up front is cheaper and faster than coming back later.
Pull together your spouse’s Social Security number, your marriage certificate, and any will or trust documents you can find. With those in hand, the rest of the calls go faster.
Social Security Administration
The funeral home usually reports the death to the Social Security Administration. If no funeral home is involved, or you are not sure the report was made, call SSA at 1-800-772-1213. 1Social Security Administration. What to Do When Someone Dies SSA does not accept death reports online. Any benefits your spouse was receiving will stop, and you must return any payment issued for the month of death.
Ask about the $255 lump-sum death payment while you are on the phone. It goes to a surviving spouse who was living with the deceased or who was already receiving benefits on the same earnings record, and you have to apply — it is not automatic.2Social Security Administration. Lump-Sum Death Payment If you may qualify for monthly survivor benefits, raise that in the same call. Payments can begin as early as age 60, or age 50 with a qualifying disability, and at any age if you are caring for your spouse’s child under 16 or disabled.3Social Security Administration. Who Can Get Survivor Benefits
You do not need to call Medicare separately. SSA notifies Medicare when you report the death.4Medicare.gov. Report a Death If premiums were deducted for months after the death, those are refunded.5eCFR. 42 CFR 408.112 – Refund of Excess Premiums After the Enrollee Dies
One Credit Bureau (Which Notifies the Others)
Do this early. Fraudsters monitor obituaries, and a deceased alert on the credit file is one of the strongest defenses against identity theft in your spouse’s name. You only need to contact one of Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion; that bureau notifies the other two.6USAGov. Agencies to Notify When Someone Dies Have the death certificate, Social Security number, date of birth, and date of death ready. Most bureaus accept notification online or by certified mail.
Other Government Agencies
Beyond Social Security, several agencies need to hear from you within the first few weeks.
- Department of Veterans Affairs. If your spouse received VA disability compensation, pension, or education benefits, call the VA as soon as you can. A phone call stops payments immediately and helps you avoid an overpayment debt the VA would later reclaim. Ask about burial and survivor benefits at the same time.7Veterans Affairs. How to Report the Death of a Veteran to VA
- State motor vehicles office. Cancel your spouse’s driver’s license or state ID. This blocks a common identity-theft vector. The same office handles vehicle title transfers.6USAGov. Agencies to Notify When Someone Dies
- U.S. Department of State. Mail your spouse’s passport in for cancellation. You can ask for it back after it is canceled.6USAGov. Agencies to Notify When Someone Dies
- State social services. Cancel any SNAP, Medicaid, TANF, or rental assistance your spouse received individually.
- Local election office. Ask that your spouse be removed from the voter rolls.
Banks, Credit Cards, and the Mortgage Servicer
Each bank, credit union, and brokerage has its own procedure, but all of them ask for a certified death certificate. Many accept notification online or by phone now; check each institution’s website. Accounts held solely in your spouse’s name are typically frozen once the death certificate is processed. Joint accounts generally remain accessible under your name without interruption.
Call each credit card issuer to close individual accounts and stop interest from accruing. If you were an authorized user on one of those cards, confirm whether your access continues. Notify the mortgage servicer so it can update its records. Federal law generally prevents a lender from accelerating a mortgage simply because it passed to a surviving spouse, but confirming that in writing is worth the call.
If your spouse rented a safety deposit box in their name alone, the bank will usually want to see the death certificate and either proof you are the surviving spouse or letters testamentary or letters of administration before letting you remove anything beyond a will or burial instructions. If both names were on the box, access is uninterrupted. Rules vary by state and bank.
Life Insurance, Employer HR, and Retirement Plans
Life Insurance
Contact each life insurance company to open a claim. You will need the policy number, a certified death certificate, and the insurer’s claimant’s statement form. Most companies let you start online or by phone. The timeline for payment runs from when the insurer receives complete paperwork, so filing early matters.
Your Spouse’s Employer
If your spouse was working, call the HR department. HR processes the final paycheck, any accrued vacation payout, and any employer-sponsored life insurance. HR is also where you learn about continuing health coverage.
When a covered employee dies, the surviving spouse and dependent children qualify for up to 36 months of COBRA continuation coverage under the group health plan. You have at least 60 days from the date you receive the COBRA election notice to decide.8U.S. Department of Labor. Death of a Family Member Miss that window and the option is gone. Treat it as a hard deadline.
Retirement Account Administrators
Call the administrator of any 401(k), 403(b), or IRA your spouse held. As a surviving spouse, you can roll an inherited IRA into your own IRA, keep it as an inherited account with distributions based on your own life expectancy, or take a lump sum.9Internal Revenue Service. Retirement Topics – Beneficiary Surviving spouses are also exempt from the 10-year distribution rule that applies to most other beneficiaries under the SECURE Act.10Internal Revenue Service. Retirement Plan and IRA Required Minimum Distributions FAQs The exact rules depend on whether your spouse died before or after their required beginning date, so have the administrator walk you through your situation before making an irrevocable election.
Pension Plans
If your spouse had a pension, contact the plan administrator. Many defined-benefit plans pay a reduced monthly benefit to the surviving spouse for life, but only if your spouse elected the joint-and-survivor option when they retired. The administrator sends a determination letter explaining what, if anything, you are entitled to.
The IRS and State Tax Authorities
You will likely file more than one tax return, and the IRS has specific notifications of its own.
The Final Income Tax Return
File your spouse’s final federal income tax return covering January 1 through the date of death. On a paper return, write “Deceased,” your spouse’s name, and the date of death across the top of Form 1040.11Internal Revenue Service. Filing a Final Federal Tax Return for Someone Who Has Died You can still file jointly for the year of death. The return is due on the normal April deadline.
Form 56 — Fiduciary Notification
If you are serving as personal representative or executor, file IRS Form 56 to notify the IRS of the fiduciary relationship. That tells the IRS who is authorized to act for the estate and ensures correspondence and refund checks go to the right place.12Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 56
Form 1041 — Estate Income Tax
If the estate earns $600 or more in gross income after the date of death from interest, dividends, rental income, or asset sales, file Form 1041.13Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 1041 This is separate from the final personal return. For a calendar-year estate, it is due April 15 of the following year. Estates with investments or rental property cross the $600 threshold quickly.
Form 706 and the Portability Election
For deaths in 2026, the federal estate tax exemption is $15,000,000 per person.14Internal Revenue Service. What’s New – Estate and Gift Tax Even if your spouse’s estate is well under that figure, filing Form 706 within nine months of death lets you claim your spouse’s unused exemption through a portability election.15Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 706 Without the filing, that unused exemption disappears. A six-month extension is available. For wealthier couples, this call to a tax professional is worth making early.
Do not forget your state’s tax agency if your state levies its own income or estate tax; the thresholds and deadlines are often different from the federal ones.
The Probate Court
If your spouse left a will, file the original with the probate court in the county where your spouse lived. Most states set a deadline — often 30 to 90 days after death. Once the court accepts the will, it issues letters testamentary (with a will) or letters of administration (without one), giving the executor or administrator authority to manage the estate, access accounts, sell property, and pay debts.
Those letters are what banks, brokerages, and title companies ask for when they need proof you can act. Order several certified copies from the court clerk; they usually run $5 to $20 each. Not every estate needs full probate. Every state offers some form of simplified procedure for smaller estates, often called a small estate affidavit, with dollar thresholds that vary widely. Your county’s probate clerk can tell you the limit and waiting period where you live.
Title Offices for Real Estate and Vehicles
If you and your spouse owned your home as joint tenants with right of survivorship or as tenants by the entirety, the property passes to you automatically. To clear the title, file an affidavit of survivorship with a certified death certificate at your county recorder’s office. Recording fees typically run $10 to $250. Until you record that affidavit, the title still shows your spouse’s name, which creates problems when you try to sell or refinance. If the property was in your spouse’s name alone or held as tenants in common, the transfer generally goes through probate.
For vehicles, visit or mail paperwork to your state’s motor vehicles office with the existing title, a certified death certificate, and the state’s transfer form. If both names are on the title with “or” between them, you can usually just sign and submit. If the title says “and,” the vehicle may have to pass through the estate first.
Utilities, Subscriptions, and Digital Accounts
Call electric, water, gas, and trash providers to move accounts into your name. Account number and death certificate are usually enough. Transferring early prevents late fees or service interruptions from piling up against the estate.
Cancel or transfer cell phone, internet, and subscription services your spouse held individually. Some contracts have early termination fees, but many providers waive them when the account holder has died. Ask specifically.
Social media and email accounts need attention too. Facebook, Google, and Apple each have memorialization or deletion processes that require a death certificate and proof of your relationship. If important documents, photos, or passwords live in a cloud account, pursue access sooner rather than later, while your other documentation is already gathered.