After a Death questions

Start with whether hospice was involved. If it was, call the hospice's 24-hour number, not 911. If the death was unexpected and no hospice was involved, call 911. Responders can take the person to an emergency room, where death can be declared and the body released to a funeral home. If the person was ill but not in hospice, you can call their doctor, the local medical examiner or coroner, the local health department, or a funeral home and ask what to do next.

What to Do When Someone Dies: A Checklist

Sources: AARP, Hospice Foundation of America, National Institute on Aging

A hospice team member confirms the death, and the hospice then sends the paperwork to vital records so a death certificate can be issued. If you have not chosen a funeral home, hospice staff can help you find one and call it. The nurse can prepare the body for transport and, if possible, stay with the family until the funeral home arrives. Hospice also disposes of the person's medications and removes equipment it supplied, such as a hospital bed.

Hospice FAQs

Sources: Hospice Foundation of America

A doctor or a hospice nurse, usually. Death must be officially pronounced as soon as possible by someone in authority, typically a doctor in a hospital or nursing facility or a hospice nurse. The attending physician normally certifies the cause of death. A medical examiner or coroner takes over when no doctor was treating the person, the cause is unknown, or the death came from an accident or another non-natural cause. Ask the hospital, hospice, or funeral home who is handling it in your case.

Sources: National Institute on Aging, CDC

It depends on where the death happened and on state rules. When someone dies at home, there is no need to move the body right away. Rigor mortis begins within the first few hours, so someone may want to make sure the body is lying flat. Pickup times vary by state. Ask the hospice, the funeral home, or your local health department what applies where you live.

Sources: National Institute on Aging, Hospice Foundation of America

The funeral home usually files the certificate and can order copies for you. The funeral director, or the person serving in that role, is responsible for completing and filing it. You can also order copies from the vital records office in the state where the person died, online, by mail or in person, with the date and place of death. Usually only certain family members, such as a spouse, siblings, or children, can request one, and some states keep records closed for 25 years or more. The CDC says the federal government does not distribute certificates, files, or indexes with identifying information for vital records. The CDC's "Where to Write for Vital Records" points you to the right state or local office.

How to Get a Death Certificate (and How Many Copies You Need)

Sources: AARP, CDC, funeral directors' handbook, USA.gov, CDC, Where to Write for Vital Records

Plan on six to ten, then count your own list. Kiplinger says six to 10 are needed on average, and AARP suggests ordering up to 10 or more. You need certified copies for things like Social Security, closing or transferring bank accounts, and life insurance or pension claims. A photocopy may be enough for canceling a subscription, but check with each organization. Write down every bank, insurer, pension, and agency you will deal with and add a few extra.

Sources: Kiplinger, AARP, USA.gov

Cost and timing vary by state. As one example, the CDC's California page lists $24.00 per copy from the state office and tells you to call to confirm current fees. On timing, a certificate can take several days or longer depending on state law. The funeral director must file within the time limit set by state vital statistics law. Your state vital records office, listed in the CDC's "Where to Write for Vital Records," can give current fees and wait times.

Sources: CDC, California page, Hospice Foundation of America, CDC, funeral directors' handbook, CDC, Where to Write for Vital Records

The funeral home usually does it. Give the funeral director the person's Social Security number. Funeral homes generally report deaths. If no funeral home reports it, call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778). Have the person's name, Social Security number, birth date, and date of death ready. The SSA accepts death reports only by phone or in person, and you can start the report without a death certificate but will need one later to finish. Survivors are ultimately responsible for making sure it happens.

Sources: Social Security Administration, USA.gov, AARP

Social Security's pamphlet says benefits received for the month of death and any later months must be returned, although eligible family members may be able to receive survivors' benefits for the month of death. For direct deposit, contact the bank and ask it to return that payment and any later ones. For a paper check, do not cash it. Return it to Social Security. Social Security also pays a one-time lump sum of $255 to a surviving spouse who was living with the person, or to an eligible child if there is no spouse. Spouses and minor children may also qualify for survivor benefits.

Sources: Social Security Administration, Social Security Administration, survivor benefits

Start with Social Security, banks, and insurers, then work outward. Report the death to banks, credit card companies, credit bureaus, and other financial organizations, and contact utilities and places where the person had memberships or subscriptions. Also contact the motor vehicles office, the IRS, passport, voter registration, and veterans or military benefits offices. Also tell life insurance companies, which need the death certificate and policy numbers. Health insurance, especially coverage through a former employer, and any pension company are on the list too.

Sources: USA.gov, National Institute on Aging, Kiplinger

Report the death promptly and flag the credit files. A funeral director usually reports the death to Social Security. The California Attorney General says a surviving spouse or executor should write to all three credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) asking that the files show a "deceased" notation. Include a copy of the death certificate and proof of executorship or marriage. AARP says you may only need to tell one bureau and it will tell the others, but sending all three is the safer route. If a creditor contacts you about an account opened after the death, write back explaining it was fraudulent.

Sources: California Attorney General, AARP

If someone else is the executor, coordinate with them, since the executor settles the estate. Going through the mail is a practical way to see the person's assets and bills. To forward it, you go to the post office in person, and USPS requires proof that you are the executor or administrator. A death certificate alone is not enough. If you are the executor, keep careful records and keep the statements and bills together, since asset values may have to be reported on a court-required inventory.

Sources: AARP, American Bar Association, executor guidelines

Make a list before you close anything. Most email providers want a death certificate and proof you are a relative or executor. Facebook and Instagram can keep a profile online as a memorial. Google, Apple, and Facebook let a person appoint a legacy contact while alive, and a password manager may have a digital legacy option.

Sources: AARP, American Bar Association

Find the original and keep it safe. Look in a desk, filing cabinet, or safe-deposit box. Opening a box may require a death certificate and proof you are the executor. The will usually names the executor. Probate is the formal legal process that gives recognition to a will and appoints the person who administers the estate. Probate is handled by the county or city probate court office. Ask that court how and when the original must be filed in your state.

Sources: AARP, American Bar Association, the probate process

Probate is the court process that recognizes a will, appoints the executor, and makes sure debts are paid before assets go to heirs. It is not always needed. Some property passes outside probate, such as life insurance or retirement proceeds with a named beneficiary and jointly held property with right of survivorship. Many states also have simpler procedures for small or simple estates. Joint accounts usually go to the surviving owner and payable-on-death accounts go to the named person. State laws vary, so ask the probate court or an estate attorney.

Sources: American Bar Association, AARP, AARP, wills and heirs

The American Bar Association says the average estate completes probate in six to nine months. That is an average, not a promise. Much of the delay comes from tax laws and tax filing requirements, and probate rules differ from state to state. The probate court clerk or an estate attorney can tell you what to expect where the person lived.

Sources: American Bar Association, how long probate takes, American Bar Association, the probate process

An executor takes control of the estate. Read the will closely, then secure and value all assets as soon as possible. Some accounts require Letters Testamentary from the court plus a death certificate before you can access them. The executor keeps insurance active on estate property, opens accounts in the estate's name, notifies known creditors in writing in most states, and gets a new tax ID number for the estate from the IRS rather than using the person's Social Security number. The executor also files the final income tax return. An attorney quoted in AARP's checklist suggests hiring a lawyer if the estate is worth more than $50,000.

What Does an Executor Do? A Step-by-Step Guide

Sources: American Bar Association, AARP

State law decides who inherits. The estate goes through probate court and assets are distributed under state law rather than the person's wishes, and the court appoints someone to administer it. Each state has its own intestacy rules. In California, for example, the rules generally favor a spouse and children, then parents, siblings, or other relatives. The American Bar Association says these rules can fail to protect unmarried, remarried and blended families. A probate attorney or the probate court in the person's home state can tell you who qualifies.

Do I Need a Will?

Sources: AARP, American Bar Association

Usually not. Debts do not go away at death, but they are paid from the estate, and if the estate lacks money the debt usually goes unpaid. You may owe if you cosigned, held a joint credit card account (an authorized user is different), or are a spouse in a community property state or a state that makes spouses pay certain costs such as health care. The community property states are Alaska (with a special agreement), Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin. Collectors may not say or imply you must pay from your own money unless one of these exceptions applies. Ask for written validation and report problems at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Sources: FTC, CFPB, does a person's debt go away, CFPB, spouse's debts

Search MissingMoney.com. It is a free site sponsored by the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators that searches participating states at once and links you to the state program where you file the claim. Unclaimed property includes old bank accounts, uncashed checks, utility deposits, and insurance payments. Searching and claiming through the official state programs costs nothing. Private finders may charge a percentage, and you do not need one. Be wary of any letter asking you to pay before you can claim.

Sources: National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators, free search, National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators, unclaimed property

Use the NAIC Life Insurance Policy Locator. It is a free tool that helps find a deceased person's life insurance policies and annuities. You enter your own contact details, the person's information from the death certificate, and your relationship to them. Participating insurers check their records. If they find a policy and you are the beneficiary, the company contacts you directly. If they find nothing, or you are not the beneficiary, you will not hear back. The NAIC does not hold policy information, and the locator does not work for people who are still alive.

Sources: NAIC

Arrange care right away. Line up a temporary caretaker, such as a relative or a boarding kennel, until there is a permanent plan. The American Bar Association says pets are treated as personal property, and a pet trust lets an owner designate the care and custody of their animals. Check the will for a pet trust or other care instructions. AARP, drawing on Humane Society advice, says shelters can be stressful for animals and that a dog may need a month or longer to adjust to a new routine.

Sources: AARP, checklist, AARP, pets, American Bar Association