What to Do When Someone Dies: A Free Printable Checklist

First 24–48 hours

• ☐Get a legal pronouncement of death, if it didn't happen in a hospital or under hospice care
• ☐Notify immediate family and close friends
• ☐Arrange care for any dependents or pets
• ☐Secure the home and property
• ☐Locate the will, if you know where it's kept

First week

• ☐Order 10–15 certified copies of the death certificate
• ☐Contact a funeral home
• ☐Notify the employer, if applicable
• ☐Locate key documents: will, insurance policies, deeds, account statements
• ☐Don't rush to notify banks before you've gathered account details, this can trigger a freeze that also stops autopay

First few weeks

• ☐Contact a probate or estate attorney if the estate is anything but simple
• ☐Confirm Social Security has been notified (often the funeral home handles this)
• ☐File life insurance claims
• ☐Update or cancel other insurance policies (auto, home)
• ☐Redirect mail
• ☐Cancel subscriptions and memberships
• ☐Notify financial institutions once you're organized, not before

Ongoing

• ☐Keep records of all correspondence and payments related to the estate
• ☐Check whether a final tax return is required
• ☐Close or transfer digital accounts, using password manager access if it exists

How many death certificates do you need?

Most families end up ordering 10 to 15 certified copies. Each bank, insurer, or office usually wants its own original, not a photocopy. A funeral home can often order them for you. Costs vary by state, typically $10 to $30 each. If the estate is large, order a few extra. That beats paying the first-copy fee again later.

Telling Social Security

A funeral home usually reports the death to Social Security directly. Give them the Social Security number and they'll handle it. If you report it yourself, call Social Security directly. They only take this by phone or in person, not online or by email. One detail that surprises people: Social Security can't pay for the month someone died. A payment that arrives the next month still has to be returned.

The final tax return

Someone still has to file a final tax return for the year of death. Usually that's the surviving spouse or whoever's handling the estate. The IRS doesn't require a death certificate to do this. You mark it as a final return and note the date of death. The usual deadline still applies: the same date as any other year.

This varies by state

Exact requirements differ by state. How probate works, which documents a bank accepts, what a death certificate costs, none of it is the same everywhere. This checklist covers what's broadly true. For anything specific to where you live, your state's probate court self-help pages usually fill the gap.