What to Do When Someone Dies: A Checklist
When someone dies there is a lot to do, and it helps to take it one step at a time. This free checklist from Tabzoola lists 21 steps in the order most families take them: the first days, the first weeks, and the months after. Tick each one as it is done and download a printable copy to share with family. Nothing you enter is saved or sent.
General information, not legal advice. An estate or probate attorney advises on anything legal.
Settling an estate produces a stack of certificates, statements and receipts. Attorneys and trustees keep it in a tabbed binder: trust administration binder tabs for a trust, or probate binder tabs for an estate that goes through court.
Related: estate planning checklist, funeral pre-planning binder tabs, estate planning binder tabs.
Questions families ask
What should you do first when someone dies?
First, a legal pronouncement of death: a doctor or hospice nurse makes it, and if the death at home was unexpected, call 911. Then tell close family, make sure any dependents and pets are cared for, secure the home, and look for funeral wishes and the will before contacting a funeral home. Tabzoola's checklist on this page lists every step in order.
How many death certificates do I need?
Several. Banks, life insurers, retirement plans, the motor vehicle office and others may each want a certified copy, and some keep it. Count the accounts and agencies you will need to contact; the funeral home can order the copies for you.
Who notifies Social Security when someone dies?
The funeral home usually reports the death to Social Security. Ask them to confirm it was done, and contact Social Security about any benefits the family may be owed.
What does the executor or trustee do?
The executor named in the will, or the successor trustee named in a trust, gathers the assets, pays the bills and taxes, and distributes what is left as the will or trust directs. An estate or probate attorney explains what your state requires and whether the estate needs probate.
How do I keep all the paperwork organized?
Keep every certificate, statement, bill and receipt in one binder with a tabbed section for each part of the work. Tabzoola prints trust administration binder tabs that run in the order the work is done, from death certificates and trust documents to notices, debts, tax returns and distributions; an 8-tab set is $8.17 a set at 25 sets, the quantity attorneys order.
Is this legal advice?
No. It is a general checklist of steps most families take. An estate or probate attorney licensed in your state advises on anything legal.