Checklist
Who to notify when someone dies
Not everything has to happen at once. These are grouped by what it costs you to be late — start at the top and work down as you have the energy.
Week one — money keeps moving until you stop it
Everything in this group involves payments that continue automatically, or benefits that quietly expire. Late notice here has a price attached.
- Social Security. Benefits paid for the month of death generally must be returned, and payments that keep arriving after that compound the problem. A surviving spouse or dependent child may also be eligible for a one-time death payment and for survivor benefits — ask about both in the same call. Have the Social Security number, date of death, and your relationship ready.
- Any pension or annuity provider. Same logic, and often a larger monthly amount. Ask specifically whether a survivor benefit was elected at retirement — the answer is on the original election form and the survivor is frequently unaware it exists.
- The employer, if they were working. Final paycheck, unused vacation, group life insurance, an unvested bonus, an HSA balance, and a 401(k) with a beneficiary designation on file. Ask HR for a written list of every benefit and its beneficiary. This call routinely turns up money nobody knew about.
- Veterans Affairs, if they served. Burial allowances, a headstone, and possible survivor benefits. Discharge papers are what they will ask for.
- Health insurance and Medicare. Premiums continue to be drawn until the coverage is ended. If a surviving spouse was on the same plan, ask what happens to their coverage before you cancel anything.
- Life insurance companies. Every policy you can find, including any through a former employer, a union, a credit union, or a mortgage. Claims cannot start until they are told.
Week two — protect the estate
This group is about closing doors. Obituaries publish a full name, date of birth, address, and family relationships — which is close to a complete identity theft kit, and fraudsters read them.
- One of the three national credit bureaus. Request that the credit file be flagged as deceased. The bureaus notify each other, so one letter covers all three. Send a certified death certificate and keep proof of mailing.
- Every bank and credit union. Ask two things: whether the account had a joint owner or a payable-on-death beneficiary, and what they need to release funds. The answer determines whether the money is a probate asset at all.
- Brokerages and retirement account custodians. Ask for the beneficiary designation on file in writing. Retirement accounts pass by that form, not by the will, and this is where the largest surprises live in both directions.
- Credit card issuers. Report the death rather than simply cancelling. Balances on cards held solely by the deceased become estate debts, not family debts — do not let a collector convince you otherwise, and do not pay them from your own account.
- The mortgage lender and any other lender. Notify them, but do not rush to pay anything off. Estate debts have a legal order of priority and paying the wrong one first can land on you personally.
- Home and auto insurers. Coverage can lapse on a house that is now vacant, which is exactly when a claim is most likely. Tell them the property is unoccupied and ask what the policy requires.
- The post office. A forwarding order does much of your asset search for you. Statements and premium notices will surface accounts nobody mentioned.
Week three and beyond — tidy up
Nothing here is urgent. It is the long tail that keeps generating mail and small charges until someone deals with it.
- The DMV, to transfer or surrender vehicle titles and cancel the licence.
- The county assessor or recorder, for any real estate, and the mortgage servicer if the property is transferring.
- Utilities — either transfer them to whoever is maintaining the property or close them, but do not shut off heat in a house you still need to insure.
- Subscriptions and memberships: streaming, phone, gym, professional bodies, warehouse clubs. Small, but they renew silently for months.
- Voter registration and any professional or occupational licence.
- Email, social, and cloud accounts. Most major platforms have a memorialisation or closure process, and most require a death certificate. Do this after the financial work, since email is often how you find the remaining accounts.
- The IRS, through the final personal tax return. The estate may also need its own taxpayer identification number if it will hold income-producing assets.
What every one of them will ask for
Prepare this once and the calls get much shorter: full legal name, date of birth, date of death, Social Security number, last address, your name and relationship, and an account or policy number where you have one. Most will want a certified death certificate, and most will not return it.
That is why the standard advice is ten to fifteen certified copies. Ordering more later means another fee and another wait, usually at the point you are least willing to deal with it.
The one nobody warns you about
Retirement accounts do not pass through the will. They go to whoever is named on the beneficiary form, and once they do, a set of deadlines starts running on the person who inherits — including, in many cases, a withdrawal required every single year. Missing one carries an excise tax of 25 percent of the amount that should have come out.
Check which inherited IRA rule applies — five questions, no sign-up. If a withdrawal is required, the RMD calculator will tell you the amount and the factor behind it.
Common questions
Do I have to notify anyone in a particular order?
Only loosely. Anything that pays money automatically comes first, because those payments have to be returned. Everything else can be done in whatever order you have the documents for.
Am I responsible for their debts?
Generally not, unless you were a joint account holder or a co-signer. Debts are paid from the estate, and if the estate cannot cover them, most simply go unpaid. Collectors sometimes imply otherwise to family members. Do not pay estate debts from personal funds, and do not agree to anything on a phone call.
What if I cannot find all the accounts?
The mail is your best tool, which is why the forwarding order matters. After that, the last tax return lists income sources, and every state runs an unclaimed property database worth searching by name.
Can I do this by phone or does it have to be in writing?
Start by phone to find out what each one needs, then follow up in writing for anything involving money. Keep a log with the date, who you spoke to, and what they said — you will need it more than once, and an executor who can account for their actions is an executor who stays out of trouble.
Educational information only. Not legal, tax, or financial advice. Requirements vary by state and by institution. Confirm anything that matters with the organization directly or with an attorney.