What to Do When Someone Dies: A First-Week Checklist

You do not need to settle the estate this week. Start with the person, immediate safety, local death procedures, and a few documents. Most legal and financial work can wait.

I'm sorry for your loss. If you are reading this in the first hours, the most useful thing to know is that very little has to be decided today.

Some people are handling this for someone they were close to. Some are handling it for someone they were not, or had not spoken to in years. The tasks are the same either way, and nothing below assumes which it is for you.

What comes first depends on where and how the person died, and the table below routes that first call. If the death was unexpected or unattended, or if anything about the situation feels unsafe, call 911 or your local emergency number now and follow the instructions you are given.

After that first call, the next few days are about people, pets, the home, arrangements, and a small set of documents. Court processes, closing accounts, taxes, paying debts, and dividing property come later. Those steps depend on the state where the person lived, how each asset is titled, and who holds authority that a court or an institution actually recognizes. Being named executor in a will is not that authority yet.

A great deal of this may never involve a court at all. Probate is the court process for transferring what a person owned when no other transfer path already applies. Whether it is needed is decided by how each asset was titled and by the law of the state where the person lived — not by the size of the estate alone, and not by whether there is a will. Accounts with a named beneficiary, payable-on-death and transfer-on-death registrations, property held jointly with a right of survivorship, life insurance, and assets already in a living trust are the usual places where a transfer is handled with the institution rather than a court. Many states also offer a simplified procedure for smaller estates, and the limits are neither close to each other nor measured the same way: Texas allows a small estate affidavit only where there is no will, only where 30 days have passed, and only where the estate assets excluding the homestead and exempt property are worth no more than $75,000 (Est. Code § 205.001), while New York's voluntary administration counts only personal property, up to a gross value of $50,000, and cannot be used at all for real property held in the person's name alone (SCPA article 13, § 1301). Both verified August 2, 2026; neither tells you the rule in another state. None of that has to be settled this week. Our guide to small estate affidavits and how state thresholds differ covers the state-by-state side when you get to it, and the probate court in the county where the person lived can tell you what applies there.

If this is more than you can carry right now, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is there by call, text, or chat, and more support routes are listed below.

On this page

• Who to call first, based on where the death happened
• What needs attention now, and what can wait
• If you need support right now
• What usually happens after the first call
• Which of these describes your week?
• Take care of people, pets, and the home
• Make arrangements without pressure
• What documents do you need in the first week?
• Who has the authority to act after someone dies?
• Who do you have to notify first?
• What can wait, and what not to do yet
• Frequently asked questions
• What comes next, and your next three tasks

Who to call first, based on where the death happened

If the death happened…	Call first	What that contact usually handles	Confirm locally
In a hospital, nursing home, hospice facility, or other care facility	The nurse or staff member on duty	Official pronouncement, the medical record, notifying the physician who will certify the death, and coordinating transfer of the person	Ask staff what the facility needs from you and how long the person can remain there. Facility policy and state rules both apply.
At home under hospice care, when the death was expected	The hospice team's 24-hour number	The after-death plan already in place, including pronouncement or notification of the certifying clinician, medication disposal, and calling the funeral home you chose	Follow the hospice instructions you were given. In most situations under hospice care, emergency transport is not the intended step.
Unexpectedly, unattended, or with any safety concern	911 or your local emergency number	Emergency response, and referral to the medical examiner or coroner if that office takes jurisdiction	Do not move the person or change the scene unless responders direct you to. Which deaths are investigated is set by state law and county practice.
Outside the United States, and the person was a U.S. citizen	The nearest U.S. embassy or consulate	Notifying next of kin, information on local burial or return of remains, and issuing a Consular Report of Death Abroad	Foreign law and local authorities control the immediate process, including timing and permitted options.

If no one has told you who is completing and filing the death record, ask the funeral director, the hospice team, or the medical examiner's or coroner's office in the county where the death occurred.

What needs attention now, and what can wait

This table is the shape of the first week. We call it the first-week sequence: now, soon, later, and only if it applies. Work down the first column before you look at the others. Nothing in the "later" column is neglected by waiting a few weeks, and several items in it should not be started until someone has recognized authority.

Now (first hours)	Soon (this week)	Later (weeks to months)	Only if it applies
Follow the instruction for the setting: facility staff, hospice, 911, or the embassy	Look for written funeral, burial, cremation, or prepaid-plan instructions	Find out whether probate or a simplified state procedure applies to this estate	Organ or tissue donation, which can be time-sensitive
Make sure children, dependent adults, and pets are cared for tonight	Arrange disposition with a funeral home, crematory, or the option the person chose	Retitle, transfer, or close accounts once authority is recognized	Veteran burial, memorial, and survivor benefits
Lock the home and vehicles; keep heat, water, and power on	Order certified death certificates through the funeral director or the state or local vital records office	File the final personal income tax return and any estate returns	A death outside the United States
Tell the few people who need to know tonight, and ask one person to pass on the rest	Locate the will or trust, insurance policies, and military discharge papers	Sell or transfer real property	Care or guardianship arrangements for a minor or a dependent adult
Take a break when you can; nothing here is improved by exhaustion	Confirm Social Security was notified, and tell the employer or former employer	Distribute whatever remains after debts, taxes, and expenses are handled	An estate that may not have enough to pay what it owes

If you need support right now

If this is more than you can carry right now, that is an ordinary response to a death, not a failure. Hospice programs and hospital social workers can help arrange practical support, and in many parts of the United States dialing 211 reaches a local community-resource line. If you or someone else is in emotional crisis, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day by call, text, or chat. Call 911 if anyone is in immediate physical danger. For ongoing support, see our grief and bereavement resources.

What usually happens after the first call

In a hospital or care facility. Staff normally handle the official pronouncement and the medical record, and the National Institute on Aging describes this as the routine path when someone dies in a facility. Ask staff early — not later — about religious, cultural, or family practices that affect how the person should be handled, who may be present, and how quickly the body should be released. Some requests are simple in the first hour and difficult afterward. You will usually also be asked to name the funeral home or crematory the facility should release the person to.

Under hospice care at home. Calling 911 instead of the hospice number can start an emergency response that no one intended, and it does not make anything happen faster.

An unexpected or unattended death. In many places the medical examiner or coroner takes jurisdiction over deaths that are sudden, unattended, violent, suspicious, or otherwise unexplained, and that office then controls when the person is released and who completes the death record. Ask the responding officer or the medical examiner's office directly rather than assuming. This can add days before a death certificate is available, and that is normal, not a sign that something has gone wrong.

A death outside the United States. The U.S. Department of State explains that consular officers work with local authorities and the family or legal representative and can provide lists of local funeral homes and lawyers. Options depend on the foreign country's law and facilities, and the Department of State cannot pay to return remains or ashes. The Consular Report of Death Abroad is what U.S. banks, insurers, and courts generally accept as proof of death.

Who actually creates the death record. The death certificate is a joint product: an authorized certifier — the attending physician, the medical examiner, or the coroner — completes the medical portion, and the funeral director or whoever is handling final disposition files the record with the state or local registrar. That is why the funeral home is normally the fastest route to your first certified copies, and why a death under medical examiner review takes longer. If no funeral home is involved, ask the state or local vital records office who files the record in that situation.

If organ or tissue donation may apply. Raise it immediately with the hospital or hospice team. An organ procurement organization evaluates medical suitability and checks donor registries, and HRSA notes that timing is critical at this stage. Donation is only possible in a narrow set of medical circumstances, so nothing is lost by asking, and the window closes quickly.

Which of these describes your week?

Six situations, and what each one actually calls for in the next several days. Find the row that fits and ignore the rest. Nothing in any row requires you to decide who inherits anything.

Your situation	Your role right now	This week	Free route first	When to call an attorney
Your spouse died, and most accounts were joint or named you as beneficiary	Surviving joint owner or beneficiary — not an executor	Order certified death certificates. Call each institution and ask what it needs from you for that specific account	Institutions handle beneficiary and survivorship transfers directly. No court, no filing fee	Real property is titled in one name only, or a beneficiary designation names someone who died first
A parent died and there is a will naming you	Named executor — not yet the executor	Find the original will. Check whether that state sets a delivery deadline. Sign nothing for the estate yet	The county probate court clerk and any court self-help center explain filing procedure at no charge	Before you sign, sell, transfer, or distribute anything
A parent died and no will has been found	Next of kin — a relationship, not authority	Keep looking: safe deposit box, drafting attorney, county clerk. Ask the probate court what it accepts when no will turns up	Court self-help centers, and legal aid if you are income-eligible	An heir cannot be located, or someone disputes who should serve
You are named in the will and you do not want to do this	Nominee who can decline	Say so in writing, to the court and to the family, before you start doing the work	Declining before appointment costs nothing and is ordinary	You have already begun acting, or no alternate is named in the will
The estate looks like it owes more than it holds	Possibly a nominee — do not become a payer	Pay nothing from your own money. Write down every collector contact. Distribute nothing to anyone	Federal consumer guidance on what a collector may and may not do, covered below	Before any payment is made. Paying in the wrong order can become your problem
A sibling is living in the house, or will not communicate	Whatever role you hold; this does not change it	Write down what happened and when. Do not remove property or change locks	The probate court clerk can explain what that court requires procedurally	Now. This is where an attorney licensed in that state earns the fee

Whichever row fits, talk to a probate attorney licensed in the state where the person lived, or an estate CPA, before you:

• pay any of the person's debts out of your own money;
• move money between accounts;
• transfer a vehicle or real property;
• give anything away, including to family.

If cost is a concern, the free court and legal aid routes are covered below.

Take care of people, pets, and the home

The goal for the next day or two is stability, not decisions. Arrange temporary care for children, dependent adults, and pets before anyone tries to settle who will care for them long term. A neighbor, a relative, or a boarding kennel for a week is a good enough answer. Longer-term custody, guardianship, and ownership questions are separate matters, and in some situations they involve a court.

If the person lived alone, someone should secure the home. Lock the doors and vehicles, keep the heat, water, and electricity on, remove food that will spoil, collect mail and deliveries so they do not pile up visibly, and ask a trusted person to check the property every few days. If pets, plants, medical equipment, or a home medical oxygen supply are involved, deal with those first.

Taking photographs of rooms, jewelry, or other valuables is reasonable if you are worried about the condition or security of the property. Doing that is not the same as taking possession, and it does not settle who owns anything. Leave items where they are, note anything obviously missing, and do not begin sorting or removing belongings yet.

If money or valuables appear to be missing, or if documents were changed shortly before the death in circumstances that concern you, do not confront anyone and do not start moving things to protect them. Write down what you saw and when, and speak with an attorney licensed in the state where the person lived. Where you believe an older or dependent adult was financially exploited, Adult Protective Services in that county and local law enforcement both take reports, and either can be contacted before anything about the estate is decided. Raising a concern is not an accusation, and it does not commit you to anything.

A simple shared log helps more than it sounds like it will. Keep one page, in a notebook or a shared document, with a row for each task:

Task	Who owns it	Who they contacted, and when	What happened, and where the document is
Order certified death certificates	Sam	Funeral director, Tuesday	Six ordered, arriving Friday; receipt in the folder on the kitchen table

Leave out Social Security numbers, account numbers, full policy numbers, and anything about anyone's health. A list of tasks and contacts is useful to share; a list of account details is a liability.

Ask one person to be the family's update line so the same call is not made eleven times, and so the person handling arrangements is not also handling everyone's grief. Accept the specific offers people make. "Can you take the dog until Saturday" is easier for both of you than "let me know if you need anything."

Make arrangements without pressure

Before you choose anything, spend an hour looking for written instructions. People leave funeral, burial, cremation, or body-donation wishes in a will, a letter, a prepaid funeral contract, a cemetery deed, a veteran's file, a church or synagogue record, or a note in a desk drawer. A prepaid plan may already cover part of the cost, and a plot may already be owned. Finding this first prevents paying twice for something the person arranged years ago.

You have federal consumer rights when you contact a funeral provider. Under the FTC's Funeral Rule, a funeral home must give you price information over the telephone if you ask, without requiring your name or contact details first. When you visit in person, it must give you a printed General Price List that is yours to keep, listing each item and service and its price. That list covers the funeral home's own goods and services; a cemetery, crematory, or other outside provider prices separately. You have the right to buy only the goods and services you want rather than a package, with limited exceptions, and you must receive a written, itemized statement showing everything you have selected and the total before you pay. If state or local law requires a particular item, the price list must say so and cite the law. These are federal baseline rights; some states add requirements of their own. Requirements verified against the FTC's consumer guidance August 2, 2026.

The range of ordinary options is also wider than the first conversation tends to suggest. The table below is the normal menu. Each of these is decided within days, except a memorial gathering, which has no deadline at all. What is permitted, and any permit or waiting period involved, is set by state and local law and by what each provider actually offers, so treat the last column as the question to ask rather than the answer.

Option	What it involves	What state, local, or program rules can control
Burial in a cemetery	Funeral home care of the person, a casket or container, a plot or crypt, and cemetery opening and closing charges	Permits, container requirements, and cemetery rules, which are not the same as law
Cremation with a service beforehand	A viewing or ceremony first, then cremation, then return of the ashes	Authorization requirements, waiting periods, and who may authorize
Direct cremation	Cremation without a viewing or ceremony; a memorial can happen separately, whenever people can gather	Authorization requirements and waiting periods
Natural or green burial	Burial without embalming and often without a conventional vault, where a cemetery offers it	Cemetery policy, local rules, and whether any nearby cemetery offers it
Whole-body donation	Donation to a medical school or anatomical program, which usually arranges transport and later returns ashes	Each program's acceptance criteria and time limits, which are program policy rather than law

Splitting two decisions apart — what happens to the person's body this week, and how people gather to remember them — takes most of the pressure out of the second one.

Questions worth asking before you sign anything:

• What is required here by state or local law, and what is optional?
• What exactly is included in this price, and what is billed separately?
• Which charges are third-party costs the funeral home passes through, such as cemetery fees, clergy honoraria, obituary placement, or certified copies of the death certificate?
• Who has to authorize the arrangements, and what document or signature do you need from them?
• What is the total, in writing, before anything is scheduled?

You are allowed to take a day. You are allowed to say a decision is not made yet. You are also allowed to ask a friend to make the calls and report back.

If the person was a veteran or service member, VA burial and memorial benefits may be available to the family. The Department of Veterans Affairs describes burial in a VA national cemetery, headstones, markers, medallions, plaques and urns, a burial allowance toward funeral and burial costs, and bereavement counseling through Vet Centers for a surviving spouse, child, or parent. Eligibility depends on service history and other requirements, and these benefits are applied for rather than automatic, so confirm with VA rather than assuming. A discharge document, usually a DD-214, makes this much faster; funeral directors who handle veteran services often help with the request.

What documents do you need in the first week?

You need fewer documents than you probably think, and you need them for a specific reason each time.

Start with the death certificate. The federal government does not issue one. As USAGov explains, certified copies come from the vital records office in the state or area where the death occurred, and the funeral home usually orders the first copies for you. Access can be limited to certain family members, and the fee, format, processing time, and application requirements vary by state; the CDC's directory of state vital records offices is the fastest way to find the right office and its current instructions. When a U.S. citizen dies abroad, the Consular Report of Death Abroad serves this purpose, and USAGov notes that up to 20 free certified copies are available at the time of death, with additional copies ordered from the Department of State. Verified August 2, 2026.

Rather than guessing at a number of copies, make a list of every institution you will actually have to deal with — bank, insurer, pension, employer, mortgage servicer, brokerage, county recorder — and ask each one whether it requires a certified copy or accepts a photocopy or a scan. Some accept a photocopy for a simple cancellation. Others keep the certified copy they receive. The list tells you the number; a rule of thumb does not.

Locate now	Who can usually confirm	Keep the original secure
Certified death certificates	The funeral director or the state or local vital records office	Yes — track who has each one
The will, and any trust document	The attorney who drafted it, the named executor, or a safe deposit box	Yes — do not mark or reorganize it
Photo ID, Social Security number, and the person's date and place of birth	Family records; state vital records for certificates	Yes
Life, health, property, and auto insurance policies	The insurer, plan administrator, or employer benefits office	Yes
Military discharge papers, usually a DD-214	The National Archives or VA	Yes
Employer or former employer contact	The benefits or human resources office	Yes

Later, and not this week, you may also need codicils or earlier versions of the will, birth, marriage, and divorce certificates, beneficiary designations on retirement accounts and payable-on-death registrations, records supporting a veteran benefits claim, and pension, unused pay, or continuation-of-coverage information.

Locate these documents. Do not interpret them yet, and do not act on them. Note who holds each original and where any copy went, and keep originals somewhere dry, locked, and known to more than one person.

The will is the one exception, and several states put a clock on it

Many states require whoever holds the original will to hand it over to a court, whether or not anyone intends to open a probate case. Depositing a will is not the same as opening probate, and it does not make anyone the executor. The eight states below are the ones verified for this page. If the person lived somewhere else, ask the probate court in that county what its state requires and where the will goes — the answer is routine and clerks give it every day.

State	By when	Where the will goes	What the statute says happens if it is not done	Statute
California	Within 30 days after learning the person died	The clerk of the superior court in the county where the estate may be administered, and a copy to the person named as executor — or to a named beneficiary if the executor cannot be located	The custodian is liable for all damages sustained by any person injured by the failure	Prob. Code § 8200
Florida	Within 10 days after receiving information that the person died	The clerk of the court with venue over the estate	A custodian can be compelled to produce the will, and costs, damages, and a reasonable attorney's fee may be adjudged against a custodian the court finds had no just or reasonable cause	Fla. Stat. § 732.901
Illinois	Immediately upon the death	The clerk of the circuit court of the proper county	The court may issue an attachment and compel production; willfully secreting a will for 30 days after knowing of the death is sentenced as a Class 3 felony theft	755 ILCS 5/6-1
Massachusetts	Within 30 days after notice of the death	A person able to secure its probate, or an appropriate court if none is known	Willful failure makes the custodian liable to anyone aggrieved for damages; refusing after a court order is contempt of court	G.L. c. 190B § 2-516
Michigan	With reasonable promptness after the death	The court with jurisdiction, in person or by registered mail	Neglecting the duty without reasonable cause makes the custodian liable for damages; willfully refusing after a court order is contempt of court	MCL 700.2516
New York	No fixed deadline set by statute for a custodian	The Surrogate's Court in the county where the person lived, when a probate petition is filed	An interested person may petition the court to compel production, and the court may impose the petitioner's reasonable attorney's fees on a respondent who withheld the will without good cause	SCPA § 1401
Ohio	No fixed deadline for a custodian; a beneficiary who controls the will has one year	The probate court in the county	A custodian who conceals or refuses to produce without reasonable cause may be jailed until the will is produced and is liable to any aggrieved party for damages; a beneficiary who conceals it or fails to have it offered for probate within one year takes nothing under it	R.C. § 2107.09 and § 2107.10
Texas	On receiving notice of the death	The clerk of the court with jurisdiction of the estate	A person who refuses to deliver is liable to anyone aggrieved for all damages sustained, and the court can order the person to appear and show cause	Est. Code ch. 252

All eight rows Verified against the statute text linked in the row, August 2, 2026. Limitation: the statutes set the duty, but the clerk's filing location, any fee, and the form of delivery are county practice, and no other state is verified on this page. Next review: August 2027, or sooner on amendment.

If the deadline is missed: delivering the will late is still the right step, and an attorney licensed in that state can tell you what the delay means for you.

Language matters here in a way that saves trouble later. Until a court or an institution says otherwise, the person the will names is the named executor, not "the executor." The will by itself does not satisfy every court or every bank.

Who has the authority to act after someone dies?

The single most common expensive mistake in the first weeks is someone acting on authority they do not yet have. Being named in a will, being the closest relative, or having handled the person's money before the death are all different from being recognized by a court or an institution now. Think of it as an authority ladder: eight positions people occupy after a death, only some of which let anyone sign for anything. The table below is a national orientation only. State law and county court practice set the actual titles, documents, and requirements, and terminology differs from state to state.

Role	Who holds authority, and is a court involved	Who may use it	Time to authority	Cost, and who pays	What it does not resolve
Named executor in a will — nominated in the document to serve	No authority yet. A probate court decides whether to appoint the nominee	The person the will names	Nothing until a petition is filed; then varies by state and court	Court filing fee, paid from the estate; varies by state and county	Everything. Nothing can be signed for the estate on the strength of the will alone
Court-appointed personal representative, executor, or administrator — administering the probate estate	The court, which issues the document institutions actually ask for: commonly letters testamentary where there is a will and letters of administration where there is not, though the name varies by state	The person the court appoints; an administrator is appointed when no named executor serves	Varies by state and court	Filing fee, and where required bond, publication, and appraisal, paid from the estate; attorney fees separate	Assets that pass outside probate, and any dispute the court has not decided
Successor trustee of a trust — administering what the trust actually holds	The trust document, usually without a court appointment	The person the trust names	Usually immediate on accepting the role	No court filing fee; trustee and professional costs paid from the trust	Anything the trust does not hold. A trust that was signed but never funded holds nothing
Agent under a power of attorney — acting for the person during their lifetime	No one. The authority ends at death	No one, after the death	Not applicable	Not applicable	Everything. Bills that could be paid last week cannot be paid now, and the institution should be told promptly
Beneficiary, joint owner, or payable-on-death recipient — one specific account, policy, or property	The institution, under its own contract and records	The person named, or the surviving owner	Set by the institution; ask what it needs and from whom	Usually nothing beyond certified copies	Anything outside that designation. Not controlled by the will
Next of kin or surviving family member — a relationship, and in some states a priority to ask the court to appoint them	Not authority over accounts or property by itself	Varies by state	Not applicable until a court appoints someone	Not applicable	Everything. Being closest does not permit signing, selling, or distributing anything
No formal administration opened — assets pass by beneficiary designation, survivorship, or trust, or a simplified state procedure applies	The institutions holding each asset, under their own records; some states require a short affidavit, filed with the court or given to the institution	Varies by state; often a surviving spouse, an heir, or another successor with priority	Any state waiting period runs from the date of death	Often no court cost — frequently the fastest and least expensive path, and a legitimate outcome for some estates; certified copies and notarization paid by the person handling it	Real property in most states, a contested claim, or an estate that owes more than it holds
Ancillary administration — real property in a state other than where the person lived	A court in the state where the property sits, usually in addition to the home state	Varies by that state; often the representative already appointed at home	Varies by that state and court	A second filing fee, and often local counsel, paid from the estate	The home-state estate, which still needs its own path

Where duty attaches. A court-appointed representative and a successor trustee both owe duties to the beneficiaries and, in the representative's case, to creditors, and both can be held personally responsible for how the estate or trust is handled. The other positions on this ladder carry no such duty, because they carry no such authority.

How far to trust this table. The line between being named in a will and being appointed by a court holds in every U.S. state. The detail does not: the title the state uses, the document the court issues, and the forms, bond, notice, and fees required all come from the decedent's state and county, and this page verifies none of them for any individual state. One row is confirmed against a federal source. An agent's authority under a power of attorney ends at the person's death — the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's guide for agents tells agents to notify the bank promptly and says outstanding bills can no longer be paid under that authority. See Help for agents under a power of attorney.

If something is missing or someone will not cooperate

• No will can be found. Nothing has gone irreversibly wrong. Where there is no will, state law sets who inherits and who has priority to ask the court to be appointed. Keep looking — a safe deposit box, the drafting attorney, the county clerk in states where wills can be deposited during life — and ask the probate court in that county what it accepts when no will turns up.
• You do not want the role. A person nominated in a will can decline before the court appoints them, and declining is ordinary rather than a failure of duty. The court then turns to an alternate named in the will, or appoints an administrator. Say so in writing, to the court and to the family, before you start doing the work; stepping back is far simpler before appointment than after.
• Someone is holding the property, or will not communicate. This is a procedure question for the probate court in that county, not a family negotiation, and it is where an attorney licensed in that state earns the fee. Do not remove property in response, do not change locks on a home you have no authority over, and write down what happened and when.

Paid help is not the only help. The probate court clerk in the county where the person lived can explain filing procedure and what that court requires, though clerks cannot give legal advice. Many state and county courts also run a self-help center that answers procedural questions and publishes forms at no charge. If money is the obstacle, the Legal Services Corporation's locator finds LSC-funded legal aid organizations — they serve every state, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories, for people below an income threshold. All of these routes are free, and all of them exist before any decision about hiring anyone.

If you do decide to hire someone, three questions save the most trouble. Is the fee hourly, flat, or set by state statute? What is not included — court filing fees, tax returns, a contested matter, a property sale? And will you handle only the part I actually need, or is this all or nothing?

Who do you have to notify first?

Only a few notifications belong in the first week. The rest can be worked through steadily over the following month, and our guide to who to notify after a death covers the full list of agencies, financial institutions, insurers, employers, subscriptions, and accounts. If a life insurance policy is among the papers you have found, that claim is one of the things that can wait a little: our life insurance claim guide explains each step when you are ready.

Social Security. Ask the funeral director whether the death has been reported. The Social Security Administration says funeral homes generally report deaths, so you usually do not need to do it yourself. If no funeral home is involved, or the report does not go through, call SSA at 1-800-772-1213 and give the person's name, Social Security number, date of birth, and date of death. Reporting the death is what stops benefit payments.

The payment that arrives after the death usually has to go back. Social Security pays a month behind, and no benefit is payable for the month in which a person died. As USAGov explains, if the person died in July, the payment received in August — which is the payment for July — must be returned. A bank will often return a direct deposit once it is told about the death; in the meantime, do not spend it, and do not cash a check received for the month of death or later. If this is missed: SSA will ask for the money back later, so the cost of getting it wrong is disruption rather than a lost right — but it is much easier to handle now than after several months of deposits. Verified August 2, 2026.

You may see this described as a "$250 death benefit." The correct amount is different. A surviving spouse may receive a one-time lump-sum death payment of $255, and if there is no spouse, some children may be eligible. It is normally a separate application — Form SSA-8 — and SSA requires the application within two years of the death. Not everyone who was married to the person qualifies; SSA applies its own eligibility rules, so ask rather than assume. If the two years pass: the payment is generally not made — this is a federal deadline that closes an option rather than delaying it. The SSA handbook describes narrow circumstances in which the filing period can be extended, and notes that a widow or widower who was already entitled to spouse's benefits for the month before the death does not need to file a separate application — but treat the two years as real. Monthly survivor benefits are a separate matter with their own eligibility rules. Verified on ssa.gov August 2, 2026. Reporting a death to Social Security does not report it to every other agency, and USAGov's list of agencies to notify shows what else may apply.

Employer or former employer. Call if there may be final pay, unused leave, workplace life insurance, a pension, a retirement plan, or health coverage that other family members depend on. Coverage for a surviving spouse or children can have its own election deadlines set by the plan, not by state law, so ask the benefits office what those are in writing. If a plan election deadline passes, the option is usually gone, and it is the plan rather than a court that decides whether anything can be reopened.

The credit bureaus. USAGov's list of who to tell includes banks, credit card companies, and the credit bureaus. Telling them early is worth doing, because the news reaches them slowly by other routes. Ask each bureau what it requires and from whom. This is a notification, not an account closure — do not close, reopen, or consolidate accounts until someone has recognized authority.

Insurance that protects property. Property, homeowners, renters, and auto insurance should stay in force while occupancy, title, and authority are being sorted out. A house that becomes vacant may be treated differently under the policy, and a lapse at the wrong moment can be expensive. Tell the insurer what has happened, ask specifically how the policy treats a vacant or unoccupied property, and get the answer in writing.

What can wait, and what not to do yet

Most of what feels urgent is not. Whether probate is required, which creditors get paid and in what order, what the final tax returns look like, whether accounts are retitled or closed, whether the house is sold — all of that depends on the state where the person lived, where any real property sits, how each asset is titled, what the will or trust says, whether the estate can pay what it owes, and who holds recognized authority. Our explainer on how probate works walks through the process where probate applies. It does not decide whether it applies to a specific estate; that is a question for the probate court in the decedent's county and an attorney licensed in that state.

Seven things to hold off on

1. Do not use the person's debit card, credit card, or online accounts, and do not sign their name. Convenience now becomes a problem when the estate is accounted for. For the same reason, do not move the person's money into your own account, even to keep it safe — keeping estate money separate from your own is one of the duties a court holds a personal representative to. The same duty covers buying something from the estate yourself, selling estate property to a relative at a friendly price, or paying yourself back without a record: self-dealing and failing to keep an account are the two things a court looks at hardest.
2. Do not pay the person's unsecured debts out of your own money because a collector asked. Debts are generally paid from the estate, and the estate's own order of payment matters.
3. Do not cancel property insurance, utilities, a phone number, or email access. Those systems preserve the estate and often hold the records the estate needs.
4. Do not distribute or remove belongings, even by family agreement. Ownership is a legal question, and a personal representative who distributes early can be held responsible for what the estate later cannot pay. Court self-help materials make the exposure concrete: the Superior Court of California, County of Orange tells personal representatives they may become personally liable for the payment of taxes if, before the estate is distributed and they are discharged, they had notice of a tax obligation or failed to exercise due diligence about whether one existed. That is one county's guidance to its own filers, and each state sets the exact shape of the exposure.
5. Do not sell, retitle, or clean out real property. Title, occupancy, mortgage terms, and any co-owner's rights all have to be established first, and property in another state usually needs its own separate proceeding there, often called ancillary administration.
6. Do not settle who gets what, even informally. If you are both a beneficiary and the person likely to be appointed, you are on both sides of that conversation. That is the ordinary situation rather than a scandal, and it is also a conflict a court recognizes, which is why those decisions wait for authority and a record.
7. Do not accept, use, or move an inherited asset before you know whether you want it. Refusing an inheritance is a real option with a real clock. Under federal law a qualified disclaimer must be in writing, must reach the right person no later than nine months after the death, and only counts if you have not already accepted the interest or any of its benefits (26 U.S.C. § 2518). Separately, many states let a surviving spouse elect a statutory share instead of what the will provides, and those elections have their own state deadlines. If either window passes: the option is gone rather than delayed. Neither is a first-week task — but using the account, cashing the check, or moving in can quietly end the choice before anyone has explained that it existed. If anyone has mentioned disclaiming, or if you are a surviving spouse and what the will leaves you is a problem, ask an attorney licensed in that state before you use anything. Verified August 2, 2026.

Where any of these is genuinely unavoidable — a mortgage payment coming due, a business that cannot pause, a property that must be secured — ask the institution what it will accept, and get an attorney licensed in the decedent's state involved before acting rather than after.

If the person received Medicaid for long-term care. Medicaid.gov explains that states must seek recovery from the estate of someone who was 55 or older and received nursing facility services, home and community-based services, or related hospital and prescription drug services, and that states may not recover from the estate of an enrollee survived by a spouse, a child under 21, or a blind or disabled child of any age. States must also have a procedure for waiving recovery where it would cause undue hardship. Whether a surviving family member bars recovery outright or only postpones it, what is recoverable, and how, are all set by each state. This is a later question rather than a first-week one, and an elder law attorney in that state is the right person to ask.

About debts. A person's debts are generally paid out of their estate, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says survivors, including spouses, are generally not responsible for paying a relative's debts out of their own money, though specific exceptions exist. The practical rule for this week is narrower than the legal question: when a collector calls, write down the company, the caller, and the account details, say that the person has died and that no estate representative has been appointed yet, ask for everything in writing, and do not pay from your own funds.

The limits on collectors are specific, and worth knowing before the next call. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's guidance for survivors explains that if you are not the surviving spouse, the parent of a minor child who died, or the estate's personal representative, a collector may contact you once to find out who is handling the estate — and that a collector may not say or hint that you are responsible for paying the debt with your own money. A collector must also give you details about the debt in its first communication with you or within five days, in what is called a validation notice, and if you dispute the debt in writing within 30 days the collector must stop contacting you until it validates the debt in writing. The Federal Trade Commission sets out the same ground on who is responsible and how collectors may contact family members. A collector's confidence is not a determination of what you owe.

Mail and calls that will start arriving. In the weeks after a death, unsolicited offers tend to find families, and court filings are public records in most places. Most of it is ordinary marketing. Three kinds deserve a flat no. Companies offering cash now against an expected inheritance are selling an advance rather than paying you early, and no one should sign one before an attorney has read it. Letters offering to buy the house, or an heir's share of an estate, ask you to sell something before anyone knows what it is worth. And California's Attorney General describes a long-running pattern of free seminars and in-home appointments about trusts and estates, run by people presenting themselves as estate planners, sometimes as a route to a family's financial information and other products. Nothing that arrives unsolicited needs an answer this month. When you do want one, your state bar association and your state attorney general's consumer division both take questions at no charge.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to pay for the funeral?

Not out of your own money, unless you sign a contract agreeing to. Funeral costs are normally paid from the estate or a prepaid plan, and whoever signs the funeral home's contract is who it bills. Do not sign for more than the estate can cover, assuming you will be reimbursed later. Who has the legal right to arrange a funeral is set by state law.

Can I use my parent's bank account to pay their bills?

There is no universal yes or no, and family agreement does not decide it. It depends on how the account is titled, whether you are a joint owner rather than an authorized user or an agent under a power of attorney, the bank's policy, and the law of the state where the person lived. An agent's authority ends at death. Call the bank, ask what it accepts and from whom, and speak to an attorney in that state first.

How long does it take to settle an estate?

Longer than most people expect, and the pace is set by the slowest dependency rather than an average: the state's creditor-claim period — the window state law gives creditors to bring claims against the estate, which is set by statute and differs substantially from state to state — plus the court's calendar, how quickly a personal representative is appointed, any inventory or appraisal, a real-property sale, tax filings, and whether anyone contests anything. Small, uncontested estates with no real property move much faster. Ask the decedent's county probate court about its timelines; treat national figures as background.

What does the first month usually cost?

Separate the costs that get lumped together. Certified copies are priced per copy by the vital records office. Funeral goods and services are priced by the provider and itemized on its General Price List. If probate is opened, the court filing fee is set by the state or county and published in that court's fee schedule, separately from publication, bond, and appraisal costs. Attorney fees are separate again — hourly, flat, or set by state statute. Ask for the fee basis in writing.

Are a person's debts forgiven when they die?

No, and that framing causes real harm. Debts become claims against the estate, and the estate pays what it can in the order its state requires. If the estate has nothing, most unsecured debts go unpaid — different from being forgiven, and different again from becoming yours. Survivors are generally not personally responsible, with exceptions for co-signed debts, joint accounts, community-property rules in some states, and certain state laws on a spouse's liability for particular expenses. Secured debts such as a mortgage stay attached to the property.

What comes next, and your next three tasks

When the first week is behind you, the work changes character: it becomes administration rather than emergency. Our executor checklist for the months ahead covers what a personal representative actually does once authority is recognized, in the order it usually has to happen. When you need support rather than tasks instead, grief and bereavement resources are there, with no offers attached.

For today, do this. Write down the next three tasks — only three — with a name beside each one. Ask one person you trust to take one of them and to tell you when it is finished. Then open the single official resource that matches where you are right now: the funeral director or hospice team for the arrangements, the state vital records office for certificates, or the probate court in the county where the person lived for anything involving authority. If you do not know which court that is, search the name of that county plus "probate court" — or "surrogate's court" in some states — and the county's own court site will list its self-help page, its forms, and its filing fees.

Three tasks and one person is enough for today. The rest of it will still be there when you have more to give it, and almost none of it is harmed by waiting.

About this page

Estate Made Clear is an independent educational publisher. What you are reading is process education, not legal, tax, or financial advice, and reading it does not create a professional relationship with anyone. We are not a law firm, a court, a government agency, a tax preparer, a fiduciary, an insurer, or a funeral provider, and we cannot tell you what the law is in your situation.

This page is written and maintained by the Estate Made Clear editorial team. What we offer is method rather than credentials: every consequential statement here is built from the government, court, or agency source that governs it, and where we have not verified something, we say so on the page instead of filling the gap. This page has not yet been reviewed by a licensed attorney or tax professional. When that review happens, the reviewer's name and the date will appear here.

This page and our grief and bereavement resources carry no advertising, no affiliate links, no lead forms, and no sponsored placements. That is a permanent rule for both pages, not a temporary state, and it is why hospice and bereavement programs can share them without sending anyone toward a sale. Other pages on this site may carry advertising, or links to services that pay us a referral fee; these two never will, and no provider pays for placement anywhere on the site.

Every consequential statement here links to the government, court, or agency source it rests on. Where a rule differs by state, we say so and route you to the office that can answer for your state rather than guessing. The date below is when those sources were last checked; when a source changes, the page and the date change with it. We recheck federal and state sources on this page at least annually, and sooner when a statute, form, or agency page changes. If you find something here that is wrong or out of date, tell us at hello@estatemadeclear.com — we correct it and change the date on the page.

Sources and last verified date

Last verified: August 2, 2026

Next review: August 2027, or sooner when a cited statute, form, or agency page changes.

• How to get a certified copy of a death certificate — USAGov — State and local issuance of death certificates, certified copies versus photocopies, access limits, and the Consular Report of Death Abroad.
• Agencies to notify when someone dies — USAGov — Which federal and other agencies, financial institutions, and credit bureaus need to be told about a death and by whom.
• Report the death of a Social Security or Medicare beneficiary — USAGov — The month-of-death rule and why a payment received after the death must be returned.
• Where to Write for Vital Records — CDC/NCHS — Directory of state and territory vital records offices, and confirmation that the federal government does not issue these certificates.
• What to do when someone dies — Social Security Administration — Funeral-home reporting of deaths, how to report a death directly, and the information SSA asks for.
• Lump-sum death payment — Social Security Administration — The $255 one-time payment, who may be eligible, and the two-year application window.
• Form SSA-8, Application for Lump-Sum Death Payment — Social Security Administration — The application itself, and its statement that it must be filed within two years of the death.
• Time limit for applying for the lump-sum death payment — SSA Handbook §1517 — The two-year filing period, the narrow circumstances in which it can be extended, and when a surviving spouse need not file a separate application.
• What To Do After Someone Dies — National Institute on Aging — Place-of-death context, official pronouncement, and hospice and facility practice.
• The FTC Funeral Rule — Federal Trade Commission — Telephone price disclosure, the General Price List, itemized selection rights, and the written statement before payment.
• Burial and memorial benefits for family members — U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs — Veteran burial, headstone and marker, and burial allowance benefits available to family members.
• Death Abroad — U.S. Department of State — Consular assistance when a U.S. citizen dies overseas, disposition of remains, and the Consular Report of Death Abroad.
• Deceased Donation — Health Resources and Services Administration — The role of organ procurement organizations and why donation decisions are time-sensitive.
• 26 U.S.C. § 2518, Disclaimers — Office of the Law Revision Counsel — The nine-month deadline for a qualified disclaimer and the requirement that the person has not accepted the interest or any of its benefits.
• Texas Estates Code chapter 205 — Texas Constitution and Statutes — Section 205.001: the $75,000 small estate affidavit limit measured excluding homestead and exempt property, the intestacy requirement, and the 30-day waiting period.
• Surrogate's Court Procedure Act article 13 — New York State Senate — Section 1301: New York's small estate defined as personal property with a gross value of $50,000 or less, and section 1302 on the exclusion of real property.
• California Probate Code section 8200 — California Legislative Information — The 30-day duty of a will's custodian to deliver it to the superior court clerk and a copy to the named executor, and liability for failing to do so.
• Florida Statutes section 732.901 — Online Sunshine, Florida Legislature — The 10-day duty to deposit a will with the clerk, and the costs, damages, and fees a court may adjudge against a delinquent custodian.
• 755 ILCS 5/6-1, Duty to file will — Illinois General Assembly — The duty to file a will immediately upon death, the court's power to compel production, and the felony provision for willfully secreting a will.
• General Laws chapter 190B section 2-516 — Massachusetts Legislature — The 30-day duty of a will's custodian after notice of death, and liability and contempt for failing to deliver.
• MCL 700.2516 — Michigan Legislature — The duty to forward a will to the court with reasonable promptness, and liability and contempt for neglect or refusal.
• Surrogate's Court Procedure Act article 14 — New York State Senate — Section 1401 on compelling production of a will and the court's power to impose the petitioner's attorney's fees.
• Ohio Revised Code section 2107.09 — Ohio Laws — Confinement until a concealed or withheld will is produced, and liability to an aggrieved party for damages.
• Ohio Revised Code section 2107.10 — Ohio Laws — Loss of a beneficiary's inheritance where the beneficiary conceals a will or fails to have it offered for probate within one year of the death.
• Texas Estates Code chapter 252 — Texas Constitution and Statutes — The custodian's duty to deliver a will on notice of death, the court's power to compel appearance, and liability for damages on refusal.
• Does a person's debt go away when they die? — Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — Estate liability for debts, the limited circumstances in which a survivor may be personally responsible, and the validation notice a collector must provide.
• When a loved one dies and debt collectors come calling — Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — What a debt collector may and may not do when contacting family members after a death, and the 30-day written dispute.
• Help for agents under a power of attorney — Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — An agent's authority ends at the person's death, and the agent should notify the bank promptly.
• Debts and Deceased Relatives — Federal Trade Commission — Who is responsible for a deceased person's debts and the limits on debt-collector contact with family members.
• Estate Recovery — Medicaid.gov — When states must seek recovery from an estate for long-term care services, the family circumstances that bar recovery, and the undue-hardship waiver requirement.
• Living Trust Scams — California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General — The seminar and in-home-appointment pattern used to sell trusts and reach consumers' financial information.
• Administering the Probate Estate — Superior Court of California, County of Orange — Court self-help guidance that a personal representative may become personally liable for taxes if the estate is distributed without due diligence about tax obligations.
• I Need Legal Help — Legal Services Corporation — Locator for LSC-funded civil legal aid organizations serving every state, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories.
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — SAMHSA — 24/7 crisis support by call, text, or chat.