What to Do When Someone Dies: A Practical Checklist (US)

Someone you love has died. You might be reading this within hours of it happening, or days, or weeks. You might be in shock. You might be calm in a way that surprises you. You might be both at once.

Whatever you're feeling, there are things that need doing, and right now the thought of dealing with paperwork and phone calls probably feels impossible. This guide is here to walk you through it. One step at a time, in roughly the order things need to happen, with no jargon and no assumptions about what you already know.

The United States doesn't have a single national process for dealing with a death. Laws around death certificates, probate, and estate administration vary by state. This guide covers the steps that are common across most states and links to federal resources where they exist. For anything state-specific, especially probate, you'll need to check the rules for the state where the person lived or died.

What to do in the first hours after someone dies

If they died at home and it was expected, call their hospice provider if they were under hospice care. A hospice nurse can make the legal pronouncement of death and will guide you through the next steps, including contacting the funeral home. If they were not under hospice care but their death was expected (a terminal illness, advanced age), call their doctor. The doctor can certify the cause of death.

If they died at home and it was unexpected, call 911. Paramedics will respond and can make a legal pronouncement of death. Depending on the circumstances, the police or the county medical examiner (or coroner, depending on your state) may also need to be involved. This is a standard legal process, not something to be afraid of. They are there to determine the cause of death.

If they died in a hospital or care facility, the staff will handle the immediate medical steps. A doctor will pronounce the death and complete their portion of the death certificate. The facility will keep the body until a funeral home is contacted to arrange transport.

You do not need to do anything else right now. The person you love is safe. Nothing administrative is so urgent that it can't wait until tomorrow. If it's the middle of the night, go to bed. If you can't sleep, that's fine too. The next steps can wait until morning.

What to do in the first few days (steps and checklist)

Contact a funeral home. Most families choose a funeral home early in the process, because the funeral home handles many of the practical steps, including transporting the body, filing the death certificate with the state, and helping with arrangements. You don't have to use a funeral home (in most states, families can handle arrangements themselves), but most people do.

Under the FTC Funeral Rule, all funeral homes in the US are legally required to give you an itemised General Price List before you commit to any purchases. You are entitled to choose only the services you want. Get quotes from more than one funeral home if you can. Prices vary significantly.

Get the death certificate filed. The death certificate is one of the most important documents in the entire process. You'll need it for nearly everything that follows, from closing bank accounts to filing insurance claims to settling the estate.

In most states, the death certificate is completed in two parts. The medical section (cause of death) is completed by the attending physician, medical examiner, or coroner. The personal information section (name, date of birth, Social Security number, and other details) is typically completed by the funeral home, using information you provide.

The funeral home files the completed certificate with the vital records office in the county or state where the death occurred. This can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks, depending on the state.

Order certified copies of the death certificate. You'll need multiple certified copies, not photocopies. Order at least 10. You'll send them to banks, insurance companies, the Social Security Administration, the employer, the DMV, and potentially the probate court. Many organisations require an original certified copy, and having several means you can deal with multiple institutions at the same time rather than waiting for one to return it.

The funeral home can usually order copies on your behalf. You can also order them directly from the vital records office in the state where the death occurred. Costs vary by state, typically $5 to $25 per copy. Find your state's vital records office at cdc.gov/nchs/w2w.

Notify Social Security. The funeral home will usually report the death to the Social Security Administration (SSA) on your behalf. If they don't, or if a funeral home isn't involved, call the SSA at 1-800-772-1213. Any Social Security benefits the person was receiving will stop. You must return any payment received for the month they died. The surviving spouse may be eligible for a one-time lump sum death payment of $255 and ongoing survivor benefits. Visit ssa.gov for details.

Tell the people who need to know. Family, friends, their employer if they were working, their doctor, their landlord if they rented, their neighbours. This is one of the hardest tasks. You don't have to do it all yourself. Ask someone to help you make calls or send messages.

If you're finding it hard to know how to break the news, or how to reply when messages of sympathy start arriving, our guide on what to say when someone dies has gentle wording and examples you can borrow.

Decide on burial or cremation. You don't need to finalise every detail immediately, but the funeral home will need a general direction so that permits and paperwork can be started. If cremation is chosen, you can decide later what to do with the ashes. If burial is chosen, you'll need to select a cemetery and purchase a plot if one hasn't already been arranged.

What to do in the first few weeks after a death

Arrange the funeral or memorial service. The funeral home will guide you through the options and costs. Funerals in the US typically take place within three days to a week of the death, though there's no legal deadline in most states. If money is tight, ask about direct cremation or direct burial, which are the least expensive options. You can still hold a memorial service separately.

Notify banks and financial institutions. Contact every bank, credit union, brokerage, and financial institution where the person had accounts. You'll need a death certificate and, if you're the executor or administrator, your letters testamentary or letters of administration (the court document that gives you legal authority over the estate). Banks will typically freeze individual accounts until probate is completed. Joint accounts usually remain accessible to the surviving account holder.

Notify insurance companies. Life insurance, health insurance, car insurance, homeowners or renters insurance. For life insurance, you'll need to file a claim with the death certificate and the policy number. Ask the employer's HR department whether the person had any employer-provided life insurance or accidental death benefits.

Contact their employer. If the person was employed, contact their HR department. Ask about any outstanding salary or wages, unused vacation pay, death-in-service benefits, employer life insurance, retirement accounts (401(k), pension), and COBRA health insurance continuation options for surviving family members.

Check whether you need probate. Probate is the legal process of settling someone's estate, distributing their assets and paying their debts. Whether you need probate depends on the state, the value of the estate, and how assets were held.

In general, you may not need probate if all assets were jointly held, had named beneficiaries (like life insurance or retirement accounts), or were held in a living trust. You may need probate if the person owned property, bank accounts, or investments in their sole name.

Probate is handled by the probate court in the county where the person lived. The process, timeline, and costs vary enormously by state. Some states offer simplified probate for small estates (often under $50,000 to $100,000, depending on the state). Others require full probate for any estate with real property.

If there's a will, the named executor files it with the probate court and applies for letters testamentary. If there's no will, the closest relative applies for letters of administration. The court then grants the legal authority to manage the estate.

Consider hiring a probate attorney, especially for larger or more complex estates. Many offer a free initial consultation. You can find attorneys through your state bar association.

Look for a will. Check the person's home, their attorney, their safe deposit box, and any documents they may have left. If there is a will, it will name an executor. If there is no will, the estate is distributed according to your state's intestacy laws, which determine who inherits based on family relationships.

Things that can wait

Not everything needs to happen in the first few weeks. Some tasks are important but not urgent, and it's perfectly fine to deal with them over the coming months when you have the energy.

Cancel subscriptions and recurring charges. Go through their bank and credit card statements and identify any recurring payments: streaming services, phone contracts, insurance, gym memberships, magazines, software subscriptions, app store subscriptions. Cancel anything that's no longer needed. Some companies will refund payments made after the date of death if you provide a death certificate.

Forward their mail. Go to the post office and set up mail forwarding to yourself or whoever is managing the estate. This prevents important documents from piling up at an empty home and helps you identify accounts and obligations you might not have known about.

Deal with their home. If they lived alone, make sure the property is secure and insured. You don't need to clear it immediately. If they were renting, review the lease terms, some states allow early termination after a death. If they owned the property, it will be handled through probate or passed according to how the title was held.

Deal with their social media and online accounts. This can feel overwhelming, especially if you don't know their passwords. Most platforms have processes for memorialising or deleting accounts after death. Our guide on what happens to social media accounts when someone dies covers the major platforms step by step. If the person did any digital legacy planning in advance, check for a password manager, a written list of accounts, or any legacy contacts they may have set up through Apple, Google, or Facebook.

Notify other agencies and organisations. Contact the DMV to cancel their driver's licence (this helps prevent identity theft). Return their passport to the US Department of State if you wish, or keep it as a memento. Cancel their voter registration through the local election board. If they were a veteran, contact the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) about burial benefits and survivor benefits at va.gov.

File their final tax return. A final federal income tax return (Form 1040) must be filed for the year the person died, covering income from January 1 through the date of death. The filing deadline is the normal April 15 of the following year. If the estate earns income after the date of death, a separate estate tax return (Form 1041) may also be required. If the estate exceeds the federal estate tax exemption ($13.99 million per individual in 2025), a federal estate tax return is required. State estate tax thresholds vary and are often much lower. Consider hiring a CPA or tax professional if the estate is complex.

Create a memorial. When you're ready, and there is no rush, you may want to create a lasting space to honour the person you've lost. An online memorial gives friends and family a place to gather photos, stories, and tributes, somewhere everyone who loved them can contribute, regardless of where they are. Our guide on how to create a meaningful online memorial walks through the process step by step.

Things people often forget

Social Security survivor benefits. A surviving spouse may be eligible for ongoing monthly survivor benefits based on the deceased's work record. Surviving children under 18 (or up to 19 if still in high school) may also be eligible. The one-time death payment of $255 is available to a surviving spouse or qualifying child. Contact the SSA at 1-800-772-1213 or visit ssa.gov.

Veterans benefits. If the person was a veteran, the VA may help with burial costs, provide a headstone or marker, and offer survivor benefits. Burial in a national cemetery is free for eligible veterans and their spouses. Contact the VA at 1-800-827-1000 or visit va.gov/burials-memorials.

Employer benefits. Check whether the employer offers any death-related benefits: life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment coverage, retirement accounts, unused PTO, or COBRA continuation of health insurance. Many people don't realise their employer had a group life insurance policy on their behalf.

Identity theft protection. Unfortunately, identity theft targeting deceased individuals is common. Request that the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) place a deceased alert on the person's credit file. This helps prevent fraudulent accounts from being opened in their name. You can also register them with the Deceased Do Not Contact (DDNC) list to reduce unwanted mail.

Loyalty points, airline miles, and rewards. These can sometimes be worth hundreds or thousands of dollars. Check airline frequent flyer accounts, hotel loyalty programmes, credit card rewards, and any other points-based accounts. Policies on transferring points after death vary by programme.

Their phone contract. If they had a mobile phone contract, contact the carrier. You may be able to cancel without an early termination fee. If the phone is locked, you may need the passcode to access their data, photos, and messages.

Safe deposit box. If the person had a safe deposit box at a bank, access rules vary by state. Some states seal the box upon notification of death and require a court order or the executor's letters testamentary to open it. Ask the bank about their specific requirements.

Who to contact and getting help when someone dies

You don't have to do any of this alone. If you're struggling, whether with the practical steps or with grief itself, help is available.

USA.gov has a federal guide to what to do when someone dies, including how to notify government agencies and apply for benefits. Visit usa.gov/death-loved-one.

The Social Security Administration handles survivor benefits and death reporting. Call 1-800-772-1213 or visit ssa.gov.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7 at 988 (call or text) for anyone in emotional crisis or distress.

GriefShare offers grief support groups in communities across the US. Find a group near you at griefshare.org.

The National Alliance for Grieving Children provides resources for supporting bereaved children and teens. Visit childrengrieve.org.

The National Institute on Aging has a practical guide to getting affairs in order, including end-of-life planning documents. Visit nia.nih.gov.

A probate attorney can help with estate administration, especially for larger or more complex estates. Many offer a free initial consultation. Find one through your state bar association's lawyer referral service.

A CPA or tax professional can help with the deceased's final tax return and any estate tax obligations.

You don't have to do all of this today

Read back through this list and you might feel overwhelmed. That's understandable. But here is what actually needs to happen soon: get a legal pronouncement of death, contact a funeral home, and begin the death certificate process. Everything else can be dealt with over the weeks and months ahead, at your own pace.

The urgent things are few. The important things can wait until you're ready. And the people and organisations you need to contact will understand that you're dealing with a bereavement. Most will be patient. Most will be kind.

Be gentle with yourself. Ask for help when you need it. And know that the fact you're reading this at all, trying to do right by someone you love, is enough.

Disclaimer

The information contained in this article is provided for general guidance purposes only and is believed to be accurate as of its publication date. However, laws, regulations, fees, and government services are subject to change. Laws around death certificates, probate, and estate administration vary significantly by state. Left This World Memorial Ltd cannot guarantee the absolute accuracy or completeness of the information presented and accepts no responsibility for any errors, omissions, or discrepancies that may exist. Legislation, fee structures, and procedural requirements may vary and are liable to change without notice.

This article is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or tax advice. We strongly recommend verifying all information with the relevant official sources (including usa.gov, ssa.gov, and your state's vital records and probate offices) before taking any action. Readers are solely responsible for their own use of this information and for ensuring they follow current procedures and requirements applicable in their state and jurisdiction.

Left This World Memorial Ltd disclaims all liability to the extent permitted by law for any loss, damage, or inconvenience resulting from reliance upon this information, whether arising from negligence, error, misstatement, omission, or any other cause whatsoever.

Official US government resources (usa.gov, SSA)

• What to do when someone dies (USA.gov): usa.gov/death-loved-one
• Agencies to notify after a death (USA.gov): usa.gov/report-a-death
• Social Security — reporting a death: ssa.gov/personal-record/when-someone-dies
• Find your state's vital records office (death certificates): cdc.gov/nchs/w2w
• FTC Funeral Rule (your rights when purchasing funeral services): consumer.ftc.gov/articles/ftc-funeral-rule
• Veterans burial benefits: va.gov/burials-memorials
• Getting affairs in order (National Institute on Aging): nia.nih.gov
• GriefShare support groups: griefshare.org
• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 (24/7)

Left This World helps families create lasting online memorials, a dedicated space to bring together photos, stories, and tributes that honour the people who matter most. Create a memorial →

When you are ready, somewhere lasting to remember them

Once the practical things are taken care of and the immediate weeks have settled, many families find they want a quiet, permanent place for the photos and stories. There is no rush. Read our gentle guide to creating a memorial page after the funeral when it feels right.