Practical guide
The Death Admin Checklist: Everything That Needs Doing
When someone dies, the paperwork arrives before you are ready for it. This checklist walks through the admin in the order it usually needs doing, with detailed step-by-step guides for the UK, Ireland and the US.
Start with your country's checklist
- United Kingdom: registering the death, Tell Us Once, probate and who to notify
- Ireland: registering the death, death certificates and social protection
- United States: death certificates, Social Security and estate steps
Almost nothing on this list is genuinely urgent. Everything can wait a day.
The admin, step by step
The broad order is the same in most countries. Your country's checklist above fills in the specific offices, deadlines and costs.
Get the medical certificate
A doctor issues the medical certificate of cause of death. The hospital, hospice or GP surgery will tell you when it is ready. You need it before you can register the death.
Register the death
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland you register within 5 days (8 in Scotland). In Ireland you have 3 months. In the US the funeral home usually files the death certificate for you.
Order extra death certificates
Banks, insurers and pension providers each ask for a certified copy. Ordering several at registration is cheaper and faster than ordering them one at a time later.
Arrange the funeral
Take a breath before committing. Prices vary widely between funeral directors, and you are entitled to an itemised quote. Our country guides cover typical costs and what is optional.
Tell government services
The UK's Tell Us Once service notifies most departments in one appointment. In Ireland you contact the Department of Social Protection and Revenue. In the US, the funeral home usually notifies Social Security.
Notify banks, insurers, utilities and the landlord or lender
Most banks have a dedicated bereavement team. Accounts are usually frozen until probate or a small-estate process completes, so ask early about access to funds for the funeral.
Close or memorialise online accounts
Social media, email and subscription services each have their own process for a death. Facebook and Instagram can memorialise an account rather than delete it.
Look after the memory, when you are ready
Once the urgent admin settles, some families create a private online memorial as a place for photos, stories and the eulogy. There is no deadline for this part.
Why death admin takes longer than anyone expects
The urgent part is usually over within two or three weeks: registration, the funeral, the first notifications. The long tail is what surprises people. Probate, insurance claims, pension transfers and account closures commonly run for six to twelve months, and most families end up dealing with twenty to forty separate organisations.
Money decisions land early, before you have had time to think. If you are planning ahead or budgeting now, we keep honest cost guides for funerals in the UK, Ireland and the US.
Some of the hardest tasks are not forms at all. If you have been asked to write something, our guides to writing an obituary and writing a eulogy include structures and real examples to start from.
Common questions
What is death admin?
Death admin is the collective name for the paperwork and notifications that follow a death: registering it, ordering certificates, telling government departments, banks, insurers and utility companies, and settling the estate. Most families deal with twenty to forty separate organisations.
What has to happen first?
Registration. Almost everything else, from bank notifications to probate, requires the death certificate, so registering the death and ordering enough certified copies unblocks the rest of the list.
How long does death admin take?
The urgent part is usually done inside two to three weeks. The long tail of probate, insurance claims and account closures commonly takes six to twelve months, longer if the estate is complex.
Do I need a solicitor?
Not always. Small estates in the UK and Ireland can often be settled without one, and many US states have simplified procedures below certain thresholds. If there is property, a dispute, or no will, professional advice is usually worth the fee. This guide is general information, not legal advice.
A place for the part that is not admin
When the forms quieten down, a private memorial gives family a place for photos, stories and condolences. Invite-only by default, with no advertising.
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