What to Do When Someone Dies: A Step-by-Step Checklist
When you lose someone, the to-do list can feel impossible on top of the grief. This is a calm, ordered checklist of what actually has to happen — and when. Almost none of it is urgent in the first hour, so give yourself room to breathe first.
First, take a breath
There is no task in the first hour that can't wait until you've steadied yourself. The only thing that has to happen quickly is a legal pronouncement of death — and if your loved one was in a hospital or hospice, the staff are already handling it. Everything below can be done over days and weeks, often with help. Keep this checklist nearby and work through it at your own pace.
In the first few days
1. Get a legal pronouncement of death
A medical professional must formally declare the death before a death certificate can be issued. In a hospital, hospice, or care facility, staff do this automatically. If the death happens at home without hospice involved, call 911 (or your local non-emergency line); emergency responders or the coroner will handle the pronouncement.
If the death happened at home
What to do when someone dies at home depends on their care. If they were in hospice, do not call 911 — call the hospice's 24-hour line, and a hospice nurse will come to confirm the death and handle the paperwork. If the death was unexpected, or they were not under hospice or a doctor's care, call 911. Either way, the death must be formally pronounced by someone in authority — a hospice nurse, a doctor, or the medical examiner — and there's no need to move the body right away. You have time for customs, rituals, and to gather the people who want to be there.
2. Contact a funeral home, crematory, or donation program
Whether your loved one wanted burial, cremation, or to donate their body, this is the next call. The funeral director coordinates transport and the disposition you've chosen — and, helpfully, usually reports the death to Social Security for you (more on that below).
3. Order certified copies of the death certificate
You'll need certified copies — not photocopies — to settle nearly everything: banks, insurers, retirement accounts, and government agencies. USA.gov notes you'll need the person's Social Security number and certified copies of the death certificate for most agencies and programs. Order more than you think you'll need — many institutions require an original and won't return it. The funeral home can usually order them for you.
4. Secure their home and belongings
Lock up the home, arrange care for any pets, forward the mail, and safeguard valuables and important paperwork — especially the will, financial records, and an emergency binder if one exists. This also reduces the risk of theft or fraud during a vulnerable time.
Two things you'll reach for again and again
Keep the person's Social Security number and a stack of certified death certificates together. Per USA.gov, you'll need both for most agencies, banks, and benefit programs — having them in hand turns a dozen phone calls into quick ones.
Notify Social Security and Medicare
The funeral director typically reports the death to the Social Security Administration — but confirm it was done, and don't assume. If a funeral home isn't involved or didn't report it, you must. Call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778); you can't report a death online. Have the person's name, Social Security number, date of birth, and date of death ready. SSA then notifies Medicare automatically.
Don't keep the final benefit payment
Social Security is paid the month after it's earned, and a person must live the entire month to be entitled to that month's benefit. So the payment for the month of death generally has to be returned — even if they died on the last day of the month. If benefits arrive by direct deposit, tell the bank the person has died and ask it to return any funds received for the month of death or later.
Surviving family may also be eligible for benefits. A one-time lump-sum death payment of $255 can go to a qualifying surviving spouse or child, and some survivors qualify for ongoing monthly benefits. There's a deadline: the lump-sum payment must be applied for within two years of the date of death. Call Social Security to ask what the survivors are entitled to.
From our shop
The End of Life Planner
Doing this for someone who left no instructions is agonizing. The End of Life Planner is the executor's handoff — accounts, wishes, passwords, and documents in one place — so your own family is never left guessing.
View details →Notify the other agencies and companies
Over the following weeks, work through the organizations the person dealt with — canceling benefits, closing or transferring accounts, and flagging the death to prevent identity theft. Per USA.gov, that includes:
- Banks, credit-card companies, and the three credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) — close or transfer accounts and place a deceased flag to block identity theft
- Insurance companies — life, health, auto, and home — to file claims or cancel coverage
- Employer or former employer and any pension plan — for final pay and survivor benefits
- The state motor-vehicles office — cancel the driver's license or ID and transfer vehicle titles
- The IRS — you must file the person's final income-tax return for the year of death
- The U.S. Department of State — return the passport for cancellation
- State social-services office — cancel benefit programs like Medicaid, SNAP, or TANF
- Your local election office — cancel the voter registration
- Utilities, subscriptions, and memberships the person paid for
Our pick
Online estate-settlement help
Settling an estate involves probate, asset transfers, and a lot of paperwork. An online estate service can walk a surviving spouse or executor through the steps — and help set up the wills, trusts, and powers of attorney that make the next loss far simpler for the family.
Use a licensed attorney for anything complex; this is educational, not legal advice.Our pick
Books that help you through it
The logistics are one thing; the grief is another. A short shelf of practical and supportive books — on executor duties, probate basics, and moving through loss — can be steadying in the first weeks. Buying through an independent-bookshop platform supports local stores at no extra cost to you.
We point to titles we'd hand a grieving friend.Settling the estate
Locate the will and identify the named executor (or personal representative). Depending on the size of the estate and your state's rules, it may need to go through probate — the court process that validates the will and authorizes the executor to distribute assets. For anything beyond a simple estate, talk to an estate attorney; the cost is usually small next to the risk of doing it wrong. (This is general information, not legal advice.)
Watch for identity theft after a death
Scammers target the recently deceased — it's sometimes called "ghosting." Reporting the death promptly to Social Security and the three credit bureaus, shredding sensitive mail, and watching the person's accounts for a few months are the simplest defenses.
The “First Two Weeks” After-Death Checklist
A printable, ordered checklist of everything on this page — the calls to make, the documents to gather, and the agencies to notify — so nothing slips through during a hard time. Tell us where to send it.
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Good to know
Common questions
What is the first thing to do when someone dies?
Get a legal pronouncement of death. In a hospital or hospice, staff handle it automatically. If the death happens at home without hospice involved, call 911 or your local authorities, who will arrange for a medical professional or coroner to make the pronouncement. A death certificate can't be issued without it.
What do I do when someone dies at home?
It depends on their care. If they were in hospice, don't call 911 — call the hospice's 24-hour number, and a nurse will come to confirm the death and complete the paperwork. If the death was unexpected or they weren't under hospice or a doctor's care, call 911. Either way the death still has to be officially pronounced by someone in authority, and you don't need to move the body right away.
Who reports a death to Social Security?
The funeral home usually reports it for you, but confirm it was done. If no funeral home is involved, call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) with the person's name, Social Security number, date of birth, and date of death. You cannot report a death online.
Does the last Social Security payment have to be returned?
Usually yes. A person must live the entire month to be entitled to that month's benefit, so the payment for the month of death generally must be returned. If benefits come by direct deposit, notify the bank so it can return funds received for the month of death or later.
Is there a Social Security death benefit?
Yes — a one-time lump-sum death payment of $255 can go to a qualifying surviving spouse or child, and some survivors qualify for ongoing monthly benefits. The lump-sum payment must be applied for within two years of the date of death.
How many death certificates do I need?
More than you'd expect. Banks, insurers, retirement plans, and government agencies often each require a certified original and won't return it. Many families order ten or more. The funeral home can usually order certified copies for you.
Who do I need to notify after a death?
Social Security (which notifies Medicare), banks and the three credit bureaus, insurance companies, the employer and any pension plan, the DMV, the IRS for the final tax return, the State Department to cancel a passport, state social services for benefit programs, and your local election office.
Do I need a lawyer to settle the estate?
Not always, but it helps. Simple estates may avoid probate or use a streamlined process; larger or contested estates usually go through probate, where an estate attorney is worth the cost. This page is general information, not legal advice.
Spare your own family this
Get your own affairs in order
The kindest gift you can leave is a clear plan. Our End of Life Planner walks you through documenting your wishes, accounts, and instructions — so no one you love ever has to guess.
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