What to do when a loved one dies: A survivor’s checklist
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IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE DEATH, YOU SHOULD:
❑ 1. Contact the funeral home to take your loved one into their care.
❑ 2. Contact your minister/reverend/priest/faith-based community leader if applicable.
❑ 3. Alert immediate family members and close friends.
❑ 4. If employed, contact the deceased’s employer.
❑ 5. If applicable, notify agent under Power of Attorney.
❑ 6. Alert the executor of your loved one’s Will.
❑ 7. Notify religious, fraternal, and civic organizations that your loved one was a member of.
❑ 8. Notify your attorney regarding the probate of the estate.
❑ 9. Arrange for the care of any dependents.
❑ 10. If the deceased had any pets, arrange for their immediate care.
❑ 11. Remove any valuables from the deceased’s home, secure the residence, and take steps to make the home appear to be occupied (for example, use of lamp timers).
❑ 12. Arrange for the disposal of any perishables left in the deceased’s home such as food, refrigerated items, and existing refuse.
❑ 13. Alert the Post Office to forward the deceased’s mail.
❑ 14. Locate loved one’s important documents:
❑ Will
❑ Birth certificate
❑ Social Security card
❑ Marriage license
❑ Military discharge papers (DD-214)
❑ Deed to burial property
❑ Copy of funeral prearrangements
❑ Life insurance policies
❑15. Compile the following vital statistic information that the funeral home will need in order to finalize the death certificate:
❑ Deceased’s first, middle, and last name
❑ Deceased’s Maiden Name (if applicable)
❑ Deceased’s Home Address
❑ Deceased’s Social Security Number
❑ Deceased’s Date of Birth
❑ Deceased’s Date of Death
❑ Deceased’s Age
❑ Deceased’s Gender
❑ Marital Status
❑ Spouse’s first and last name
❑ Deceased’s highest level of education attained
❑ Deceased’s Occupation & last employer (cannot submit “retired”)
❑ Deceased’s Place of Birth (City and State)
❑ Deceased’s Father’s Name
❑ Deceased’s Mother’s Name (Maiden if applicable)
WITHIN ONE MONTH OF THE DEATH, YOU SHOULD:
❑ 1. Consult with an attorney about probate.
❑ 2. Meet with an accountant to discuss estate taxes.
❑ 3. File claims with life insurance companies.
❑ 4. Contact the Social Security Administration and other government offices that may have been making payments to the decedent. If the decedent was your spouse, inquire about your eligibility for new benefits.The agency will let Medicaid know that your loved one died. SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION 1-800-772-1213 https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/survivors/
❑ 5. Notify the Registrar of Voters.
❑ 6. If the deceased’s home is unoccupied, cancel unnecessary home services, such as newspaper delivery, cable service, Netflix, etc.
❑ 7. Cancel deceased’s prescriptions.
❑ 8. Contact the Department of Motor Vehicles to cancel the deceased’s driver’s license and transfer titles of all registered vehicles.
❑ 9. If your loved one was a veteran, inquire about benefits that you may be entitled to through the VA. DEPARTMENT OF VETERAN’S AFFAIRS 1-800-827-1000 www.vba.va.gov/VBA
❑ 10. Contact the deceased’s employer. Inquire about any 401 (k), pension, or company benefits that the decedent may be entitled to.
❑ 11. To prevent identity theft, send copies of the death certificate to Equifax (when one bureau adds a deceased notice to the person's credit file, it will notify the other two, Experian and TransUnion, eliminating the need for you to contact all three credit bureaus.
If you are the spouse of the deceased person or a representative legally authorized to act on the person's behalf, you can ask to have a deceased notice placed on a loved one's Equifax credit report by mailing a photocopy of the death certificate along with the following information about the deceased:
Legal name
Social Security number
Date of birth
Date of death
Please also include your name, your mailing address to send final confirmation and a copy of your identification, such as a driver's license or other government-issued identification. Should you need it, Equifax phone number is 1-800-685-1111 www.Equifax.com
Mail the required information to:
Equifax Information Services LLC
P.O. Box 105139
Atlanta, GA 30348-5139
❑ 12. Obtain a current copy of the deceased’s credit report.
❑ 13. If the death was accidental, verify whether benefits are available on existing insurance policies.
❑ 14. Check for any life insurance benefits available through existing credit card or loan accounts.
❑ 15. File any outstanding claims for health insurance or Medicare
❑ 16. Obtain copies of the deceased’s outstanding bills.
❑ 17. Locate and/or obtain other important paperwork of the necessary paperwork for the settlement of their estate:
❑ At least 10 copies of the certified Death Certificates
❑ Real estate deeds and titles
❑ Stock certificates
❑ Real estate titles
❑ Loan paperwork
❑ Bank and retirement account statements
❑ Last 4 years of tax returns
❑ 18. Advise all creditors in writing that a death has occurred.
❑ 19. Change ownership of assets and lines of credit.
❑ 20. Update your Will.
❑ 21. Update beneficiaries on your life insurance policies, if necessary.
❑ 22. Send acknowledgment cards for flowers, donations, food, kindness. Also, remember to thank pallbearers.
❑ 23. Organize and distribute decedent’s personal belongings.
❑ 24. Remove loved one from marketing and mailing lists.
❑ 25. Delete or memorialize social media accounts
You can delete Facebook or Instagram accounts, but some survivors choose to turn them into a memorial for their loved one instead. A memorialized Facebook profile stays up with the word “Remembering” in front of the deceased's name. Friends will be able to post on the timeline. Whether you choose to delete or memorialize, you'll need to contact the company with copies of your ID as well as the death certificate.
❑ 26. Close email accounts
To prevent identity theft and fraud, it's a good idea to shut down the deceased's email account. If the person set up a funeral plan or a will, she may have included log-in information so you can do this yourself. If not, you'll need copies of the death certificate to cancel an email account. The specifics vary by company, but most require a death certificate and verification that you are kin or the executor.