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What to do when someone dies
The first hours, the first weeks and what follows them, in the order they usually come, each in the words of the body that publishes it. What each state settles for itself, probate, a small estate and the death certificate, has its own pages below.
Every fact dated, in the official words
Each state’s own law
Every quotation checked October 12, 2026 – October 16, 2026
Every quotation on this page is the official body’s own words, as they stood on the day we read them. The date is beside each one.
§1The first hours
What happens first depends on where the death happened. At home, in a hospital, in a nursing home or under hospice care, different people are already there or already expected, and they know the local steps. The family’s part in those hours is small: to be present, to make the one or two calls that bring the right people, and to let them do what they do. The National Institute on Aging’s own words below walk through those first steps, including the questions that may be asked of you.
What to do after someone dies depends on where the person died.
As soon as possible, the death must be officially pronounced by someone in authority like a doctor in a hospital or nursing facility or a hospice nurse. This person also fills out the forms certifying the cause, time, and place of death.
If the person was in hospice, a plan for what happens after death will likely already be in place. If the person wasn’t in hospice, talk with the doctor, local medical examiner (coroner), local health department, or a funeral home representative about how to proceed.
Arrangements should be made to pick up the body as soon as the family is ready and according to local laws. This can be done by a funeral home or by the family themselves in most states.
The doctor may ask if you want an autopsy. This is a medical procedure conducted by a specially trained physician to learn more about what caused the death.
The person who is dying may have already said that he or she would like to be an organ donor. Some States list this information on the driver’s license. If not, the decision has to be made quickly.
National Institute on Aging · general information · checked October 16, 2026
The first weeks have a shape, and it is slower than it feels. A few things happen in the first hours, because someone has to be told and someone has to come; after that, most of what follows spreads across days and weeks rather than landing at once. One person can carry the sequence of calls, with everyone else told what is needed when it is needed. The National Institute on Aging’s own words below say what there is no rush about, and what the next few weeks hold.
If someone dies at home, there is no need to move the body right away.
Over the next few weeks, you may want to notify a few places about your loved one’s death.
When a loved one passes, some people want to stay in the room with the body; others prefer to leave. Some families want time to sit quietly with the body, console each other, and maybe share memories.
Remember that everyone grieves differently and there is no sole right way to grieve.
National Institute on Aging · general information · checked October 16, 2026
The death certificate is the paper almost everyone else will ask for. The official words below say where certified copies come from, what you will be asked when you order them, who may order them, and when a plain photocopy is enough. Families are often surprised by how many organizations want one, and by how many want a certified copy rather than a copy of a copy, which is why it comes early here, before the telling begins.
Many organizations require a certified copy of the death certificate when someone dies.
Contact the vital records office of the state where the death occurred to learn: How to order a certified copy of a death certificate online, by mail, or in-person (part of a longer sentence)
You will need to know the date and place of death. The state may also ask for other details about the person. This includes how you are related to them, or why you want the certificate.
Only certain family members may be able to get a death certificate when someone dies. This includes a spouse, siblings, and children. But anyone can request them when they become public record.
You may only need a photocopy for other tasks, such as canceling a subscription. Check with the agency or organization handling each account.
USAGov · general information · checked October 16, 2026
Nobody is told all at once, and nobody has to be. A few organizations come first because money or mail keeps moving until they know; the rest can be told at the household’s pace. The official words below cover those that usually come first: who tends to report a death to Social Security, how the credit bureaus hear of it, what the Postal Service offers for the mail, and the list that takes a name off marketing.
Funeral homes generally tell us when someone dies. So, you don’t typically need to report a death to us. If a funeral home isn’t involved or doesn't report the death for some reason, you should call us (part of a longer sentence)
Social Security Administration · general information · checked October 12, 2026
Experian and the other credit reporting agencies (TransUnion and Equifax) are typically notified of a death by the Social Security Administration (SSA) or the deceased person's creditors.
Experian · general information · checked October 12, 2026
Notifying any one of the three credit bureaus -- Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion -- allows the individual's credit report to be updated with a deceased notice, which may help prevent theft of their identity.
Equifax · general information · checked October 12, 2026
The ANA provides a Deceased Do Not Contact List (DDNC) to assist family members, friends and caretakers seeking to remove the names of deceased individuals from commercial marketing lists.
Association of National Advertisers · general information · checked October 12, 2026
Arranging a funeral is buying something large, fast, while grieving. Few purchases are made under more pressure or with less comparison, which is why this is worth reading before the first visit to a funeral home rather than after it. The Federal Trade Commission’s own words below set out a buyer’s rights under its Funeral Rule: what you can decline, what you can ask for before you walk in, and where the rule stops.
Buy only the funeral arrangements you want. You have the right to buy separate goods (such as caskets) and services (such as embalming or a memorial service). You do not have to accept a package that may include items you do not want.
Get a written, itemized price list when you visit a funeral home. The funeral home must give you a General Price List (GPL) that is yours to keep. It lists all the items and services the home offers, and the cost of each one.
Federal Trade Commission · general information · checked October 16, 2026
The funeral provider cannot refuse to handle a casket or urn you bought online, at a local casket store, or somewhere else — or charge you a fee to do it.
No state law requires routine embalming for every death. Some states require embalming or refrigeration if the body is not buried or cremated within a certain time; some states don’t require it at all. In most cases, refrigeration is an acceptable alternative.
No state or local law requires the use of a casket for cremation.
Federal Trade Commission · general information · checked October 16, 2026
A person’s identity can be used after their death, and the weeks right after are when it is most exposed. An obituary names the dead and the living; a mailbox fills with statements; a phone rings with people who have read the notice. The official words below, from the IRS and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, cover the protective steps those bodies describe: the alert with the credit bureaus, what to leave out of an obituary, and how to treat a caller who asks for more.
Send credit bureaus a copy of the death certificate. Have them put a “deceased alert” on credit reports. Watch reports for unusual activity.
Avoid putting too much information in an obituary that identity thieves could use.
Internal Revenue Service · general information · checked October 16, 2026
Some scammers check obituaries and other legal notices, and then contact relatives of the deceased posing as debt collectors. These scam artists can use your personal information to help them commit identity theft or other types of fraud.
Avoid giving anyone your personal information. Never provide your Social Security number, birth date, or financial account numbers to anyone unless you know who you're dealing with.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau · general information · checked October 12, 2026
Some money runs toward the family after a death, not just away from it. Social Security’s own words below cover the payment it describes for a spouse or child, the monthly benefits for survivors, and who it says may qualify; the words of the Office of Personnel Management, the military’s pay office and the Railroad Retirement Board cover what each asks of a survivor when the person had a federal, military or railroad pension.
A spouse might get a one-time death benefit payment of $255. If there’s no spouse, some children may be eligible.
Social Security Administration · general information · checked October 12, 2026
Survivor benefits provide monthly payments to eligible family members of people who worked and paid Social Security taxes before they died.
You may qualify if you’re the spouse, divorced spouse, child, or dependent parent of someone who worked and paid Social Security taxes before they died.
Social Security Administration · general information · checked October 12, 2026
Complete the appropriate Application for Death Benefits (SF 2800 for CSRS or SF 3104 and SF 3104B for FERS) and attach any other forms and/or evidence as the application or circumstances require.
Office of Personnel Management · general information · checked October 12, 2026
A few things run to a clock that starts on the day of the death. These are the national clocks an official body states in a sentence of its own: when it wants to hear of the death, and when its returns are due. A clock with no official sentence behind it is left off rather than guessed, and the clocks that belong to one state are on that state’s pages below.
Notify Social Security as soon as possible when someone getting benefits dies. In most cases, the funeral director will report the person's death to Social Security.
Social Security Administration · general information · checked October 12, 2026
If you’re the survivor of a Veteran who has died, or their legal representative, we encourage you to contact us as soon as possible to report the death.
Department of Veterans Affairs · general information · checked October 12, 2026
If Form 706 is required, the return and payment of any tax is due within 9 months after the date of the decedent’s death.
A final return for a decedent who was a calendar year taxpayer is generally due on April 15 following the year of death, regardless of when during that year death occurred.
Internal Revenue Service · general information · checked October 12, 2026
