What to do when someone dies: A step-by-step guide

Checklist for what to do after death 

Losing a loved one is the most difficult experiences we can face. As an insurance and financial services company, it’s our job to help people through this challenging time.

There are many practical tasks to handle—and managing them while you’re grieving can be overwhelming. A checklist can provide some structure and support, even if it’s just a bit. This may seem like a lot, but remember you have time to make all these arrangements. Below, we detail each of these steps and the recommended timeline for taking them. Here is your comprehensive checklist, in order:

• Ensure that dependents and pets are safe
• Obtain legal documentation of death
• Notify family, friends, and work
• Make arrangements for the body
• Make funeral plans
• Secure assets
• Locate wills, insurance, and important documents
• Contact attorneys and advisors
• Settle the estate in probate court
• Forward mail
• Inform the Social Security Administration
• Notify banks, financial institutions, and credit card companies
• Ask the employer about benefits
• Contact insurance companies
• Cancel memberships and subscriptions

What to do immediately after the death

The days that follow a loved one’s death can often feel exhausting. That’s why we recommend doing only the essentials during this time, so you can focus on family. Immediately after the death, here are the five things you should do as soon as possible:

Ensure that dependents and pets are safe

If the deceased has children, dependents, or pets, make plans for their care. If there is a will or estate plan, try to locate it quickly to find any designated guardians. If no guardians are specified, don’t hesitate to arrange a temporary solution.

Obtain legal documentation of the death

A legal death certificate is important for many steps that follow. Get at least a few copies from a medical examiner or the funeral home within a couple of days. Some circumstances and state laws can affect how long this process takes, so be prepared for potential delays.

Notify family, friends, and work

Make sure to call close family and friends so they don’t find out about the loss through social media. Then you can work out from there. If the deceased was employed, you will also want to inform their employer. Family members may be entitled to some employment benefits, which we’ll cover in a later section.

Make arrangements for the body

You may need to coordinate with a hospital, funeral home, and other parties. They typically handle the details of transporting and caring for the body—but if the deceased wished, for example, to be cremated rather than buried, this will need to be communicated. Planning for a service can add additional complexities.

Secure assets

While you don’t need to worry about all the deceased’s possessions immediately, a few actions can ensure that everything stays safe over the next few weeks while decisions are made. Is the house locked? Who has keys? Are their vehicles where they should be? Do they have mail that needs to be picked up? You might also want to clean out the fridge and take out the trash.

Steps in the first weeks after someone dies

After the initial steps and the funeral services, there's still, unfortunately, much to do. The next steps involve carrying out the last wishes of the deceased, often laid out in their will and estate planning documents, and informing necessary parties of the death.

Locate wills, insurance, and important documents

Ideally, all these should be in one easily accessible place, but that isn’t always the case. You may need to search for the will, which should outline the beneficiaries of the deceased and specific bequests. There may also be trust documents and life insurance documents. The previous year’s tax returns can also help. Gathering these documents is important for the next steps.

In order to start a claim for a life insurance policy of which you’re a beneficiary, you’ll need the life insurance policy or policy number, a death certificate, and you’ll need to fill out a claim form. The claim form will usually ask for the name, date of birth, date and cause of death, and a few other details. If the policy is with New York Life, you can start a claim here, or contact us at (800) CALL-NYL and say “Claims.”

Contact attorneys and advisors

If the person who passed away had an attorney or financial advisor, they can provide valuable insights into the legal estate documents, plans, and financial accounts of the deceased. These professionals will be important in settling the estate. You may also want to speak to a financial professional for your own benefit.

Settle the estate in probate court

Probate is a legal process that oversees the determination of heirs, the paying of creditors, and the distribution of assets. Each state has its own probate court and laws. The complexity of the estate can determine the duration of this process. Remember that the estate must pay the debts of the deceased before distributing other assets to beneficiaries. If the deceased had trusts to help distribute assets, these can often bypass probate.

Inform the Social Security Administration of death

Reporting a death to the Social Security Administration is straightforward. The funeral director often handles this, but you can also do it yourself by providing the deceased’s Social Security number. You can call the local office or the main number. You will want to do this promptly to avoid any issues with Social Security payments made to the deceased having to be returned. You can also check whether you’re eligible for survivor benefits, which are outlined below.

Steps within a few months after someone dies

The last few steps are all about the less urgent, but still necessary, details that must be addressed.

Notify banks, financial institutions, and credit card companies

Accounts need to be closed, funds transferred, and credit frozen. Contact each financial institution the deceased used to ensure that everything is properly closed and no hidden funds are overlooked. Be sure to also contact the three credit bureaus to prevent new lines of credit from being opened in the deceased’s name.

Cancel memberships and subscriptions

Today, almost all of us have ongoing subscriptions to cable, streaming, cell phone plans, gyms, and more. There are a few different ways to make sure that all accounts get closed. The most thorough way is to contact the service provider to cancel the subscription. However, a shortcut is to ask the deceased’s bank to stop any recurring payments.

Contact insurance companies

Particularly if there is a surviving spouse, ensure that auto, home, and personal property insurance policies remain in effect. You may need to transfer these policies or cancel them and create new ones, but you don’t want your coverage to lapse. You will also want to start the process of collecting any life insurance benefits if you haven’t already done so.

Survivor benefits after death

In addition to honoring your loved one’s last wishes, and closing accounts, if you are a surviving family member of the deceased, you will want to check on certain financial benefits that are likely available to you:

Social Security survivor benefits

The deceased likely paid into the Social Security program during their employment. This program provides ongoing survivor benefits to eligible family members based on their lifetime earnings, offering financial help for years to come.

Employment benefits

If the deceased was employed at the time of their death, you may be entitled to additional benefits. If you were covered under their employer-sponsored health insurance, find out how long those benefits will continue before finding alternate coverage. Contact the employer’s HR department to see what may be available to you.

Medicare

If there is a surviving spouse and they are over the age of 65, they may be entitled to additional benefits beyond Social Security survivor benefits. Contact Medicare to learn about the available options.

Retirement accounts

Any retirement accounts owned by the deceased are usually passed to the designated beneficiary, but the process can sometimes be confusing. Beneficiaries must adhere to required minimum distributions, and receiving the accounts may have tax implications. It’s best to consult a financial professional to ensure that the transfer is done correctly.

Caring for yourself

Losing a loved one brings many responsibilities. While they need to be addressed, it’s also important to take care of your emotional well-being. Consider talking to friends, taking time off from work, or participating in grief counseling to help you through this challenging time. We offer many resources to help grieving families.

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