After the service: certified copies, notifications and accounts

Count the certified copies you need, notify Social Security, a credit bureau and every other organization, handle digital accounts and medicines, and hand the estate questions to the person who settles them.

1. Certified copies: where they come from and how many Understand

A certified copy of the death certificate is a copy issued by the government office that holds the record, with a seal or stamp that shows it is genuine (glossary). Banks, insurers and government agencies ask for one before they close an account, pay a claim or change a record. A photocopy of a certified copy is not the same thing, and the organizations that ask for a certified copy mean the sealed one.

Where the copies come from

Death registration is a state function. The funeral director files the death certificate with the state's registration office, and the state's vital statistics office is where certified copies come from, per CDC's Funeral Director's Handbook (2019 revision). There are two ways to get them:

• Through the funeral director. You can order the first set when you make the arrangements. When the death happened under home hospice, the hospice sends its paperwork to vital records, and certificates may also be available through the funeral director, per the Hospice Foundation of America (HFA, When Death Happens at Home). If the funeral home orders them, look for the charge on the itemized statement, which Goods, prices and the statement covers (Goods, prices and the statement).
• From the state's vital records office. USA.gov says to order from the vital records office of the state where the death occurred, online, by mail or in person, and that fees and processing times vary (USA.gov, How to get a certified copy of a death certificate). CDC's Where to Write for Vital Records page lists each state's office and its instructions, with New York City listed apart from the rest of New York. You can order more copies later this way if your count turns out short. Varies by state

The state is the state where the person died, not where they lived. A person who lived in New Mexico and died in Arizona has an Arizona death certificate. For a US citizen who died abroad, USA.gov says the US embassy or consulate issues a Consular Report of Death Abroad, with up to 20 free certified copies at the time of death (USA.gov).

Copies take time. HFA says getting a certificate may take several days or longer, depending on state law. That delay is one reason to order the count you need once, rather than one or two at a time as each organization asks.

Who may order them

Most states restrict who can get a certified copy, per the same CDC handbook. USA.gov says that only certain family members, such as a spouse, sibling or child, may be able to get copies until the records become public, which in some states is 25 or more years after the death. If you are a friend, a niece or a partner the state does not list, ask the vital records office what it accepts before you apply, or ask the funeral director to order the copies for the family. Varies by state

Count the copies from your list

This manual's default is to count, not to guess. Write every organization on the notifications log, then mark each one that needs a certified copy. The log's certified-copy column totals itself; that total is the number to order. Our convention

USA.gov names the cases that need a certified copy: Social Security and other agencies, closing or transferring accounts, and claiming life insurance or pensions. It also says a photocopy may be enough for subscriptions (USA.gov). When you are not sure, ask on the first call: "Do you need a certified copy, or will a photocopy do? Do you return it?" Write the answer in the log's notes.

A spare copy is a judgment call. Every extra copy costs a state fee, and you can order more later from the vital records office. If time matters more than the fee, because an insurer or a bank is waiting, add one; if not, order what the list shows.

2. Who to notify, and what each one needs

Notifying organizations stops payments that would have to be repaid, starts benefits and claims, and closes the doors identity thieves use. USA.gov notes that most agencies need the person's Social Security number and certified copies of the death certificate (USA.gov, Agencies to notify when someone dies, August 2026). The arrangements file keeps those numbers out of its sheets on purpose. Read them from the person's papers when you call or fill in a form; log only the date, the person you spoke with and the reference number the organization gives you.

The table below is the default list, in the order most families work through it. The who-to-notify table has the same organizations with filters, and the notifications log is where you record each one.

Sources for the table: USA.gov's list of agencies to notify and its Social Security page (USA.gov, Agencies to notify; USA.gov, Report the death of a Social Security or Medicare beneficiary), AARP's checklist for the employer, insurers and subscriptions (AARP), and the credit bureaus' own pages, cited below.

Some benefits and claims have deadlines counted from the date of death. The table below, drawn from the date of death in your setup, lists the dated ones that apply.

Social Security first

USA.gov says the funeral director should report the death to Social Security; give the director the person's Social Security number, and they do it. If the funeral home did not, the family reports it as soon as possible. Social Security takes death reports only by phone or in person (USA.gov). Social Security then tells Medicare, per USA.gov's list.

Ask the funeral director, "Have you reported the death to Social Security, and on what date?" Write the answer on the log. That one question settles the first row.

The month of death has its own rule. USA.gov says Social Security does not pay for the month in which the person died: if the person died in July, the payment that arrives in August, which is July's, has to be returned. If the payments go to a bank by direct deposit, tell the bank as soon as possible (USA.gov). The payment goes back even if it was already spent. Federal rule Whether a survivor can claim Social Security payments of their own, including the one-time $255 payment, is Social Security's decision; Paying and benefits lists the questions to ask (Paying and benefits).

One credit bureau

Each of the three national credit bureaus says that notifying one is enough, because the bureau that gets the notice passes it to the other two. Equifax says that when one bureau adds a deceased notice to a credit file, it notifies the others (Equifax, How Do I Report a Death?). Experian (Experian, How to Report a Relative's Death) and TransUnion (TransUnion, Reporting a Death, May 2025) say the same. A deceased notice on the file makes it harder for anyone to open credit in the person's name.

The default is: confirm Social Security has been told, then write to one bureau. Each bureau's page gives its mailing address and the list of what to send: a copy of the death certificate, the person's legal name and identifying facts, and your own name and address. Write those facts on the letter from the person's papers; they do not belong in the log.

Who may write is the bureau's rule. Equifax accepts a request from a spouse or a legally authorized representative, and asks a non-spouse to include court documents that authorize them. Experian says only a spouse or another legally authorized person, such as an executor, can report a death. One provider's rule If you are not the spouse and no one has been appointed yet, the bureaus still hear from Social Security: TransUnion and Experian both say the bureaus get death notices from Social Security, and that a direct notice is only faster. Put the bureau on the log with "after the executor or administrator is named" in the Who column.

Employer, benefits and insurers

AARP says to contact the employer right away, both for final pay and to ask about survivor, pension or unused-leave benefits, which "may be time-sensitive" (AARP). For a retiree, K-State's checklist adds the long-time former employer, since that is often where a pension comes from. A veteran's family tells VA, which stops compensation and pension payments and handles burial and survivor benefits; a military retiree's pension stops through DFAS, which also sends Survivor Benefit Plan forms; federal employees and retirees go to OPM (USA.gov, Agencies to notify). Paying and benefits covers the benefits themselves and who decides each (Paying and benefits).

Life insurers need a certified copy and the policy number, per NIA. The beneficiary, not necessarily the person arranging the funeral, makes the claim. If you have not found a policy, the search in Paying and benefits comes first.

Motor vehicles, passport and the election office

The motor vehicle office cancels the license or ID and handles the vehicle title (USA.gov). Canceling the license stops renewal mail and makes the card harder to misuse. Two states show how the steps differ: Varies by state

• Virginia (one state's rule). Bring the death certificate, the license or ID, and any disabled parking placards or plates to a customer service center, where it is done while you wait; or mail a certified or notarized copy of the death certificate with a letter (Virginia DMV, Clear Driver's License or ID Record).
• New York (one state's rule). New York's DMV page says to mail a copy of the death certificate and a photocopy of the license to its License Production Bureau, and describes a registration refund paid to the estate when the plates are surrendered. Under New York law, one vehicle worth $25,000 or less passes to the surviving spouse; other vehicles become part of the estate.

Your state's motor vehicle office answers the title question. A car that is part of the estate may need the executor's or administrator's papers before it can be sold or re-titled.

A passport can be returned to the State Department for cancellation, which USA.gov says helps prevent identity theft; the department returns it canceled or destroys it (USA.gov). AARP notes that the family may also choose to keep it.

Removing a voter registration is often automatic. The National Conference of State Legislatures says the Help America Vote Act requires states to match their voter lists against death records, and about half the states use a shared data service that supplies death records (NCSL, Voter Registration List Maintenance, 2025). Each state still has its own process; NCSL gives Washington as one example, where any registered voter may file a sworn statement that another voter has died. Ask the county or city election office whether it needs anything from you. Varies by state

Logging each contact

Log every contact on the day you make it. A good log line has the organization, how you contacted them, the date, the name of the person you spoke with, the reference or claim number they gave you, and what happens next. When an insurer says "we will mail forms," write down when they said the forms would arrive, so a missing letter is noticed in a week and not in two months.

Two habits from the sources save repeat work. Keep the person's phone line and email open for some months, as Legal Voice's checklist advises, because banks and agencies send codes and notices there (Legal Voice). And hand calls out: AARP's first point is that one person cannot do it all, and the task list in Sharing the work is where you assign them.

3. Mail, online accounts, medicines and equipment

Mail

The person's mail shows you what to notify: bank statements, insurance notices, bills and subscriptions arrive there. The Postal Service's rules depend on whether you shared the address (USPS, Mail Addressed to the Deceased): Federal rule

• If you lived at the same address, you may open and manage the person's mail and forward all of it. To send one piece to someone else, such as the executor, cross out the address, write "Forward to" and the new address, and mail it.
• If you live elsewhere, USPS says you go to a Post Office in person with documented proof that you are the appointed executor or administrator. In its words, "Simply having their death certificate is not enough."

Until someone is appointed, ask a neighbor or helper who has a key to collect the mail from the box and bring it to you; that is a task on the home checklist. To reduce advertising mail, USPS points to the Deceased Do Not Contact list run by the Data and Marketing Association; it says advertising mail should drop within three months of registering.

Online accounts and devices

Google says it does not provide passwords or other login details, and Meta says it will not provide login information. Apple, Google and Meta each offer a request process instead, and each has limits. Meta's policies also forbid logging in to another person's account, even with a password you know; use the platform's process.

The facts on Facebook come from Meta's help pages on memorializing an account and on legacy contacts, read 2026-10-17. Product-specific Other platforms have their own rules, and some have no memorial option. Put each account and device on the accounts sheet with the option its platform offers and the person who handles it.

Before closing anything, decide what the family wants to keep: photos, messages, documents. A closed account may be gone for good. Before deleting an email account, check that no bank or service still sends its codes there.

Medicines

Unused medicines left in a house can be taken by someone else; the FDA's flush list, below, is made of medicines that are sought after for misuse and can cause death from one dose. When the person was in home hospice, HFA lists disposal of medications among the things hospice staff help with at the time of death (HFA); ask the hospice nurse what they took and what is left. For the rest, the FDA gives an order of preference (FDA, Disposal of Unused Medicines, 2024):

1. Follow any specific instructions from the prescriber or the pharmacist, or on the label.
2. Take-back first. Use a take-back location, such as a pharmacy or police station with a collection box, or a prepaid mail-back envelope. The DEA's site finds authorized collection sites by ZIP code, year round, and lists the next National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, October 24, 2026 (DEA, Take Back Day).
3. Flush only medicines on the FDA's flush list, and only when no take-back option is readily available. The list is short: medicines containing buprenorphine, fentanyl, hydrocodone or benzhydrocodone, hydromorphone, meperidine, methadone, morphine, oxycodone, oxymorphone, tapentadol or sodium oxybate (FDA, Flush List, 2024). The FDA's own reminder: "don't flush your medicine unless it is on the flush list."
4. Otherwise, the trash, prepared. Mix the medicine with something unappealing such as dirt, cat litter or used coffee grounds, without crushing tablets; seal it in a plastic bag; put it in the household trash; and scratch out the personal information on the empty bottle.

FDA points to separate guidance for needles and syringes. A pharmacist can answer what to do with an unfamiliar item. Ask the authority

Equipment

Hospice arranges to remove the equipment it supplied, such as the hospital bed and oxygen, per HFA. Call the hospice to set a pickup day if no one has. Anything rented elsewhere, such as a wheelchair or a walker from a medical supply company, goes back to the supplier named on the equipment or the rental paperwork; call that supplier for its return process. No neutral source we found sets return rules. Our convention Log each pickup on the task list with a person and a day.

4. Where follow-through becomes estate administration

Some notifications need nothing but a phone call. Others need someone with legal authority over the person's property: closing a bank account in the person's name, re-titling a car, forwarding mail to a different address, or selling the house. That authority is where funeral arrangements end and estate administration begins: the legal process of collecting the person's property, paying debts and passing what is left to the people entitled to it (glossary). This manual stops there. This section says what the terms mean and who answers the questions.

The terms, with one state as the example

California's court self-help guide gives plain definitions, used here as one state's example. Varies by state It describes probate as the legal process for transferring or inheriting property after the owner dies, and says whether court is needed depends on how much property there is and what kind (California Courts, Guide to property after someone dies). Points from that guide that hold the shape of the question in many states:

• A will does not settle it. California's guide says an estate may need probate even when the person had a will.
• Some property passes outside the will. Accounts with a named beneficiary, such as retirement or bank accounts, pass to that person, per the same guide. Its simple-transfer page adds joint tenancy, transfer-on-death and community property, and says most government benefits, such as Social Security survivor benefits, can be collected without probate (California Courts, When formal probate may not be needed).
• Small estates have simpler routes. California lets property under a set value, which changes every three years, be transferred without opening probate. Other states have their own limits and forms.
• The person in charge has a title. An executor is the person named in a will to handle the estate; when there is no will, a court names an administrator, per AARP's checklist (glossary). California calls either one the personal representative.
• An original will goes to the court in California. California's guide says a person who finds an original will must deliver it to the court, with a copy to the named executor. That is California's rule; ask your state's court what it requires.

K-State's checklist notes that settling an estate can take from a few months to years (K-State Research and Extension, MF3699, 2024). Several of the rows on your log may stay open, waiting for an appointment, for that long.

The final tax return, as a pointer

The IRS says a final income tax return is filed for the year of death, reporting income up to the date of death, and that earlier unfiled years may also need filing (IRS, File the final income tax returns of a deceased person, 2026). Who files is the IRS's rule: Publication 559 says the personal representative files, a surviving spouse may file in some cases, and when no one has been appointed and there is no surviving spouse, the person in charge of the property files (IRS, Publication 559 (2025)). The return is generally due when it would have been due had the person lived. One line from the IRS answers a common question: "No deduction for funeral expenses can be taken on the final Form 1040." Keep the expense log from Sharing the work for whoever files; a tax professional or the IRS answers everything else. Ask the authority

5. Thanks, grief support and crisis help

Thank-you notes

AARP's checklist lists keeping a list of well-wishers and writing thank-you notes among the jobs friends and relatives can take on (AARP). Keep that list on the people sheet: who sent food, flowers or a donation, who spoke, who drove. No neutral source sets a deadline or a form for the notes; a short, specific note when you are able is enough. Family's choice

Grief support from hospice and elsewhere

The federal hospice regulation requires an organized bereavement program, and says the hospice must make bereavement services available to the family up to one year after the patient's death (42 CFR 418.64). Federal rule HFA describes the same support as offered to the family for up to 12 months. If the person was in hospice, call the hospice and ask what its bereavement program offers: calls, letters, groups or individual counseling.

Hospice is not the only door. The National Institute on Aging says you can ask hospice workers for bereavement support even if hospice was not used before the death, and that support groups meet through hospitals, senior centers, nursing homes, religious groups and funeral homes; ask about sliding-fee scales (NIA, Coping With Grief and Loss, 2024). NIA also suggests postponing major decisions, such as selling a home, and accepting offers of help.

6. See it: Sam's notifications log See it

Free pages that show the same work:

• USA.gov, Agencies to notify when someone dies: the federal government's own list, with what each agency stops or starts.
• AARP, When a Loved One Dies checklist: a long consumer checklist with the employer, insurers, subscriptions and social media.
• Legal Voice, After a Death Occurs (Washington): a state checklist in five parts, from the first steps to final steps.
• FDA, Disposal of Unused Medicines: the take-back, flush and trash methods with pictures of each.

7. Practice: build the log and count the copies Practice

Minimum: every organization on the notifications log with a person or a date, the certified-copy column filled in, and that many copies ordered. Time: about an hour for the list and the order; then 10 to 20 minutes per call over the following weeks. Materials: the person's mail and statements (the papers listed in Information and papers), the notifications log, the who-to-notify table, a phone, and the funeral director's contact.

1. Start from the default list. Open the notifications log. If you used the setup, it has starter rows; otherwise add the rows from the table in who to notify. Delete the rows that do not apply, such as VA for a person who did not serve.
2. Add what the mail and papers show. Go through a month of the person's mail and the statements you found. Add every bank, card, insurer, pension, utility and subscription, one row each.
3. Mark the certified copies. For each row, enter 1 if the organization needs a certified copy, 0 if a photocopy or a phone call will do, and write "ask" in the notes when you are not sure. Read the total.
4. Order the copies. Ask the funeral director whether they ordered copies and how many. Order the difference through them or the vital records office of the state where the death happened.
5. Make the first two contacts. Confirm Social Security has been told and on what date. Write to one credit bureau if you are the spouse or have legal authority; otherwise assign it to the executor or administrator.
6. Assign the rest. Give each remaining row a person in the Who column and a date. Hand some to your helpers through the task list.
7. Add the accounts and the house. Put each online account and device on the accounts sheet. Add the medicine take-back trip and the equipment pickups to the task list.

8. Your arrangements Your arrangements

This box reads your setup: the date of death, whether the person served, the state, your role and whether the person lived alone.

9. Check your work Check your work

Criteria

• Does every organization on the log have a person or a date, and does each finished row have a date and a reference?
• Does the number of certified copies you ordered match the log's total, with each copy tied to a named organization?
• Do you know the date Social Security was told, and who told them?
• Is one credit bureau on the log with the person who is entitled to write to it?
• Are the person's identifying numbers kept out of the log and the sheets?
• Are the medicines gone by take-back, the flush list or prepared trash, and is the equipment pickup arranged?
• Is every row that needs legal authority marked, with the person or office who answers it?

Worked example

Sam's log meets the criteria. Every row has a person; the five certified copies each match a row; the Social Security date came from the funeral director; the credit bureau row names "whoever is appointed" rather than leaving it blank; no number from Ellen's papers is in the sheets. The medicines and equipment are handled. The rows that need legal authority, the credit union, the car and the mail, point to the probate question, which Sam has marked for an attorney or the court's self-help resources. The one weak spot: three of the five copies rest on assumptions. Sam wrote "ask" beside each, so the first call to each organization either confirms the copy or frees it for another use.

Common mistakes

• Ordering a round number. Ten copies may be four too many or three too few. Count from the log.
• Spending the month-of-death deposit. It belongs to Social Security. Tell the bank early.
• Closing an email account first. Banks and agencies may still send codes there, and Google cannot recover contents once an account is closed. Request the data, then close.
• Writing the person's numbers into the log. The log holds dates, names and reference numbers. Read the identifying numbers from the papers when a form asks.
• Treating estate rows as overdue chores. A bank that asks for court papers is not a task you failed to finish. Mark the row and pass the question on.
• Flushing every medicine. Only the drugs on the FDA's flush list, and only when take-back is not readily available.

What is still unresolved

This chapter cannot settle whether the estate needs probate, who may act for it, whether a survivor is eligible for any benefit, or anything about taxes. The probate court's self-help center or an attorney answers the first two, the paying agency answers benefits (Paying and benefits), and the IRS or a tax professional answers the last. Your arrangements file closes out the file and hands it, with these open questions marked, to the person who settles the estate.

10. Knowledge check and scenario

Checklist

• Every organization is on the notifications log with a person or a date.
• Certified copies ordered to match the log's total.
• Social Security's report confirmed, with the date; one credit bureau assigned.
• Online accounts and devices on the accounts sheet, each with its platform option.
• Medicines disposed of and equipment pickups arranged.
• Estate rows marked, each with who answers it. (Go deeper; optional)