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What to do when someone dies

Updated 20 August 2026 · 9 minute read

Nobody hands you a checklist at the worst possible moment — so here's the one we'd want. Almost nothing on this list is as urgent as it feels. Beyond the first few days, take it in order and let institutions do their part.

The first week

  1. Get the medical certificate of death

    Issued by the treating doctor, or the coroner if the death was unexpected. The funeral director will usually guide this.

  2. Choose a funeral director and check the will for wishes

    The will sometimes records burial/cremation wishes and who has the say (formally, the executor). Check whether a prepaid funeral plan or funeral bond exists before paying anything.

  3. Secure the home, pets and valuables

    Lock up, clear perishables, arrange pets, and keep home insurance current — tell the insurer if the house is now unoccupied.

Weeks 1–2

  1. Register the death / order certificates

    The funeral director lodges the registration with Births, Deaths and Marriages; certificates usually arrive 2–4 weeks after. Order at least five certified copies — every institution wants one.

  2. Find the will and identify the executor

    Solicitor's safe custody, the bank, or the state will registry. The executor named in it takes over from here — their full duties.

  3. Notify the essentials

    Centrelink/Services Australia (within 14 days if the person received payments), the person's employer or pension payer, Medicare, and the utilities on the empty home.

Weeks 2–4

  1. Notify banks, super funds and insurers

    Each bank freezes the deceased's sole accounts and opens a deceased-estate file. Joint accounts keep operating for the survivor. Direct debits from sole accounts stop — redirect anything vital first. Bank-by-bank details: deceased estate bank accounts.

  2. Tell the ATO

    The tax agent or executor notifies the ATO of the death. A final individual return will be due, and sometimes estate returns after that.

  3. Work out whether probate is needed

    Depends on what was owned and how — many estates skip it entirely. Take the 60-second check before paying anyone.

What can wait

Distributing belongings, selling the house and 'sorting the estate' can all wait weeks or months without harm. Beware anyone pressing for money or signatures early — including family. The legal order protects everyone, including you.

One real deadline

If the person received Centrelink payments, Services Australia must be told within 14 days of the death. Most other notifications have no fixed legal deadline — they're just easier done early.

When you're ready — not before

If probate turns out to be needed, fixed-fee quotes take two minutes and firms handle everything remotely.

Get fixed-fee probate quotes
Who pays for the funeral before the estate is sorted?

Funeral costs come first from the estate. Most banks will release funds from the deceased's account directly to the funeral director on an invoice — even while the account is otherwise frozen. Ask the bank's deceased estates team.

What if we can't find a will?

Search the house, ask their solicitor and bank, and check the state will registry. If none exists, the estate is intestate — here's what happens.

Do I have to keep paying the mortgage?

The debt doesn't pause, but lenders have hardship teams for deceased estates and will typically hold enforcement while the estate is administered. Contact them early.

Sources

  • Services Australia — what to do following a death
  • State BDM registries
  • ATO — deceased estates