For the person who must act: the first 30 days

A death is officially pronounced by someone in authority, such as a doctor or a hospice nurse. If the death happened at home and the person was not in hospice care, a doctor, the local medical examiner or coroner, the local health department or a funeral home can explain what happens next.

If the person was in hospice care, the hospice will likely have a plan for what happens next. Call the hospice.

The National Institute on Aging says that after a death at home there is no need to move the person right away. Some families take time to sit together first.

Tell close family and friends. Part 2 of this record lists the people to contact and who to call first.

Part 7 names who has agreed to care for each pet. Part 2 lists family and friends who can be with children or dependent adults.

Read the cover sheet of this record. It says where the original papers are kept and who has been told.

A doctor may ask about organ donation soon after the death. Part 4 says whether an organ donor registration exists and where it is.

Part 6 says where the keys, deeds and titles are kept. Ask the attorney before anything is moved, given away or sold.

Choose a funeral home when the family is ready. Part 9 records the person's wishes, any prepaid plan and the funeral home they named.

Under the Federal Trade Commission's Funeral Rule, a funeral home gives prices by telephone when asked and a written, itemized price list when visited. You can compare more than one funeral home, and choose goods and services one by one.

Ask the funeral home whether it will report the death to Social Security. Funeral homes generally do.

If no funeral home reports the death, Social Security takes the report by phone at 1-800-772-1213 or in person at a local office. It does not take the report by email or online.

When it takes the report, Social Security asks for the person's name, Social Security number, date of birth and date of death. Part 3 says where the Social Security card is kept.

Ask the funeral home, or the vital records office of the state where the death happened, how to order certified copies of the death certificate and what each one costs. Banks, insurers and government agencies often ask for a certified copy.

USAGov says a Social Security payment for the month of the death has to be returned. Ask Social Security and the bank which payment that is, and how.

Ask Social Security whether a spouse or child may receive survivor benefits or its one-time death payment.

Find the will, if there is one. Part 3 says where the original is kept. Tell the person named as executor in the will. Part 2 gives their name and phone.

Call the attorney listed in Part 2, or an attorney of your choice. Ask what has to be done, in what order, and what to leave alone for now.

If the person was a veteran, the Department of Veterans Affairs can explain burial in a national cemetery, a headstone or marker, a burial allowance and survivor benefits. Its National Cemetery Scheduling Office is at 800-535-1117. Part 3 says where the military discharge papers are kept.

Part 2 lists an employer or former employer, if one was recorded. The employer can explain final pay, a pension and any insurance through work.

Ask the attorney whether the estate goes through a court. The clerk of the probate court for the county where the person lived can explain how.

Tell the banks, credit card companies and other financial institutions. Part 5 lists which accounts exist and each institution's phone. Ask each one what it needs. Ask the attorney before an account is closed or money is moved.

Tell the life insurance companies and ask how a claim is made. Part 5 says where each policy is kept.

The National Institute on Aging suggests telling the three credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, to help prevent identity theft.

Ask the attorney before paying any of the person's debts from your own money. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says a person's debts are generally paid from the money or property they left, and that relatives are generally not personally responsible. It lists exceptions, such as a co-signed loan or a joint account, and others that depend on the state.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says a debt collector is not allowed to state or imply that you are personally responsible for the debts of the person who died, unless you legally owe them. A lawyer or a legal aid office can help.

The Internal Revenue Service describes a final income tax return for the person, reporting income up to the date of death. Ask the accountant or tax preparer listed in Part 2, or see the Internal Revenue Service's page on the final return.

A Post Office can explain how to forward or stop the person's mail. It may ask for proof that you are the appointed executor or administrator.

Part 5 also lists regular bills and subscriptions. Ask the attorney which are to keep being paid, and from which account.

USAGov lists other offices to tell: the state motor vehicle office, the local election office, the Department of State for a passport, and any agency that was paying a benefit.

Part 8 lists the person's online accounts and what they would like done with each. Each service has its own rules and its own process after a death. Ask the service.

Part 6 says where deeds, titles and keys are kept. Ask the attorney before a title is transferred or anything is sold.

Part 10 may hold messages for named people. Each can be handed to the person it is for.

Everyone grieves differently. Family, friends, a support group or a professional can help.