Where the first steps guide comes from
How the guide was written
The first steps guide is a short list for the person who must act after a death. It was drafted from official pages only: United States government sites and official services.
Each item describes a common step and who to ask. It is general information. What applies depends on the state and on the person's circumstances.
The text was not written by an attorney and is not legal advice.
Rules differ by state and country. For a will, a power of attorney or an advance directive, see your own attorney and your state's official sources.
The official pages
Each page below is listed with its publisher, its address, the date shown on the page itself, and the date it was read for this guide.
What To Do After Someone Dies
- Published by
- National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health
- Address
- https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/grief-and-mourning/what-do-after-someone-dies
- The page's own date
- Content reviewed 17 November 2022
- Read on
Items in the first steps guide that rest on this page:
- 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.
- A doctor may ask about organ donation soon after the death. Part 4 says whether an organ donor registration exists and where it is.
- 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.
- 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.
- Everyone grieves differently. Family, friends, a support group or a professional can help.
Agencies to notify when someone dies
- Published by
- USAGov
- Address
- https://www.usa.gov/report-a-death
- The page's own date
- Updated 31 August 2026
- Read on
Items in the first steps guide that rest on this page:
- 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.
- 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.
Report the death of a Social Security or Medicare beneficiary
- Published by
- USAGov
- Address
- https://www.usa.gov/social-security-report-a-death
- The page's own date
- Updated 31 August 2026
- Read on
Items in the first steps guide that rest on this page:
- 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.
- 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.
How to get a certified copy of a death certificate
- Published by
- USAGov
- Address
- https://www.usa.gov/death-certificate
- The page's own date
- Updated 17 November 2025
- Read on
Items in the first steps guide that rest on this page:
- 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.
What to do when someone dies
- Published by
- Social Security Administration
- Address
- https://www.ssa.gov/personal-record/when-someone-dies
- The page's own date
- No date shown
- Read on
Items in the first steps guide that rest on this page:
- Ask the funeral home whether it will report the death to Social Security. Funeral homes generally do.
- 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 Social Security whether a spouse or child may receive survivor benefits or its one-time death payment.
File the final income tax returns of a deceased person
- Published by
- Internal Revenue Service
- Address
- https://www.irs.gov/individuals/file-the-final-income-tax-returns-of-a-deceased-person
- The page's own date
- Reviewed 14 August 2026
- Read on
Items in the first steps guide that rest on this page:
- 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.
The FTC Funeral Rule
- Published by
- Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Advice
- Address
- https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/ftc-funeral-rule
- The page's own date
- July 2012
- Read on
Items in the first steps guide that rest on this page:
- 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.
Funeral Costs and Pricing Checklist
- Published by
- Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Advice
- Address
- https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/funeral-costs-pricing-checklist
- The page's own date
- July 2012
- Read on
No item in the first steps guide rests on this page. It supports other fixed text on this site.
Does a person's debt go away when they die?
- Published by
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- Address
- https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/does-a-persons-debt-go-away-when-they-die-en-1463/
- The page's own date
- Reviewed 2 August 2023
- Read on
Items in the first steps guide that rest on this page:
- 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.
Burials and memorials
- Published by
- Department of Veterans Affairs
- Address
- https://www.va.gov/burials-memorials/
- The page's own date
- No date captured
- Read on
Items in the first steps guide that rest on this page:
- 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.
Mail Addressed to the Deceased: How to Stop or Forward Mail
- Published by
- United States Postal Service
- Address
- https://www.usps.com/manage/mail-for-deceased.htm
- The page's own date
- No date captured
- Read on
Items in the first steps guide that rest on this page:
- 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.
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
- Published by
- 988 Lifeline
- Address
- https://988lifeline.org/
- The page's own date
- No date captured
- Read on
No item in the first steps guide rests on this page. It supports other fixed text on this site.
Getting Your Affairs in Order Checklist: Documents to Prepare for the Future
- Published by
- National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health
- Address
- https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/advance-care-planning/getting-your-affairs-order-checklist-documents-prepare-future
- The page's own date
- Content reviewed 1 February 2023
- Read on
No item in the first steps guide rests on this page. It supports other fixed text on this site.
Advance Care Planning: Advance Directives for Health Care
- Published by
- National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health
- Address
- https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/advance-care-planning/advance-care-planning-advance-directives-health-care
- The page's own date
- Content reviewed 31 October 2022
- Read on
No item in the first steps guide rests on this page. It supports other fixed text on this site.
Planning Your Own Funeral
- Published by
- Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Advice
- Address
- https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/planning-your-own-funeral
- The page's own date
- July 2012
- Read on
No item in the first steps guide rests on this page. It supports other fixed text on this site.
Planning for diminished capacity and illness
- Published by
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- Address
- https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/educator-tools/resources-for-older-adults/financial-security-as-you-age/planning-for-diminished-capacity-and-illness/
- The page's own date
- Last modified 8 December 2025
- Read on
No item in the first steps guide rests on this page. It supports other fixed text on this site.
Items that cite no outside page
Some items cite no outside page. They point into your own record, or to the attorney or the probate court. These are those items:
- 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.
- Part 6 says where the keys, deeds and titles are kept. Ask the attorney before anything is moved, given away or sold.
- 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.
- 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.
- Part 5 also lists regular bills and subscriptions. Ask the attorney which are to keep being paid, and from which account.
- 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.
How often the sources are read again
Every source is read again once a year, and whenever a source is known to have changed.
An item whose source has changed is corrected. An item that no official page supports any longer is removed.
Each change is listed with its date on the changes page.
How to report an error
If an item looks wrong, or a page has changed since the date shown, please write to contact@family-affairs-organizer.example. It helps to say which item, and which official page says otherwise.