Who to Notify When Someone Dies

Check what the funeral home has reported

The funeral director usually reports a Social Security benefit recipient's death. Ask the funeral home whether it made that report, and write down its reply. Medicare also directs death reports to Social Security.^{[ssa][medicare]}

If a report still needs to be made, use the official Social Security instructions. For payments and survivor benefits, read Social Security after a death.

Make your contact list

Choose the rows that match the person's records. Add the office, company or plan name to the log, then ask what it needs before requesting an account change.

Equifax says that when one nationwide credit bureau adds a deceased notice, it tells the other two. Record which bureau you contacted and the confirmation it sent. Its deceased-consumer instructions explain the proof it requests. Experian and TransUnion publish their own instructions.^[equifax]

For rented or billed medical equipment, add the supplier as another contact. Ask who handles the account, what information it needs, and what the next step is. Record the supplier's answer before requesting a return or cancellation.

State your relationship and ask who can act

Use your actual relationship or role when you call. Mention any appointment papers you hold if the office asks about them.

Chase allows anyone to report a customer's death. Its FAQ says account information is restricted to people with authority to receive it. Ask another company how it handles your request.^[chase]

A report, a request for account information and a request to close or transfer an account may involve different steps. The bank account guide explains the account questions, and the log below keeps track of the contacts.

Before closing a phone or online account

Check whether there are files or recordings the family wants to preserve through the provider's permitted process. Google says it cannot handle a later request for account contents after the account has been closed. T-Mobile says transferring or cancelling an account permanently deletes its voicemails and greetings.^{[google][tmobile]}

Ask the provider how to preserve that material and what a transfer or closure will change. Record any remaining task in the log.

Which task comes next?

For copies of the death record, use the death certificate guide. For the wider sequence, use first steps after a death or the executor checklist.