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Estate settlement checklist: what to handle after a death

Losing someone close to you is hard in ways that are difficult to prepare for. Even when a death isn't sudden, saying goodbye rarely feels like something you're ready for. On top of the grief, you're often the one left to sort out the practical side of things — the paperwork, the accounts, the loose ends of a life.

If you've taken on the job of settling a loved one's affairs, there's a fairly standard set of tasks ahead of you. The exact order and details can shift depending on your situation, but the core checklist stays largely the same across most estates. Keep in mind that certain steps can only be carried out by the estate's named executor — if that's not you, stay in close contact with whoever holds that role.

What follows is meant to walk you through that process, step by step, at a time when you likely have very little bandwidth to spare.

A note before you start: this guide isn't legal, tax, or financial advice. Rules vary by state and by situation, so loop in a qualified professional wherever you're unsure.

The full estate settlement checklist and how-to guide

Getting started

Before you dive into closing out your loved one's estate, spend some time gathering and organizing the paperwork you'll need. Having it all in one place will save you from digging through drawers repeatedly over the coming weeks.

Documents you'll likely need

  • Identification (driver's license, Social Security card, passport)
  • Birth certificate
  • Death certificate
  • Marriage license
  • Divorce papers
  • DD214 or other military service records
  • Last will and testament
  • Trust documents
  • All outstanding bills (utilities, loans, rent, credit cards)
  • Financial records (bank statements, brokerage statements, retirement or pension statements, annuity statements, life insurance policies, tax returns)
  • Real estate deeds and leases
  • Auto or boat titles

These documents may be scattered across several places, so it helps to know where to look.

  • Computer files
  • File cabinets or drawers
  • Email accounts
  • Mailbox
  • Home office or workplace
  • Storage units
  • Safe-deposit box
  • With a relative or close friend
  • With a lawyer or accountant

To keep track of which subscriptions, creditors, or accounts need canceling or settling — and to stop mail piling up at an empty house — consider forwarding your loved one's mail to your own address. You can set this up through a Forwarding Change of Address request at the Post Office, along with proof that you're authorized to manage their mail:

https://www.usps.com/manage/mail-for-deceased.htm

If you still need to publish a notice, guides exist for placing an obituary in The Age and placing an obituary in the Sydney Morning Herald, if either outlet is relevant to your family. And if walking through this process leaves you thinking about your own affairs, it may be worth reading why it's worth having an estate plan of your own. If the funeral itself still needs organizing, there's also a guide on how to plan a funeral.

Social Security

What it is

Social Security exists to support the country's economic stability by providing ongoing income to retired workers aged 65 and up.

Why it matters to you

If your loved one worked long enough to build up sufficient Social Security credits, you may qualify for benefits tied to their record. If you're already receiving benefits yourself, this could raise the amount you get.

What benefits exist

You or other family members may be able to claim survivor benefits, a one-time lump-sum death payment, or both.

Who can claim them

Spouses, ex-spouses, dependent children, dependent parents, and dependent grandchildren can all potentially qualify for survivor benefits, though eligibility depends on several factors. Because every case is different, you'll want to speak directly with a claims representative. You can check your eligibility through the Social Security Administration:

https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/survivors/ifyou.html

What you need to do

Information you'll need on hand

  • Your loved one's Social Security number
  • Their date of birth
  • Their last address
  • Their mother's maiden name
  • Their place of birth
  • Their date of death
  • Their place of death

Step-by-step

  • Call Social Security to report the death.
    • The funeral home may already have handled this notification for you.
    • Any payment already issued for the month of death may need to be returned.
  • Give the representative what they need to stop future payments to your loved one.
  • Schedule an appointment to apply for survivor's benefits.
    • Benefits sometimes convert automatically, depending on whether the surviving spouse was already receiving payments under the deceased's work record.
  • If applicable, Social Security will notify Medicare on its own, so you won't need to handle that separately.
  • Apply for the one-time lump-sum death benefit, if it applies to your situation.
    • If the eligible spouse or child isn't already receiving benefits, or the spouse isn't on the deceased's work record, the application needs to happen within two years of the date of death.

Good to know

You can only apply by phone or in person — there's no online application for these benefits.

Website

https://www.ssa.gov/

Phone

(800) 772-1213

Find a local Social Security office. A local office will usually mean a shorter wait than calling the national number above.

Hours

Monday–Friday, 8am–7pm

Forms

Veterans burial benefits

What it is

Veterans of the U.S. military may qualify for a range of burial benefits and honors through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Why it matters to you

If your loved one served in the military, you're likely able to claim at least some of these benefits.

What benefits exist

  • A headstone
  • A marker
  • A medallion
  • A burial flag
  • A Presidential Memorial Certificate

Who can claim them

  • To apply for a headstone, grave marker, or niche marker, you must be one of the following:
    • A family member
    • A personal representative acting officially on the deceased's behalf
    • A representative of an accredited Veterans Service Organization, or of a state or local government agency whose duties include serving veterans
    • If your loved one's remains were never recovered or identified, were buried at sea, were donated to science, or were cremated and scattered, only family members can apply.
  • To apply for a burial flag, you must be the next of kin or a close friend of the veteran.
  • To apply for a Presidential Memorial Certificate, you must be the next of kin, a close friend, or an authorized representative acting for family or friends.

What you need to do

Information you'll need on hand

  • Your loved one's Social Security number
  • Their DD214 or other discharge paperwork
  • Their marital status
  • Their date of death
  • Names and addresses of designated beneficiaries or next of kin, living and deceased

Step-by-step

If you're not sure which benefits your loved one qualifies for, contact Veterans Affairs directly to confirm eligibility.

To apply for a headstone, grave marker, or niche marker:

  • Complete the Claim for Standard Government Headstone or Marker (VA Form 40-1330).

To apply for a medallion:

To apply for a burial flag:

To apply for the Presidential Memorial Certificate:

  • If the veteran was buried in a national cemetery, the certificate should already have been handed to the next of kin at the time of burial.
  • If the veteran was eligible for a national cemetery but was buried privately instead, a family member or close friend can apply using the Presidential Memorial Certificate Request Form (VA Form 40-0247).
  • Applications and supporting documents can be submitted online, in person, by mail, or by fax.
  • More on the Presidential Memorial Certificate here: https://www.va.gov/burials-memorials/memorial-items/presidential-memorial-certificates/

How to submit your documentation

Send copies only — never the originals — of the DD214 and other discharge paperwork.

By mail

Every benefit here can go by mail except the burial flag.

NCA FP Evidence Intake Center
PO Box 5237
Janesville, WI 53547

By fax

As with mail, every benefit except the burial flag can be faxed in.

Send applications and supporting documents by fax to 800-455-7143.

Online

Only the Presidential Memorial Certificate and the headstone or marker benefits can be submitted online.

Use the QuickSubmit tool through AccessVA — you'll need to register first if this is your first time using it. https://eauth.va.gov/accessva/?cspSelectFor=quicksubmit

In person

You can bring documentation for the Presidential Memorial Certificate and burial flag to your local VA office.

Find the nearest VA regional office here: https://www.va.gov/find-locations/?facilityType=benefits

Contact information

Phone

  • 800-697-6947 (headstones and markers)
  • 800-827-1000 (VA benefits hotline)

Hours

Monday–Friday, 8am–5pm ET

Website

More information here: https://www.va.gov/family-member-benefits/

Beyond the honors above, reimbursable allowances exist for funeral costs, a private grave space, and transportation. VA Form 21P-530 is what you'll need to file to claim these funds.

Who can apply for these allowances?

  • The veteran's surviving spouse, including a same-sex marriage
  • A surviving partner from a legal union
  • A surviving child of the veteran
  • A parent of the veteran
  • The executor or administrator of the veteran's estate

Pension and retirement accounts

What it is

A pension is a retirement plan funded by an employer. The employer pays into it on the worker's behalf over the years, then sends monthly payments once that person retires.

A retirement plan, by contrast, is a savings vehicle offered through work. The employer sets aside a slice of each paycheck before taxes, and some employers add a matching contribution on top.

Why this matters

If your loved one died before drawing down their full pension or retirement balance, that remaining money may pass on to whoever they named as a beneficiary.

What benefits might be available

Find the plan's "Summary Plan Description." It will spell out whether survivor annuities or other death benefits apply to your loved one's plan.

If they belonged to a trade or labor union, benefits could include:

  • Pension or annuity payments, usually calculated as a percentage of their salary
  • 401(k) retirement payments
  • Funeral or burial benefits — often a lump sum equal to one month's pension, or around $1,000

If a funeral hasn't been arranged yet, this guide on planning a funeral walks through what to expect.

Who can claim these benefits

Most pension plans, and some retirement plans, pay surviving spouses. Some allow a different beneficiary — a child, for instance — to collect survivor benefits instead.

If your loved one was part of a trade or labor union, their named beneficiary or next of kin may qualify for survivor benefits.

What you need to do

Reach out to the pension provider — your loved one's employer — or the plan administrator, let them know the member has died, and file a claim for whatever benefits apply. Expect them to ask for a certified copy of the death certificate.

For union benefits, contact your loved one's local union chapter to start a claim. They can walk you through eligibility and next steps. If you believe the union has since dissolved, check https://www.pbgc.gov/wr/tips-for-finding-a-lost-pension-benefit for guidance on tracking down a lost pension.

Information you'll need

  • Your loved one's Social Security number
  • Any separate plan identification number, if there is one
  • Your loved one's date of birth

Step by step

  • Contact the pension provider (your loved one's employer) or plan administrator
  • Let them know of the death
  • File a claim for any benefits owed

401(k), IRA, and annuity accounts

What these are

401(k)

A 401(k) is an employer-sponsored account that grows through regular payroll contributions, sometimes matched in part by the employer.

IRA

An individual retirement account is a tax-advantaged investment account meant to build financial security for retirement.

Annuity

An annuity pays out a fixed amount at set intervals.

Why this matters

Inheriting one of these accounts can come with taxes and penalties attached. If you're named as beneficiary on a 401(k), IRA, or annuity, treat it as seriously as you would your own account and bring in a professional advisor to help you navigate it.

Who is entitled to receive it

Your loved one should have named a beneficiary on the account. That could be anyone they chose — a person or an organization — though it's most commonly a spouse.

What you need to do

Your options here depend on several factors, and the specifics will vary with your state and situation. Whatever route you take should satisfy IRS rules while making the most of the financial upside. It's worth talking to a professional before making any moves.

Information you'll need

  • Contact your loved one's bank or financial advisor to find out exactly what's required to claim the benefit

Life insurance

What it is

Life insurance pays a death benefit to named beneficiaries when the policyholder dies.

Why this matters

If your loved one held a life insurance policy, beneficiaries need to fill out a death claim form and send it to the insurer before any benefit is released.

What benefits might be available

What you're entitled to depends entirely on the type of policy your loved one carried.

Who can claim these benefits

Whoever is named as beneficiary on the policy has the right to file a claim.

Are life insurance payouts taxed?

When the payout goes to an individual or a group of individuals — say, several children — it's generally not taxable. If the beneficiary is a family trust or some other entity, taxes may come into play, so check with the policy's sales agent to be sure.

What you need to do

Start by confirming whether your loved one had a policy at all. If you're not sure, ask the executor, family, or friends, check with former employers, dig through important papers, mail, or email, reach out to any financial contacts, or try this free tool:

https://eapps.naic.org/life-policy-locator/#/welcome

Once you've confirmed a policy exists, notify the insurance company (or the agent, if you know who that is) along with every beneficiary. The insurer will send out death claim forms. After submission, processing typically takes 30 to 60 days, depending on your state.

If death occurred within two years of the policy being taken out, the insurer may open a fraud investigation. That can delay — or in rare cases block — the payout.

Most beneficiaries take the payment as a lump sum, though some insurers offer alternatives like annuities or installment payments.

Information you'll need

  • The policy number, if you have it
  • Your loved one's Social Security number
  • Your loved one's full legal name
  • Your loved one's date of birth
  • Your loved one's date of death
  • Beneficiary details

Step by step

  • Confirm whether your loved one carried life insurance
  • If so, locate the policy
  • Notify the insurance company and the beneficiaries
  • Have each beneficiary complete and submit the death claim form

Other insurance policies

What it is

An insurance policy is a contract between the policyholder and the insurer. Your loved one may have carried other coverage too — home, auto, health, dental, and similar policies.

Why this matters

Some of these policies pay out death benefits. Beyond that, any coverage listing your loved one should be cancelled, premium payments stopped, and unused premiums refunded where applicable.

Note: if you're covered under their policy, your coverage usually continues until the next premium comes due.

What you need to do

First, track down every insurance policy your loved one held and contact each provider to cancel coverage.

Ask each insurer whether you're eligible for any benefits — auto insurance in the case of an accident, personal injury coverage, accidental death travel insurance (AD&D), workers' compensation, liability coverage tied to a rental or home policy, supplemental health accident insurance, and so on.

If your loved one was on Medicare, the Social Security office handles that notification for you. For any secondary health coverage beyond Medicare, you'll need to contact the provider directly if it was a Medicare Supplement or Medigap policy. If it was a Medicare Advantage plan instead, no action is needed on your part — Medicare notifies the provider automatically.

If your own health coverage runs through your loved one's policy, it may lapse once the next premium is due. Ask the insurer whether continued coverage is possible. If not, you'll need to shop for a new plan at https://www.healthcare.gov/ or through another health insurance provider.

Information you'll need

Requirements differ by insurer and policy type, so contact each company directly to confirm what they need to cancel a policy or process a claim.

Have this on hand, generally:

  • Your loved one's Social Security number
  • Your loved one's date of birth
  • Your loved one's date of death
  • Your loved one's cause of death
  • Your loved one's state of residence
  • Your loved one's marital status
  • Your loved one's policy number
  • Beneficiary details

Will and trust

What it is

Your loved one may have left a will, a trust, or neither. If there's no will, they died "intestate" — we'll cover what that means for you below.

Wills and trusts are both legal tools for passing assets on to heirs.

Both accomplish three things:

  1. Name an executor or representative to oversee the estate
  2. List out the estate's assets
  3. Spell out who receives what, and where it goes

Because the process differs for each, it helps to understand how they work separately.

A will lays out how your loved one wanted their affairs handled and assets divided. If the estate includes real estate or other real property, or exceeds the asset threshold your state sets, probate is usually required. Not every will needs to go through probate — the court process that validates it. If there's no real property, mineral rights, or water rights involved, and the estate falls under your state's minimum threshold, probate typically isn't necessary.

If there is a will and real property involved, selling that property later may trigger capital gains tax on part of the sale price. A tax professional can tell you what to expect there.

A trust is really a bundle of documents — the trust itself, a will, financial and other powers of attorney, and a living will (sometimes called a do-not-resuscitate order or advance healthcare directive, depending on the state). Together, these guide the "successor trustee" — the trust's version of an executor — through liquidating and distributing assets according to the trust's terms. One key advantage: if real property is properly recorded and deeded in the trust's name, selling it triggers no capital gains tax. And probate generally isn't required at all, as long as everything relevant is titled in the trust.

Why this matters

Start by figuring out whether your loved one left a will or a trust. Then find out who's named as executor or successor trustee in that document — that's the person responsible for settling the estate. If that's you, you carry a legal, fiduciary duty to follow the instructions laid out in the document. If you're ever unsure what a step requires, an estate planning attorney who specializes in this area can guide you.

What you need to do

Step by step

  1. Look for the will or trust — it may be tucked in a locked drawer, a home safe, or a safety deposit box.
  2. If you can't find either document, your loved one likely died intestate, and you'll follow much of the same path as an estate that requires probate.
  3. Whether there's a will or no will at all, if the estate's total value falls under your state's probate threshold, you may be able to settle it with a small estate affidavit — search your state's name plus "small estate affidavit" to find the right form. Note that this shortcut won't work if a home is part of the estate; that still requires probate.
  4. If probate is unavoidable, consider hiring an estate planning attorney. You're not required to use one, but the process is dense and hard for most people to manage alone. For details on how probate works locally, contact the Clerk of Superior Court in your loved one's county. The court will appoint an administrator and issue letters testamentary authorizing estate duties.
  5. Build a complete inventory of every asset. This matters not just for probate, but for keeping things transparent with other family members involved.
  6. Once you've listed everything, assign a monetary value to each item — this shapes both the probate process and any tax obligations.
  7. If there's a trust, the successor trustee follows its instructions (and the will's, if there is one) to distribute assets accordingly.
  8. Once your loved one's estate is settled, it's worth thinking about putting your own estate plan in order. This piece on why everyone should have an estate plan makes the case well.

Bank and credit union accounts

What is it?

A bank or credit union account is where your loved one kept and moved their money — deposits, withdrawals, bill pay, transfers, all of it. Chances are good they had at least one.

Why does this matter?

How easily you can reach that money depends entirely on how the account was set up. Many accounts list a beneficiary, so once the account holder dies, that person can step in and claim the funds. If the account was held jointly, the surviving owner keeps using it, even with the deceased's name still attached. If it was held solely in your loved one's name, look for a POD (payable on death) designation, a TOD (transfer on death) designation, or a secondary signer with access. Without one of these in place, the bank may push the funds into probate, or allow a claim through a Small Estate Affidavit if the balance falls under your state's probate threshold. As executor, the estate's finances land on your desk — paying bills, tracking remaining income, and inventorying everything owned and owed.

What do I need to do?

Resist the urge to rush to the bank and close the account or scrub your loved one's name from it right away — that can create headaches later. It's fine to leave things as they are for now. On a joint account, the surviving owner can keep banking as usual. Somewhere between three and six months out (sometimes longer), that person can bring a certified death certificate to the bank and have the name removed. Before doing so, confirm all expected deposits under the deceased's name have cleared and that recurring withdrawals have been switched to the survivor's name.

If the account was solely in your loved one's name, first check whether anyone — a secondary signer, for instance — already has access. If not, the account will need to go through probate or be handled with the Small Estate Affidavit described earlier. If the account belonged to a trust, the successor trustee can bring a copy of the trust document along with a certified death certificate to withdraw the funds or close the account. Once an account closes, you'll typically need to open a new estate account to manage what's inside.

Some bills won't wait for an estate account to exist. Keep a running log of anything paid out of pocket by family or the executor in the early days — these costs are usually reimbursed by the estate once probate is underway. Common examples include:

  • Funeral costs (see our guide to planning a funeral if you're still working through arrangements)
  • Attorney's fees
  • Mortgage payments
  • Utility bills or other costs tied to your loved one's home
  • Car payments
  • Insurance premiums

Check for other kinds of accounts too — spending accounts, for example. A health savings account (HSA) belongs to the account holder and can typically be transferred; a flexible spending account (FSA) belongs to the employer and can't be transferred, though it may still allow reimbursement claims for expenses incurred before death. You'll also need to find out what your loved one owed. Beyond the immediate costs above, watch for:

  • Medical bills
  • Taxes
  • Credit card balances
  • Student loans

Once you have a full picture of assets and debts, the executor or administrator pays down what's owed, usually from the estate's checking account. If that account can't cover it, other assets may need to be sold. And if the estate simply doesn't have enough to cover everything, creditors get paid in an order set by state law and the probate court — with lower-priority creditors going unpaid once the money runs out. Beneficiaries only receive what's left after debts are settled, which sometimes means they receive nothing. The general order of priority (this varies by state — an attorney can walk you through your state's rules) tends to run:

  1. Mortgages and other secured debts
  2. Court costs and other expenses of administering the estate
  3. Out-of-pocket "immediate" costs covered by family or the executor before probate began
  4. Funeral expenses
  5. Taxes
  6. Medical bills
  7. All other unsecured debt
    1. This covers things like credit card balances, non-forgiven student loans, and other unsecured personal loans

Who can transfer the funds?

If your loved one's account was jointly owned — say, with a spouse — ownership simply continues with the surviving party. If there was no co-owner, the account can no longer be used and must close. If a POD beneficiary was named, that person can claim the funds directly and move them into their own account, usually with a certified death certificate and ID. Without a named beneficiary, the money moves into the estate's account during probate. Brokerage accounts work much the same way: a named TOD beneficiary receives the stocks and bonds directly, while accounts without one become part of the estate and pass to beneficiaries through probate.

What you'll likely need

Exact requirements vary by institution, but you'll commonly be asked for:

  • A copy of the will or trust
  • A certified copy of the death certificate
  • Letters testamentary or letters of administration, if applicable
  • A small estate affidavit, if applicable

Step by step

  1. Identify and pay any immediate expenses
  2. Start a log of what's been spent
  3. Find out whether funds can pass to another account holder or a named POD beneficiary
  4. Get letters testamentary or letters of administration, if needed
  5. Open an estate bank account once probate begins
  6. Check for other financial accounts your loved one held
  7. List out known debts
  8. Pay down what's outstanding

If you're locked out of accounts or unsure how to approach your loved one's debts, an estate attorney or financial professional can help you sort through it.

Credit cards

What is it?

Your loved one may have carried one or more credit cards at the time of death.

Why does this matter?

Whether the card issuer needs to hear from you depends on how the account was owned.

What do I need to do?

Start by figuring out the ownership structure — a joint account, a solo account, or a solo account with someone else listed as an authorized user. This changes everything about how you proceed.

On a joint account (say, between spouses), there's no need to alert the card company about the death. In fact, reporting it will likely get the account frozen, forcing the surviving spouse to apply for a brand-new card — often at a lower limit, since their individual credit may not match what the joint account offered. Since the survivor is already a full owner and remains responsible for the balance, there's no upside to notifying the issuer. Just retrieve any card bearing your loved one's name and destroy it so it can't be misused.

For a solo account, contact the issuer and report the death. Using that card afterward — even innocently — counts as fraud.

If the account was solo but had authorized users attached, those users need to stop using the card immediately. The person who gave them permission is gone, and no one is left to oversee that use.

Closing accounts quickly helps you avoid mystery recurring charges. On the other hand, closing too fast can cut off charges you actually want to keep running for a while — a utility bill tied to the home, for example.

Your family isn't on the hook for credit card debt your loved one carried, unless the account was joint. That debt gets paid by the estate — and it's worth holding off on paying it until every other debt is settled, since card debt can sometimes be written off if the estate runs short of funds.

Not sure which cards your loved one had, or who issued them? A credit bureau can pull a credit report that will show you.

What you'll likely need

Requirements differ by card issuer, but expect to provide:

  • Your loved one's Social Security number
  • Their account number
  • Their date of birth
  • Their date of death
  • Your relationship to them
  • Contact details for the estate's executor or administrator

Step by step

  1. Identify which credit cards your loved one held
  2. Contact the relevant card companies and report the death (the customer service number is usually printed on the back of the card or on a statement)
  3. Close out any solo accounts
  4. Settle credit card debt before closing the estate

Fraud alerts and identity theft protection

What is it?

A fraud alert is a flag placed on your loved one's credit file with the three major credit bureaus. If someone tries to open new credit or misuse existing credit in your loved one's name, you'll be notified.

Why does this matter?

It's a free service through the credit bureaus and lasts a year. It's your early warning system if someone tries to exploit the deceased's identity or credit.

What do I need to do?

Call one of the three major bureaus — Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion — and ask them to place a fraud alert on your loved one's file. You'll need to provide some of their personal details over the phone. Identity theft is a real risk after a death, so be cautious about who you share sensitive information with, and shred or destroy documents containing your loved one's name, address, Social Security number, bank details, or credit card information before discarding them.

This is also a good moment to think about how you word an obituary — details like a full birth date or home address can be useful to identity thieves. If you're still drafting one, guides on placing a notice in The Age or placing a notice in the Sydney Morning Herald can help you strike the right balance between honoring your loved one and protecting their identity.

Was your loved one licensed in a profession — a doctor, nurse, lawyer, engineer, teacher? Notify the relevant licensing board so no one can steal their professional identity. You can find links to licensing boards and professional associations at sites.ed.gov/international/professional-licensure.

What you'll likely need

  • Your loved one's Social Security number
  • Their mailing zip code
  • Their street number
  • Their date of birth
  • A phone number for the survivor who should be contacted if needed

Step by step

  1. Call one of the three major credit bureaus
  2. Ask for a fraud alert on your loved one's credit file
  3. Carefully dispose of any sensitive paperwork you no longer need
  4. Notify any professional licensing board, if relevant

Sorting and dividing household belongings

What is it?

Your loved one's home is likely still full of their belongings — furniture, artwork, dishware, photo albums, all of it.

Why does this matter?

You may end up responsible for deciding what happens to everything before the home can be sold or handed to a new owner. Other family members may need to weigh in as well.

What do I need to do?

What you'll likely need

A will or trust may spell out who's responsible for this process, and it may already assign certain valuable items to specific people — meaning those items don't need to be part of the general sort. Even with instructions for the big-ticket items, everything else still needs to be organized, valued, and either distributed or disposed of.

Step by step

  1. Talk it through and make a plan: gather any documents or wishes your loved one left behind about how they wanted things distributed, and loop in other family members on how to divide the work.
  2. Sort with a system: build an inventory of items and note their value where you can.
  3. Honor sentimental weight: some items carry more emotional value than dollar value — factor that into how things get divided.
  4. Dispose of the rest thoughtfully: donate, sell, or recycle what's left, and sell anything of real value if that makes sense.
  5. Bring in help if you need it: estate cleanout services or professional organizers can take a lot of this off your plate.

Managing accounts and subscriptions

What is it?

Your loved one likely had a string of accounts, subscriptions, and memberships running in the background.

Why does this matter?

You'll want to decide what to do with each one. Closing accounts helps guard against fraud, and shutting off unnecessary withdrawals protects what's left in the estate. (If your loved one had already put together a full estate plan, you may find some of this groundwork was done ahead of time — which is one more reason it's worth reading about why having an estate plan matters.)

What do I need to do?

Step by step

  1. Comb through your loved one's mail, email, and bank statements to surface accounts, subscriptions, and memberships.
  2. Build a full list. Watch for:
    1. Utilities (landline, cable, internet, electricity, water, gas, and so on)
    2. Memberships and subscriptions, such as:
      • Online payment accounts (PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, Cash App, etc.)
      • Streaming services (Netflix, Hulu, Pandora, etc.)
      • Recurring deliveries (Amazon, Chewy, etc.)
      • Smart home accounts (Ring, Alexa, etc.)
      • Gym or fitness memberships
      • Magazines, newspapers, and digital media (The New York Times, Kindle books, etc.)
      • Subscription boxes (Hello Fresh, Ipsy, Barkbox, etc.)
      • Gaming accounts (Twitch, Xbox, etc.)
    3. Social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.)
    4. Prescriptions set to auto-refill
    5. Recurring charitable donations
  3. Keep updating this list as more mail and email come in.
  4. Once you've gathered everything you need, you can close your loved one's email account for good by contacting each company's customer support team.

Cell phones

What is it?

Your loved one may have had a cell phone plan.

Why does this matter?

Carriers keep billing until they're told otherwise. Reach out and close the account if you don't want to keep paying for a phone no one's using.

What do I need to do?

Hold onto the phone until the account is closed. Having it in hand will help you identify the carrier and pull off any photos, contacts, or other information you'd like to save.

When you're ready to let go of the phone or shut down the account, contact the carrier's customer support line.

What you'll likely need

Requirements vary by carrier, but it helps to have the following ready:

  • The carrier name
  • The name on the account
  • The account number
  • A certified copy of the death certificate
  • Your loved one's date of death
  • Their phone number
  • A recent bill
  • The last four digits of their Social Security number

Step by step

Finding the carrier

  1. Turn on the phone
  2. Check the top corner of the screen — it typically displays the carrier name, and you don't need to unlock the phone to see it.

Unlocking the phone

  1. If you know the passcode, just enter it and you're in.
  2. If you don't know the passcode but have login details for their iCloud or Google account, you can reset the passcode through either service, as long as the phone is linked to that account.
  3. If you have neither, you likely won't be able to unlock the phone. You can still call customer support, explain that the account holder has died, and see if they can verify enough information to help — though this isn't always possible.

Canceling the account

  1. Find and call the carrier's customer support line
  2. Let them know your loved one has died
  3. Provide the information listed above
  4. Ask them to close the account

Carrier customer support numbers

  • AT&T: (800) 331-0500, select option 3, then option 3 again
  • Boost Mobile: (866) 402-7366
  • Consumer Cellular: (888) 345-5509
  • Cricket Wireless: (800) 274-2538
  • Google Fi: contact support online or by phone at https://support.google.com/fi/gethelp
  • Metro PCS: (888) 863-8768
  • Mint Mobile: (800) 683-7392
  • Sprint: (888) 211-4727
  • T-Mobile: (877) 746-0909
  • US Cellular: (888) 944-9400
  • Verizon: (877) 596-7577
  • Visible: contact support via chat or Facebook Messenger at https://www.visible.com/help/contact-us
  • Xfinity: contact support at https://www.xfinity.com/support/account-management/bereavement

Vehicles

What are we talking about?

Your loved one may have owned one car, several, or none — but if a vehicle was titled in their name, it needs attention.

Why does this matter?

You'll need to figure out what happens to the car next. Getting the title transferred properly is what allows the vehicle to be registered correctly going forward.

Who can make the transfer happen?

It comes down to how the title was set up. Vehicles are usually titled one of two ways:

  1. Titled to one person alone. Here, the executor brings the title to the DMV when it's time to sell or hand it off, along with a certified death certificate. The DMV will ask you to complete an affidavit, which stands in for the deceased person's signature. Once that's done, the title can move to a new owner.
  2. Titled jointly — a spouse and spouse, or a parent and child, for example. If the two names are joined by "AND," both owners hold the car together, and both signatures were needed to transfer it while both were living. Now that one owner has died, the surviving owner must wait 30 days after the death, then bring a certified death certificate to the DMV. The DMV will have you complete an affidavit in place of the deceased's signature, and the title can then be transferred. If the names are joined by "OR" instead, the two owners held the car independently, and only one signature was ever required to transfer it. This setup is simpler, though it comes with a tradeoff — either owner could transfer or sell the car without the other's knowledge. Either way, the surviving owner can sign and transfer the title to someone else on their own.

What do you need to do?

Depending on your plans for the vehicle, you may need to keep up car payments, keep the registration current, and/or arrange for the title to change hands.

  1. If the car was titled to your loved one alone, it will need to be retitled before ownership can transfer.
  2. If the car was titled to your loved one AND another person — a surviving spouse, say — it will also need to be retitled.
  3. If the car was titled to your loved one OR another person, no retitling is required; it passes directly to the surviving co-owner.

What you'll likely need to bring:

Requirements vary by state, but plan on needing:

  • A certified copy of the death certificate
  • A copy of your loved one's driver's license, permit, or ID
  • The certificate of title
  • An odometer disclosure statement
  • The transfer fee
  • Proof that you have the right to make the transfer

Step by step:

  1. Head to your local DMV in person to complete the title transfer.

Where to get help

Find a DMV office near you: https://www.dmv.org/dmv-office-finder.php

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This article is general information, not professional legal, financial, tax, or medical advice. The right steps depend on your situation and the laws of your state — when it matters, check with a qualified professional.