After-Death Admin Timeline: What to Do and When

The paperwork after a death falls into four stages. In the first week, the funeral director files the death certificate and normally reports the death to Social Security. Over the next few weeks you gather certified copies, find the will and get legal authority to act. After that come the inventory, creditors and tax returns, and the estate is closed. A formal probate case in California, for example, typically takes 9 to 18 months, and other states differ.

How long does the whole process take?

It depends on the state, the size of the estate and whether there is a dispute. California's court self-help site says a formal probate case has three parts, opening a case, administering the estate and closing it, and typically takes 9 to 18 months and sometimes longer. Not every estate needs probate. Joint accounts, assets with a named beneficiary and some small estates can move faster. Our guides to what probate is and small estate probate explain the difference.

Most dates in this process are set by the court, the state or the organization you are dealing with. The ones below are set by federal law or federal agencies.

What happens in the first week (days 1 to 7)?

The first week is about the person, the funeral and the legal record of the death.

1. The death is pronounced and recorded. The CDC handbook says the funeral director completes and files the death certificate, gets personal details from the best-qualified informant, usually a family member, and gets the medical certification from the person responsible for it. Our first 24 hours and first week guides cover this in detail.
2. Give the funeral director the person's Social Security number. USAGov says the funeral director should report the death to Social Security for you. If they do not, you must do it as soon as possible, by phone or in person.
3. Look for a will and funeral wishes. Knowing who is named as executor decides what happens next.
4. Keep the home and valuables secure. Collect mail, and pause deliveries.
5. Order certified death certificates. Count the organizations that need an original before you order. Our guide on how many death certificates you need helps.

What happens in weeks 2 to 6?

This stage is about authority and notification.

• Get the will to the court. In California, the person holding a will must deliver it to the court clerk within 30 days of knowing about the death, unless a probate petition is filed first. Other states have their own deadlines, so ask the local probate court. Our guide to what an executor does explains the role.
• Get legal authority, if probate is needed. The court appoints the executor, or an administrator if there is no will, and issues the paperwork you will show banks and agencies.
• Apply for an EIN for the estate. The IRS says this is the first thing a personal representative should do. You can apply online and usually receive the number immediately. By mail it takes about 4 weeks. Then file Form 56 to tell the IRS you are acting for the estate.
• Notify the government. USAGov lists Social Security and Medicare, the state motor vehicles office, the IRS, the passport office, state benefits such as SNAP and Medicaid, the local election office, the VA if the person was a veteran, DFAS for a military retiree and OPM for a federal employee or retiree. See our guide to notifying government agencies.
• Notify banks, credit card companies and credit bureaus. USAGov says to report the death to banks, credit card companies, credit bureaus and other financial organizations, and to contact utilities and places where the person had memberships and subscriptions. Our guides to accessing a deceased bank account and insurance notifications cover the details.
• Ask about survivor benefits. The $255 lump-sum payment goes to a surviving spouse who lived with the person, or, if there is none, to certain children. The application window is generally two years from the death. See our guide to the Social Security death benefit.

What happens in months 2 to 6?

By now you have your authority and most of the first calls are done. This stage is the inventory and the debts.

• Take inventory. List the assets and what they are worth on the date of death. In California, the personal representative files an Inventory and Appraisal and may use a probate referee to value non-cash assets. Our estate inventory checklist helps.
• Deal with creditors. The executor gives formal notice to creditors where state law requires it, and pays valid debts from the estate. The FTC says that as a rule debts are paid from the estate and relatives don't usually have to pay from their own money, unless they co-signed or another exception applies. Collectors can only discuss the debt with certain people, including the executor, the spouse and a lawyer. Our guide to debts when someone dies explains.
• Handle digital accounts. Some companies let people name a contact in advance. Apple's Legacy Contact, for example, can request access using an access key and the death certificate, though some data, such as passwords stored in iCloud Keychain, stays inaccessible. See our guides on Apple Legacy Contact and managing social media accounts after a death.
• Cancel or transfer the rest. Cars, home insurance, mortgages and subscriptions each have their own rules. See vehicle registration after a death, home insurance and mortgage.

What happens in months 6 to 12 and beyond?

The last stage is taxes, accounts and distribution.

• File the final income tax return. The IRS says it is due on April 15 after the year of death, covering January 1 to the date of death. Use Form 1310 to claim a refund due to the person. If a prior-year return was never filed, that is needed too.
• File the estate's income tax return if needed. Form 1041 applies if the estate has more than $600 in gross income. A calendar-year estate files by April 15, and the executor can ask for an automatic 5-month extension on Form 7004.
• Check whether a federal estate tax return is needed. The IRS lists $15,000,000 as the 2026 basic exclusion amount, up from $13,990,000 in 2025. Most estates fall below that. A return may still be filed to elect portability of a spouse's unused exclusion, so ask a tax professional. Some states have their own estate or inheritance taxes at lower levels. See estate tax in the USA and by state.
• Report to the court, if required. In California, courts usually require a report a year after the personal representative is appointed.
• Close the estate and distribute what is left. The personal representative files a final report and account, and the court approves the distribution. Where there is no court process, the executor still keeps records.

What if there is no will, or no probate?

If there is no will, the court may appoint an administrator, personal representative or similar person, and state law decides who inherits. Our guide to dying without a will explains.

If most assets pass outside probate, for example through a beneficiary designation or joint ownership, much of the timeline above is shorter. You still need to notify agencies, close accounts and file the final tax return, so keep the list and tick items off.

What to do next

1. Write down the date of death and the first deadline you know, the final tax return on April 15 of next year.
2. Check who was named as executor and whether probate is needed.
3. Use the checklist to track each task, and keep every document in one folder.
4. Get advice from a probate attorney or tax professional if the estate is large, contested or complicated.

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. Deadlines and probate rules differ by state, so check with your probate court and a tax professional.