First Week After a Death: A Day-by-Day Checklist

In the first week after a death, the urgent tasks are getting the person into the care of a funeral home, telling close family, securing the home and pets, finding the will and key papers, and ordering death certificates. Almost all the money work can wait. The one thing to confirm is that Social Security has been told, which the funeral director usually does for you if you give them the person's Social Security number.

What should you do in the first 24 to 48 hours?

1. Get the death confirmed. If the person died in a hospital or hospice, staff handle this. If they died at home, see our guide to what to do when someone dies at home. Our hospital death guide covers the hospital side.
2. Ask about organ and tissue donation. If the person had registered as a donor or named this wish, tell the hospital or hospice staff straight away, because donation is time-sensitive.
3. Call a funeral home or cremation provider to arrange collection of the body. You do not have to settle the type of service yet. Under the FTC Funeral Rule you can ask for prices by phone and for a General Price List you can keep.
4. Tell close family and friends who need to hear personally. Ask someone to pass the news on to the wider circle.
5. Give the funeral home the person's Social Security number so they can report the death. Ask them to confirm they have done it.

How do you secure the home, pets and belongings?

If the person lived alone, a few simple steps prevent problems:

• Lock the home and collect spare keys. Note who else has a key.
• Arrange care for pets and plants, and ask a neighbor or friend to check on the house.
• Clear perishable food and take out the trash.
• Collect the mail, or ask someone to, so bills and legal notices are not missed.
• Put valuables, medications and important papers somewhere safe. Keep prescription drugs locked away until you can dispose of them safely.
• Leave the car where it is until you have checked the insurance position with the insurer. Our guide to car insurance after a death explains the questions to ask.

How do you find the will and other key papers?

Look for the will, trust documents, insurance policies, recent bank and pension statements, the deed and vehicle title, and a list of passwords or accounts. Check the desk, a filing cabinet, a home safe and the person's email. A safe deposit box may need the executor and a court order in some states, so ask the bank before assuming you can open it.

If there is a will, the person named as executor is responsible for managing the estate. If you cannot find one, try the person's attorney, financial adviser or the probate court. Our guides on finding out whether a will exists and what an executor does cover the next steps.

How many death certificates do you need?

Certified death certificates come from the vital records office of the state where the death occurred. USAGov says you can order online, by mail or in person, that you will need the date and place of death, and that fees vary by state. Only certain close relatives can get a certificate soon after the death.

Certified copies are needed to notify Social Security and other agencies, to close or transfer financial accounts, and to claim life insurance or pensions. Photocopies are often enough for things like canceling subscriptions. Funeral homes commonly order certificates for you as part of their service, so ask them first. Our guides on how to get a death certificate and how many copies to order go into more detail.

Which money tasks are urgent and which can wait?

Urgent:

• Social Security. Confirm the death has been reported. If the funeral home did not do it, call 1-800-772-1213. Social Security accepts death reports by phone or in person, not online.
• Benefit payments. Social Security cannot pay benefits for the month of death. If a payment arrives for that month, it has to be returned, and if it is paid by direct deposit, ask the bank to send it back.
• Funeral costs. Decide how you will pay the funeral home. Ask about payment options and whether the person had a prepaid plan, life insurance or a payable-on-death account.

Can wait:

• Lump-sum death payment. Social Security pays a $255 lump sum in limited cases, generally to a spouse who lived with the person or to certain children. You must generally apply within two years of the death, though Social Security can accept a late claim for good cause.
• Bank, insurance and credit card notifications. Our guides on notifying banks and other government agencies cover the order to do these in. Before you call a bank, know whether the account is joint, payable-on-death or sole-name, because that affects access.
• Bills and debts. The FTC says debts are generally paid from the estate, not by relatives, unless you co-signed or another exception applies. Debt collectors can only discuss the debt with certain people, such as a spouse, parent of a minor, executor or lawyer.
• Taxes. Someone has to file the person's final income tax return on Form 1040, and a refund claim uses Form 1310. The federal estate tax return only applies above a high threshold, $15,000,000 for people who die in 2026, though some states have their own estate or inheritance taxes.

What about phones, email and social media?

Write down which phone, email and cloud accounts the person used and keep the devices safe and charged, because they may hold two-factor login codes, photos and account records. Do not guess passwords or try to log in to accounts by force, since repeated failures can lock them. Apple and Google both have processes for family members, and social platforms have memorialization or removal requests. Our guides on Apple Legacy Contact, social media accounts and closing email accounts explain how they work.

What can wait until after the first week?

• Applying for probate or letters of administration. See our US probate guide.
• Closing accounts, canceling subscriptions and handling the home, car and other property.
• Claiming life insurance, pensions and veterans' or survivor benefits.
• A memorial, celebration of life or interment, if you are holding a funeral first.

The first month checklist and our death admin timeline show what comes next and when.

What to do next

1. Ask the funeral home to confirm that Social Security has been told and to order certified death certificates.
2. Gather the will and key papers into one folder, and note which bank, insurer and pension accounts exist.
3. Hand two or three tasks to friends who have offered help, such as pet care, meals or calls, so you can rest.

This guide is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules vary by state, so confirm details with your county vital records office, a probate attorney or a tax professional.