Free tool · After a Death

What To Do When Someone Dies

Answer where the death happened and get your first steps in order, with who to call first. The key fact: outside a sudden death, only one call is urgent. Choosing a funeral home, planning a service and most paperwork can wait until you've had time to breathe.

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Figures checked Sep 30, 2026

Who to call first

The right first call depends on where the person died and whether the death was expected.

Situation	First call
At home, under hospice care	The hospice's 24-hour line
At home, expected, no hospice	The person's doctor. If you can't reach one, 911 or your local non-emergency line.
At home, sudden or unexpected	911
In a hospital, nursing home or care facility	No call needed. Staff start the process and contact the family.
Anywhere else, such as a public place or after an accident	911

If the medical examiner or coroner becomes involved, the person can't be moved by a funeral home until they are released. That is routine for sudden deaths. Our guide to post-mortem examinations explains what to expect.

What can wait

Families often feel they must decide everything at once. Very little has to happen in the first hours.

Urgent: getting the death confirmed, and mentioning organ or tissue donation early if the person had registered.
Within hours: arranging for the person to be moved to a funeral home, once you're ready or once they are released.
Within a day or two: meeting the funeral home, and ordering certified copies of the death certificate.
Later: banks, insurers, the estate and everything else. See the after-death checklist and our guide to the first week after a death.

No funeral payment is due in the first hours. Costs start when a funeral home collects the person. The NFDA's 2023 price survey put the national median charge for transfer of remains at $395, and the basic services fee at $2,459. Use the funeral cost calculator to see the rest of a funeral line by line.

Choosing a funeral home when you're rushed

The FTC Funeral Rule gives you protections that matter most when you are tired and under pressure.

A funeral home must give you prices over the phone when you ask.
It must give you a written General Price List when you visit.
You can choose only the goods and services you want instead of a package.
You can ask for an itemized written statement before you pay.

You don't have to use the funeral home a hospital or facility mentions. Our guide to the General Price List shows how to read one.

Frequently asked questions

What is the first thing to do when someone dies?

It depends where the death happened. If the person was under hospice care at home, call the hospice line. If the death was sudden or happened away from home, call 911. In a hospital or care facility, staff take the first steps. For an expected death at home without hospice, call the person's doctor.

Should I call 911 if someone dies at home under hospice care?

Hospice teams usually ask families to call the hospice line instead, because the nurse knows the person's care plan and can arrange for the death to be confirmed. Follow the instructions your hospice gave you.

Do I have to call a funeral home right away?

Not within minutes. Apart from sudden deaths, where the medical examiner or coroner may need to release the person first, you can take time with family. Ask the hospice, hospital or facility how long the person can stay, since that varies.

What if the person died alone at home?

Call 911. Responders will confirm the death, and police and the medical examiner or coroner are often involved when a death is sudden or unattended. That is routine. Once the person is released, you can call a funeral home.

How much does it cost in the first few hours?

Nothing is owed to a funeral home until it collects the person. The NFDA's 2023 median for transfer of remains was $395, and the basic services fee was $2,459. Prices vary by area, so ask for a written price list.

Where do I get a death certificate?

The funeral home or medical examiner usually files the certificate. Certified copies come from the state or local vital records office where the death happened, and fees and rules vary by state. The CDC lists each state's office.

Sources we checked

1.The FTC Funeral Rule · Federal Trade Commission
2.Shopping for Funeral Services · Federal Trade Commission
3.Statistics: median cost of a funeral · National Funeral Directors Association
4.Where to Write for Vital Records · CDC National Center for Health Statistics
5.Burial in a VA national cemetery · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
6.Survivors Benefits · Social Security Administration

Please note: General information, not legal, financial or medical advice. Check the details with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Rules and prices change, so confirm anything important with the organization concerned. If you spot something out of date, tell us.

Guides that go with this tool

CostsFuneral Home Wrong Body: What to Do and Your Legal RightsWhat to do if you think a funeral home has the wrong body, how cremation identification works, your legal options, and how to lower the risk. 5 min read Services & etiquetteWhat Happens to a Body Overnight at a Funeral Home?What a funeral home does with a body overnight: refrigeration or embalming, identification, who can give permission, and questions you can ask the staff. 5 min read After a deathFirst Week After a Death: A Day-by-Day ChecklistWhat to do in the first week after a death in the US: who to call, securing the home, finding the will, death certificates, Social Security and what can wait. 6 min read After a deathPost-Mortem Examination (Autopsy) Explained: Types, Consent, Cost and ResultsWhat a post-mortem (autopsy) is, who can order one, whether you can refuse, what happens, how long results take and who pays for it. 8 min read

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