Losing someone is disorienting enough without also being handed a list of logistics no one prepares you for. This guide walks through what actually needs to happen in the first days and weeks after a death — organized by urgency, not by paperwork type, so you can focus on what matters most first.
If you'd rather answer a few questions and get a checklist built specifically for your situation, After Atlas's guided checklist tool does that in about 10 minutes. This guide covers the same ground in article form.
The first 24–48 hours
1. Get a legal pronouncement of death. If the death didn't happen in a hospital or under hospice care, you may need to call 911 or the local medical examiner first. A funeral home generally cannot proceed without this.
2. Contact a funeral home or crematorium. If the person had prearranged plans, this step is largely already decided. If not, you'll need to choose one — most will guide you through the next several steps, including obtaining the death certificate.
3. Notify immediate family. Close family and anyone who should hear the news directly, before it circulates elsewhere.
4. Arrange for care of dependents and pets. If the person cared for children, an elderly relative, or animals, someone needs to step in immediately — this can't wait.
5. Secure the home. Lock up the property, and if it will sit empty, consider notifying neighbors or a security service, especially if valuables are inside.
Within the first week
6. Order certified copies of the death certificate. Order more than you think you'll need — banks, insurers, and government agencies each typically require their own original copy. Ten to fifteen is a reasonable starting number for most estates.
7. Locate the will (if one exists). Check with the person's attorney, a safe deposit box, or a fireproof home safe. If there's no will, the estate will generally be distributed according to state intestate succession law, which determines who inherits without one.
8. Identify the personal representative or executor. This is the person legally authorized to manage the estate — either named in the will or, without a will, typically the closest next of kin willing to serve. This person will be the point of contact for most of what follows.
9. Notify the person's employer, if they were still working — for final pay, unused paid time off, and any employer-provided benefits like group life insurance.
10. Contact Social Security, if applicable, to report the death and stop future benefit payments (overpayments can complicate the estate later).
Within the first two to four weeks
11. Notify financial institutions, including banks, brokerage and retirement accounts, and any lenders. For a full breakdown of what to expect from creditors and how debt is actually handled, see our guide to what happens to debt when someone dies.
12. File any life insurance claims. Most insurers require a certified death certificate and a claim form; payouts commonly take a few weeks once filed.
13. Cancel or transfer recurring expenses — credit cards, subscriptions, memberships, and utilities, so charges don't continue accumulating.
14. Handle digital accounts. Email, cloud storage, social media, and any accounts holding money (PayPal, Venmo, cryptocurrency) each need their own approach. See our guide to managing digital assets after a death for specifics.
15. Decide what to do with the home and vehicles. This often takes longer than everything else on this list — there's rarely a need to rush a decision here.
16. Begin the probate process, if required. Whether probate is necessary depends heavily on state law and how the estate's assets are titled. If you're in Washington State, see our guide to whether you need probate for the specific thresholds that apply.
Don't forget: taking care of yourself
Somewhere in the middle of all of this, it's easy to put your own needs last. Grief doesn't pause for paperwork, and burnout during this period is common. If you have children in the household, they're processing this loss too — here's guidance on supporting grieving children.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I have to handle everything after a death? There's no single deadline — some tasks (like notifying Social Security) are time-sensitive, while others (like selling a home) can reasonably take months. Prioritize by urgency rather than trying to do everything at once.
Do I need a lawyer to do any of this? Not always. Many estates, especially smaller ones or those with a valid will and cooperative heirs, can be handled without a probate attorney. Larger, contested, or more complex estates usually benefit from one.
What's the very first thing I should do? Get a legal pronouncement of death and contact a funeral home — nearly everything else follows from there.
Want a checklist built around your specific situation instead of a general list? Answer a few questions and After Atlas will generate one for you, complete with relevant local resources.