Who to Notify When Someone Dies: Social Security, Banks, Subscriptions and Tell Us Once

When someone dies, tell the government first. Then tell banks and pension providers. Then tell the companies that send bills. In the US, the funeral home usually tells Social Security for you. In the UK, the free Tell Us Once service tells most government offices in one go. Canada and Australia have their own shortcuts too.

Most organisations will ask for a certified copy of the death certificate. They will also want the person's account numbers and your contact details. You do not need to make every call this week. Start with the few that stop payments or protect money.

Below is the list in order, country by country. Every phone number, deadline and amount was checked on official pages on 2 November 2026.

Who do you need to notify first?

Think of three groups. Do them in this order.

1. In the first week: stop payments and protect money.

• The government office that paid a pension or benefits.
• The bank, if money may go out or come in by mistake.
• The home and car insurers. A policy may stop covering an empty home or another driver.
• Their employer, if they worked.

2. In the first month: money and property.

• Other banks and building societies, credit card companies and lenders.
• Private and workplace pension providers.
• Life insurance companies.
• The mortgage lender or landlord.
• The tax office.

3. When you are ready: bills and accounts.

• Gas, electricity, water, phone and internet.
• Subscriptions, memberships and streaming services.
• Email, social media and cloud storage.
• Doctors, dentists, clubs and charities they gave to.

Keep a simple log as you go. Write the date, the company, the person you spoke to and what they need next. Ask each company for its bereavement team. Many have staff trained for these calls.

Before you begin, gather these details:

• full name, any other names, and date of birth
• last address and date of death
• Social Security, National Insurance or Social Insurance number
• account, policy and customer numbers
• certified copies of the death certificate
• the executor's name and contact details, if there is a will

Our step-by-step checklist for what to do when someone dies covers the first hours and days. That includes registering the death.

How do you notify Social Security of a death?

In the US, the funeral home usually does it for you. The Social Security Administration (SSA) says: "Funeral homes generally tell us when someone dies. So, you don't typically need to report a death to us" (SSA). Give the funeral director the person's Social Security number so they can report it.

If no funeral home is involved, or it does not report the death, you report it yourself:

• Call SSA on 1-800-772-1213. TTY users call 1-800-325-0778. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., in most US time zones.
• Or visit a local Social Security office.
• Have ready: the person's name, Social Security number, date of birth and date of death.

SSA does not accept death reports online or by email. You can start the report without the death certificate, but you will need it later (USAGov).

What happens to the last Social Security payment?

This part surprises many families. SSA cannot pay benefits for the month a person dies. Each payment covers the month before. So if the person died in July, the August payment is for July. It must go back (USAGov).

• If the payment came by direct deposit, tell the bank as soon as you can. Ask it to return that payment and any that come later.
• If it came by check, do not cash it. Return it to SSA.

SSA also tells Medicare about the death. You do not need to call Medicare separately (USAGov).

What can family members claim?

When you call, ask about survivor benefits. A surviving spouse may get a one-time payment of $255. If there is no spouse, some children may qualify. You must apply within 2 years of the death (SSA). Some spouses, children and dependent parents may also get monthly survivor payments.

Which other US agencies and companies need to know?

USAGov lists these offices to contact. Most need the Social Security number and a certified death certificate (USAGov).

Who	Why
State motor vehicles office (DMV)	Cancel the driver's licence or ID, and transfer any car title
IRS	File the final income tax return. To claim a refund, use Form 1310 (IRS)
Department of State	Return the passport to cancel it. This helps prevent identity theft
State social services office	Stop SNAP, TANF, rental help or Medicaid
Local election office	Cancel voter registration
Department of Veterans Affairs	Ask about burial and survivor benefits, and stop VA payments
Defense Finance and Accounting Service	Report the death of a military retiree
Office of Personnel Management	Report the death of a federal retiree

Banks, credit cards and credit bureaus

Tell each bank and card company. Ask what they need to close or move each account. If an account was joint, ask the bank what happens to it.

The National Institute on Aging suggests sending copies of the death certificate to the three credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. This helps stop anyone opening credit in the dead person's name (NIA).

How does Tell Us Once work in the UK?

Tell Us Once is a free government service. It reports a death to most government offices at the same time (GOV.UK).

Who can use it. It covers people who lived in England, Scotland or Wales. In Scotland, it is only offered in some areas (NHS inform). In Northern Ireland, the registrar and nidirect explain who to tell.

How to start. When you register the death, the registrar explains the service. They either do it with you, or give you a reference number. You can then use it online or by phone. You must use it within 28 days of getting the number.

Who it tells:

• HMRC, for tax and benefits like Child Benefit
• the Department for Work and Pensions, for State Pension and benefits like Universal Credit
• the Passport Office, to cancel a British passport
• DVLA, to cancel a driving licence and end vehicle tax
• the local council, for Council Tax help, Housing Benefit, a Blue Badge and the electoral register
• Veterans UK and Social Security Scotland
• some public sector pension schemes, such as the Civil Service, NHS and local government schemes

What to have ready. Have the date of death and National Insurance number. Add passport and driving licence numbers, and the executor's details. If there is a husband, wife or civil partner, you also need their details. Ask their permission before you give them.

Who Tell Us Once does not tell

You still need to contact these yourself:

• banks and building societies
• mortgage lenders and insurers
• utility companies, landlords and housing associations
• personal and workplace pensions (other than the public schemes above)
• the Student Loans Company, if they had a student loan

For banks, the free Death Notification Service can help. It lets you tell several banks "at the same time" (Death Notification Service). Each bank then contacts you.

Bereavement Support Payment

If your husband, wife, civil partner or live-in partner died, you may get Bereavement Support Payment. The higher rate is up to £3,500 at once, then 18 monthly payments of £350. The lower rate is up to £2,500, then 18 payments of £100. Claim within 3 months of the death to get the full amount (GOV.UK).

Who do you tell in Canada?

The Government of Canada lists these steps (Government of Canada).

• Social Insurance Number. If the death happens in a province, the provincial vital statistics office tells the SIN program. You do nothing. If it happens in a territory or abroad, you must tell Service Canada yourself.
• Canada Revenue Agency. Contact the CRA as soon as possible. This avoids having to pay back benefits later. The CRA also explains the final tax return (CRA).
• CPP and OAS pensions. Call Service Canada on 1-800-277-9914 (TTY 1-800-255-4786), Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. local time. Have the Social Insurance Number ready (Government of Canada).
• Employment Insurance and the Canadian Dental Care Plan, if the person used them.
• Credit bureaus. Contact Equifax and TransUnion to help prevent fraud.
• Passport. Mail a valid passport to the Passport Program in Gatineau, Quebec. Include a copy of the death certificate.
• Canada Post, to forward the mail.
• Canada Student Loans, which can be forgiven after a death.

Note one difference from the US. In Canada, CPP and OAS are paid for the month of death. Only payments after that month must be returned (Government of Canada).

Who do you tell in Australia?

Services Australia. If the person got a payment, tell Services Australia within 28 days. You can call the Older Australians line and say "someone died". You can also send the Advice of death form, or visit a service centre (Services Australia).

Everyone else, at once. The free Australian Death Notification Service lets you notify many organisations with one online form. The death must be registered first. It helps to have account numbers, but you can still send a notice without them.

What to put in a letter. Services Australia suggests you include:

• full name and any other names they used
• date of birth, address and date of death
• account, membership or client numbers
• your name, contact details and relationship to the person

Certified copies. Make copies of the death certificate. A Justice of the Peace can certify them. You can find one at most police stations and libraries (Services Australia).

How do you cancel subscriptions and online accounts?

These can wait until you feel ready. They rarely need a certified death certificate. USAGov says a photocopy may be enough for tasks such as cancelling a subscription (USAGov).

Go through the last few bank and card statements. Look for regular payments. Common ones are:

• streaming, music and news services
• phone plans, apps and cloud storage
• gym, club and charity memberships
• deliveries, meal kits and online shopping accounts

Australia's government also says to close email, social media and online payment accounts (Services Australia). Some companies let you download photos first. Read who gets your photos and voice messages when you die for more.

What do you say when you call?

Calls are often the hardest part. A short script helps. You can read it word for word.

"Hello. I'm calling because my [mother] has died. Do you have a bereavement team? Her name was [full name]. Her account number is [number]. She died on [date]. I'm her [daughter], and [name] is the executor. What do you need from me to close or transfer the account? Can I send a photocopy of the death certificate, or do you need a certified copy?"

Then write down the person's name, the date and what happens next. If a call becomes too much, it is fine to say, "I need to stop now. I'll call back."

You can also ask a friend to sit with you while you call.

How do you avoid scams while you notify people?

A death notice can attract criminals. Some pretend to be debt collectors, lawyers or "unclaimed funds" agents.

Know your rights. In the US, debts are paid from the estate. Family members usually do not have to pay them from their own money. There are exceptions, for example if you co-signed a loan. A debt collector must give you details of the debt. It can do this on the first call, or in writing within five days (FTC).

Simple rules help:

• Only call numbers you find yourself, on a statement or the official website.
• Never pay a stranger to "release" money or an inheritance.
• Do not give bank details on a call you did not expect.
• Ask any caller to write to the executor.

Our guide to heir hunter and unclaimed inheritance scams shows the common tricks. It also lists free official searches.

How can you make this list shorter for your own family?

The hardest part of notifying people is not the calls. It is finding out who to call. Which banks? Which pensions? Which subscriptions?

A family can spend weeks looking through drawers and old emails. A single page with every account, policy and login hint changes that. It turns a search into a simple list.

You can start with a sheet of paper. Write down each bank, pension, insurer and regular bill. Note where the papers are kept. Tell one trusted person where to find it. When the time comes, the people you love will have one less thing to carry.

For the bigger picture, see our executor checklist and our guide to whether you need probate.

This page gives general information, checked on official government pages on 2 November 2026. It is not legal or financial advice. Rules and phone numbers can change. Check the official page for your country before you act.