When someone dies, you'll need to notify Social Security, the deceased person's bank, life insurance companies, credit bureaus, employers, and any government agency that was paying or billing them — usually within the first few weeks. The exact order matters less than getting the highest-priority notifications out quickly, because benefits, automatic payments, and accounts keep running until someone tells the institution otherwise.

This guide walks through everyone you need to contact after a death, grouped by urgency, with what each notification actually requires. Print it, check off what you've done, and come back to it over the weeks ahead. There is no single agency that notifies everyone for you — the responsibility falls to the surviving spouse, family, or executor, one organization at a time.

Before you start: what you'll need

Almost every notification on this list asks for the same handful of items. Gather these once and you'll move through the rest far faster:

• Certified death certificates. Order more than you think you need — banks, insurers, and government agencies usually each want their own certified copy, not a photocopy. Most families need 8 to 12. The funeral home can typically order them for you.
• The deceased's Social Security number.
• Basic identifying details: full legal name, date of birth, date of death, and last address.
• Your authority to act, if you're the executor or administrator. For larger estates this means Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration from the probate court; for smaller accounts a death certificate and proof of relationship is often enough.

A practical tip: keep a running notification log — who you called, the date, the reference number, and what they still need. You will be repeating the same conversation a dozen times, and a paper trail saves you when an account "has no record" of your earlier call.

First: notifications that stop money from going out (or coming in wrong)

These are time-sensitive because the longer they wait, the more you may have to untangle later — clawed-back benefits, bounced auto-payments, or fraud on an open account.

Social Security Administration (SSA)

In most cases the funeral home reports the death to Social Security if you give them the deceased's Social Security number — ask them to confirm they've done it. If not, you (or a surviving spouse) must report it by calling 1-800-772-1213 or visiting a local office; you cannot report a death online.

This matters more than people expect: Social Security benefits are not payable for the month a person dies, even if they died on the last day of the month. Any payment received for the month of death (or later) must be returned. If benefits were direct-deposited, notify the bank not to accept the deposit so it routes back automatically. A surviving spouse or dependent child may also be eligible for a one-time $255 death benefit and ongoing survivor benefits — ask about both when you call.

Banks and credit unions

Contact each bank where the deceased held an account. What happens next depends on how the account was titled:

• Payable-on-death (POD) or joint accounts generally pass directly to the named beneficiary or surviving co-owner, often with just a death certificate.
• Solely owned accounts are frozen and become part of the estate. To access them you'll typically need court-issued letters naming you as executor or administrator.

Ask the bank to stop any automatic payments and recurring transfers tied to the account, and flag the account so no further debits or new charges go through.

Pension plans, annuities, and retirement accounts

Notify any pension administrator, 401(k) plan, IRA custodian, or annuity company. Like Social Security, pensions are typically not payable past the month of death, and overpayments will be reclaimed. These accounts often have named beneficiaries who can claim them outside of probate — but the institution still needs to be told.

Medicare, Medicaid, and the VA

If the deceased received Medicare, reporting the death to Social Security usually updates Medicare automatically. For Medicaid, contact the state agency directly. If the person was a veteran, notify the VA (1-800-827-1000) — survivors may be entitled to burial benefits, and any VA benefit payments must stop.

Next: insurance, employers, and income sources

Life insurance companies

Contact every life insurer — individual policies and any group coverage through an employer or union. Filing a claim usually means submitting a claim form plus a certified death certificate. Don't assume the family knows about every policy; old workplace and association policies are among the most commonly missed assets after a death.

The deceased's employer (or former employer)

If the person was working, call HR. There may be a final paycheck, unused vacation pay, group life insurance, a 401(k), unpaid bonuses, or continued health coverage for dependents under COBRA. Former employers may still hold a pension or vested retirement balance.

Health, auto, home, and other insurers

Notify health insurers to stop premiums. Auto and homeowners/renters policies may need to be canceled, transferred, or kept active (a house going through probate still needs coverage). Ask about refunds on any prepaid premiums.

Then: credit, debts, and protecting against fraud

The identity of someone who has died is a frequent target for fraud. Closing the loop with creditors and the credit bureaus protects both the estate and the family's credit.

The three credit bureaus

Notify Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion so they can flag the file as "deceased — do not issue credit." You generally only need to contact one bureau in writing with a copy of the death certificate; they share the notification, but contacting all three is the safest approach. Request a credit report afterward to see every open account and card — it's one of the best tools for finding debts and accounts the family didn't know about.

Credit card companies and lenders

Cancel or close credit cards in the deceased's sole name. For joint cards, contact the issuer about the surviving cardholder's options. Notify mortgage lenders, auto lenders, and any other creditors. Remember: heirs are generally not personally responsible for a deceased person's debts — those are paid from the estate, if there are assets to pay them. (We cover this in detail in our guide on whether debts can be inherited.)

The DMCA "Deceased Do Not Contact" list

To cut down on junk mail and marketing aimed at the deceased, register them with the Direct Marketing Association's Deceased Do Not Contact list. Pair this with redirecting their physical mail — see our guide on handling mail after someone dies.

Finally: subscriptions, utilities, memberships, and digital accounts

These aren't urgent, but they quietly drain the estate through recurring charges until canceled.

• Utilities — transfer or cancel electric, gas, water, internet, and phone.
• Subscriptions and memberships — streaming services, gyms, clubs, professional associations, magazines, software, and meal or product subscriptions.
• Digital and online accounts — email, social media, cloud storage, and online shopping accounts. Some platforms offer "legacy contact" or memorialization options.
• Mail and voter registration — forward or hold mail through USPS, and notify the local election office.
• Passport and driver's license — return or cancel with the State Department and state DMV to prevent identity misuse.

How Sunset helps with all of this

Working through this list by hand is the hard part — you have to know which institutions the person used before you can notify them. Sunset is built for exactly this moment:

• Asset and liability discovery first. Sunset searches for the bank accounts, retirement plans, insurance policies, and open debts a person left behind — so the notification list above isn't a guessing game. You can't notify a bank you didn't know existed.
• Probate paperwork, done for you. When an account requires court authority, Sunset prepares the probate documents for your county — all 50 states, every county.
• A secure estate account. Sunset helps you open an FDIC-insured estate account to collect and hold funds while you settle everything. It's free to families.
• Transfers and closing the estate. Once accounts are identified and authority is in hand, Sunset helps you actually move and distribute the money.

More than 10,000 families have used Sunset to settle an estate. It's free to use, and it turns a stack of phone calls into a guided, trackable process.

Frequently asked questions

Who do you have to notify first when someone dies?

Start with Social Security (often handled by the funeral home), the deceased's banks, and any source of recurring income like a pension — these are the notifications that stop money from going out incorrectly or being clawed back later. Then move to insurers, employers, and creditors.

Does Social Security need to be notified of a death?

Yes. In most cases the funeral home reports it if you provide the Social Security number, but confirm it was done. Benefits are not payable for the month of death and must be returned, and a surviving spouse or child may qualify for the $255 death benefit and survivor benefits.

How many death certificates do I need?

Most families need 8 to 12 certified copies. Each bank, insurer, and government agency typically requires its own certified copy rather than a photocopy. It's cheaper and faster to order extras up front than to request more later.

Do I have to notify the credit bureaus when someone dies?

Yes — notifying Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion flags the file as deceased and helps prevent identity theft. You generally only need to write to one bureau with a death certificate, and they share the notice, though contacting all three is safest. Requesting the credit report afterward is also a great way to find unknown accounts and debts.

Is there one agency that notifies everyone when someone dies?

No. There is no single notification that reaches every institution. Reporting a death to Social Security updates Medicare and federal records, but you must contact banks, insurers, employers, creditors, and subscriptions individually.

You don't have to track all of this alone

Notifying everyone after a death is repetitive, emotional work — and the hardest part is knowing who to contact in the first place. Sunset finds the accounts, prepares the probate paperwork, and gives you one place to manage the whole estate. See how Sunset can help.