Who to Call When Someone Dies, and in What Order

For who to call when someone dies, first call the hospice nurse, the person’s doctor or 911, depending on how the death happened. Next call close family, then a funeral home you have picked after comparing prices by phone. Social Security, the VA, insurers, banks and credit bureaus come later, and most of them will ask for a certified death certificate.

Below is the full list in order, with when to make each call and what to have ready.

Who to call when someone dies: the order at a glance

1. The first call: hospice, doctor or 911

A death has to be officially pronounced by someone with the authority to do it. The National Institute on Aging gives a doctor in a hospital or nursing facility or a hospice nurse as examples. If the person was in hospice, call the hospice agency, not 911. The NIA notes a plan for what happens after death will likely already be in place.

If the death was sudden, unexpected or the result of an accident, call 911. The medical examiner or coroner normally takes jurisdiction in those cases, and in any death without medical attendance, according to the CDC’s Funeral Directors’ Handbook on Death Registration. If the death was expected but there was no hospice, the NIA suggests calling the doctor, the local medical examiner or coroner, or the local health department.

In a hospital you usually do not need to call anyone. Staff handle the pronouncement, and the hospital must notify the regional organ procurement organization under federal Medicare rules for hospitals. For more on the first hours, see what to do when someone dies.

2. Family, before the body is moved

The NIA suggests that this is the time to call those who might want to come and see the body before it is moved. If someone dies at home, there is no need to move the body right away. Ask one relative to take over calling the wider family and friends, so you are not repeating the news twenty times.

3 and 4. Funeral homes: price calls first, then one decision

Call at least two funeral homes before you commit to one. That is the FTC’s advice: compare prices from at least two funeral homes. Under the Funeral Rule, funeral directors must give you price information on the telephone if you ask, and you do not have to give your name or number first.

A short script for the price call:

• “My [relation] has died at [place]. Before I make arrangements I am comparing prices.”
• “What is your price for direct cremation, and for immediate burial? What does each include?”
• “What is your basic services fee, and what do you charge to transfer the body?”
• “What else is usually added, such as death certificates, refrigeration or an obituary?”

Once you choose, the funeral home collects the body. It also takes on a set of calls you would otherwise make. The FTC says the basic services fee covers securing the necessary permits and copies of death certificates, preparing the notices and coordinating with the cemetery or crematory. The funeral director also files the death certificate. See how to get a death certificate.

Tell the funeral home on the first call not to embalm without your express permission. The FTC’s guide for funeral homes says permission to embalm must be express and cannot be implied.

6. The employer

If the person was working, their employer or its human resources office needs to know. Ask about the final paycheck, unused leave, any group life insurance through work, and retirement plan beneficiaries. If there was life insurance through work, the employer can tell you which insurer holds it.

7. Social Security, often handled for you

Social Security says a funeral home will usually tell us when someone dies. Its guide for families asks you to give the deceased’s Social Security number to the funeral director and then contact Social Security about benefits the family may be owed.

If you report the death yourself, call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or visit a local office. According to USA.gov, Social Security accepts death reports only by phone or in person, and it notifies Medicare for you. You can start the report without a death certificate but will need one later to complete it.

Two things to raise on that call:

• The month-of-death payment. Benefits received for the month of death and any later months must be returned, according to Social Security’s publication 05-10008.
• The $255 lump-sum death payment. It goes to a surviving spouse who was living with the person. It can also go to a spouse living apart who was eligible for certain benefits on the person’s record, or, if there is no spouse, to an eligible child. Details are in help paying for a funeral.

8. The VA, for a veteran

USA.gov says you must notify the VA to cancel compensation, pension, education and health benefits. The VA benefits hotline is 800-827-1000.

For burial in a VA national cemetery, you or the funeral director call the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117 (TTY 711). Have the DD214 or other discharge papers ready. For a military retiree, USA.gov says to also report the death to the Defense Finance and Accounting Service to stop retired pay.

9. Life insurance companies

The NIA notes you will need a death certificate and policy numbers to make claims. The beneficiary named on the policy makes the call, not the funeral home. The steps are in how to claim life insurance after a death.

10. Banks, card issuers and the credit bureaus

USA.gov lists banks, credit card companies, credit bureaus and other financial firms as places to notify. To help prevent identity theft, the NIA recommends sending copies of the death certificate to Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Account-by-account steps are in how to close a deceased person’s bank accounts.

If a debt collector calls, you do not have to agree to pay. The FTC says family members usually don’t have to pay the debts of a deceased relative from their own money. Collectors may discuss the debt only with certain people, such as a spouse or the executor.

11. Everyone else on the list

USA.gov’s list of agencies to notify when someone dies also includes:

• The state motor vehicles office, to cancel a license or ID and transfer a vehicle title
• The local election office, to cancel voter registration
• The State Department, where you can return a passport for cancellation
• State social services, if the person received SNAP, TANF, rental help or Medicaid
• The Office of Personnel Management, for a federal employee or retiree

Then come utilities, subscriptions and memberships. For tasks like canceling a subscription, USA.gov says a photocopy of the death certificate may be enough. Check with each organization.

Calls you do not need to make

You do not need to call the IRS. Its guidance is to file the person’s final return the usual way, on Form 1040 or 1040-SR, and to report all income up to the date of death. To claim a refund owed to the person, use Form 1310.

If the death happened abroad, the first call is to the U.S. embassy or consulate in that country, according to USA.gov. It can help with local authorities and paperwork.

Before the arrangement meeting, count how many of the organizations above hold an account or policy in the person’s name. That number is roughly how many certified death certificates to order.

Sources

• National Institute on Aging (NIH): What To Do After Someone Dies
• CDC National Center for Health Statistics: Funeral Directors’ Handbook on Death Registration and Fetal Death Reporting
• Electronic Code of Federal Regulations: 42 CFR 482.45, Organ, tissue, and eye procurement
• Federal Trade Commission: Shopping for Funeral Services
• Federal Trade Commission: The FTC Funeral Rule
• Federal Trade Commission: Funeral Costs and Pricing Checklist
• Federal Trade Commission: Complying with the Funeral Rule
• Federal Trade Commission: Debts and Deceased Relatives
• Social Security Administration: Survivor Benefits
• Social Security Administration: How Social Security Can Help You When a Family Member Dies (Publication 05-10008)
• USAGov: Report the Death of a Social Security or Medicare Beneficiary
• USAGov: Agencies to Notify When Someone Dies
• USAGov: How to Get a Certified Copy of a Death Certificate
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: Helpful VA Phone Numbers
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: Schedule a Burial for a Veteran or Family Member
• Internal Revenue Service: File the Final Income Tax Returns of a Deceased Person