After someone you love dies, not only are you dealing with the devastation of your loss, but there are so many details to handle that things can quickly become overwhelming. In addition to there being so many details to attend to, you are also dealing with the feelings of grief that taking care of these details will probably bring up.
There will be so many phone calls to make that it’s easy to forget whom it is you need to call. The following is a list to help guide you through the necessary phone calls that you will need to make after the death of a loved one.
- In most cases the first call you will need to make will be to the funeral home, which is why it is usually a good idea to already have an estate plan that includes this detail. In the situation where your loved one dies in a hospital or nursing home, the staff will likely help you with this task. Once you have contacted the funeral home, the director will help you with the fine points concerning your loved one’s final arrangements. They will also order the death certificates that you’ll need at a later time. Many funeral homes will also help you write an obituary and submit it to the local newspaper.
- The next phone calls that you will need to make will be to your family and friends to notify them about the death. Not only will you need the emotional support of your family and friends at this point, but they may also be able to help you with tasks that seem too overwhelming to handle.
- Within a few days you will need to call the deceased’s employer, estate planning attorney and any insurance companies.
- Next you will need to notify the Social Security Administration of the death so that they can update their records.
- You will need to contact the bank if you have any joint accounts with the deceased. It may be necessary to open your own account. You cannot close any accounts immediately after the death of an account holder.
This list is a simple guideline to help you through some of the daunting details that you have to deal with after the death of a loved one. In most cases it is a good idea to contact an estate planning attorney to help you through some of the legal processes that you’ll likely face.
Larry Parman
Attorney at Law
Since founding Parman & Easterday in 1985, Larry has led over 1,000 free, community-service education programs and helped more than 10,000 Oklahoma families go from putting off their estate plan to getting it done. His goal for every client is the same: to become the person their family calls "the one who took care of everything."
Larry is the author of three books: The Straight Shooter's Guide to Estate Planning; Estate Planning Basics; and Guiding Those Left Behind in Oklahoma. He served as Oklahoma's Secretary of State and Secretary of Commerce, and his firm is the only member of the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys in the state.
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