What are the steps you have to take once your mom (98) dies after they take body to funeral home?

I am sorry for your loss. May you be blessed with wonderful memories to help you as you settle the estate. I noticed someone said to get more death certificates. I agree. 2 years ago my friend was so depressed when her Mom and her dog died within weeks. I did all the paperwork to settle the estate. Even the power company required a copy. I found it to be very rewarding although lengthy. I felt I knew her and her family better.

With social distancing, things will be very different for you. All of us wrap our arms around you. Take care.

I am so sorry about your mom.
Call the funeral home you plan to use. They will guide you through all the steps and assist with social security etc.

I am so sorry.

I bought after-death services for my mother last year and was told the funeral home notifies these Social Security, which then notifies the other federal programs, like Medicare. The more personal entities like banks, insurance, etc, you will need to be in touch with them. These entities will want a death certificate. I purchased 20, although that seems like a lot. Down the road, if an entity needs documentation, it's easier to have them on-file versus the chore and time it takes to order them. I hope this helps.

Oh, Bunky, I'm sorry for your loss. There will be many tasks, especially bits of paperwork, over the next few months. But you can chip away on many of them bit by bit, remembering your dear mother as you do so. Even in these odd pandemic times, the funeral home will help you with the most immediate ones, even if they have to communicate by phone or computer with you when, traditionally, they would have done more in-person meeting(s) with you. Even though they are a business, most funeral home staff tend to be tender-hearted and helpful and will get you through the most immediate steps. Several tasks have to wait until the death certificate is available. Normally I would have said to just get a handful of death certificates as, in our case here, they cost about $20 each. Many businesses/entities are willing to return the originals to you after they make a copy of the certified one for their records. But because in many states we are limiting our errand-running right now, it is possible that you may want a few more copies just to be able to mail it in and forget it. Considering your mother's age, she may well have had a husband who was a vet in wartime, and it is possible there might be some small grant or honor attached to that. The local veteran's office in whatever town/city you live in could help you check on this if it matters to you. There is no charge for them looking into it for you, and they tend to be kind and helpful. Your mother had enough years on her that she may have outlived most or even all longtime friends, but it goes without saying that if you know of any such friend she (usually a she!) would probably want to know. I know it is a process, and when you grow weary you can always write us on this list if you need practical wisdom or just need a sympathetic ear.

The funeral home or hospice might have a checklist of things to do when someone dies. It can be complicated. The funeral home will notify Social Security and Social Security notifies Medicare. You may be responsible for returning the final month's social security payment. You will get a small death benefit. You'll get a death certificate from the funeral home. When I did this for my aunt and father, I needed original copies of the death certificate to give to the bank, and others. I got about 10 copies. It's easiest to get many copies from the funeral home, rather than ordering them from Vital Records later. My loved ones didn't have insurance, but yes, I'd notify the insurance company. Depending on the size of the estate, you may need an attorney if the estate goes into probate. I think it is state laws that determine this. If you have been POA for your mother, this ends when she dies, and the executor of the will takes over. Did she have a will? Are you the executor? Are you a signee for the Trust Fund? All of the property will be distributed to the heirs, and all of the property records then need to be transferred over to the new names of the owners. You'll need the death certificates to do this. If there was a house, the executor also will have to arrange for the sale or transfer of the house title to the new owner. If there was an apartment, the landlord should be notified. All of the utilities and insurance need to be transferred to the new name or stopped. The executor should have her mail forwarded to them for the maximum amount of time that the Post Office allows so that they see what bills come in. The estate pays the bills until the property is transferred, or in your case it may be a trust that will pay the bills. The bank will have to be notified. The accounts need to be transferred to "the estate of..." unless they were joint accounts or in the trust. It's best to leave an estate or trust checking account open that can be used to pay bills until everything gets transferred over. I made the mistake of closing my aunt's estate account too soon, and over a year later got some additional funds that I claimed from the state's Unclaimed Property division. It was very difficult to deposit the check at that time.

The Funeral Home can guide you through what needs to be done. If you need to change names or titles on property or accounts, you can do those one at a time as you are able. No one will rush you, Let companies or banks or brokers handle paper work as needed. You will find lots of patience and support. Take a dep breath and deal with things as you are able.

.Funeral home will notify SSA, those checks will stop. You can notify Medicare online I believe, but unsure. Trust fund and insurance you will have to notify them.

My condolences. It may be a difficult time but you can get much support here any time you need it.


I can tell you that when Luz (DW) passed the funeral home only arranged for one copy of the death certificate. I had to go to the county to get more. Yes they are expensive.
I also stood in line at SS to ensure that she was recorded and they did notify Medicare.
Among the others I visited were:
registrar of voters to get her name removed as a voter. (helps for jury duty also)
DMV to cancel her state ID.
The Air Force Base Id office to cancel her Id there. (Also for Tricare)
Life insurance agent, required only one copy for both policies.
Auto insurance to get her name off of policy.
Bank to close her account.
Credit union to close that account and remove her from the credit card.
working to get her name off of mortgage.
Still need to get new title for her car.
Credit card companies (Sears, etc).
Casinos to close her players club accounts.
Pharmacy to close account.
Change "Pay on Death" and beneficiaries with pensions and banks.
Church to stop mailers.
NOTE: nothing stops the rest of the junk mailers.
Primary Care Physician to close her records.
I almost forgot about the utility, cable, and phone companies.
(Had to open new account with electric co.)
This may seem excessive but I worried about ID theft. It is not uncommon in many areas.

Social Security death benefit is payable only to the surviving spouse.

So sorry for your loss; please know that she is resting in peace. Call the trust attorney to let him know. The funeral home will guide you through the logistics of Medicare and SS. Obituaries in newspapers are expensive; I'm not sure what kind of budget you have, but if that is a concern, there are many online retailers for caskets and grave markers (memorials.com). Will she be embalmed or cremated? Do you need to have her body flown somewhere for burial?
Please update us and let us know what further information/advice you need. We are here for you.

The funeral home will take care of the things that need to be done first. Once you have your 10 death certificates, it might make sense to make an appointment with an elder law attorney to determine if you need to go through probate; that depends on her assets. If she has very little, you might be able to avoid that more involved process. Last, you will need to file one more tax return for 2020 when the time comes. But right now, all you need to do is to focus on how to celebrate her life and mourn her death. The rest can be addressed in a month.