What do you do when someone dies?

It can be hard to know what to do when someone dies. There are some things you must do, but for others you have options.

What to do immediately

• If the death occurs in hospital, notify a member of staff who will guide you through the process.

• If the death occurs at home and was an accident or unexpected call 000. You can call 000 any time you need immediate support with the body of the person who has died.

• If the death occurs at home and was expected, such as from a terminal illness, inform the person’s GP or palliative care team. A doctor will complete a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death and send it to the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.

Organising care of the person’s body

• You may keep the body at home for a few days if you want. Some families do this for spiritual or cultural reasons, such as to hold a vigil or wash and clothe the body. To do this, you will need to keep the body below 5 degrees centigrade with a cooling blanket or pad. (Some funeral directors deliver these to your home.)

• Often a funeral director will take the body. They will care for it until the funeral, burial or cremation. Even if you want to make the funeral arrangements yourself, you can ask a funeral director to store the body.

Informing Centrelink

• If the person was receiving government payments, let Centrelink know as soon as possible. Delaying can mean having to pay money back, which nobody wants to do.

• Some funeral directors will inform Centrelink for you, others will not.

Registering the death and getting a Death Certificate

• The death must be registered with the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages in the state of death. Death registration is usually done by the funeral director shortly after the funeral, but can be done yourself.

• The Death Certificate will take a week or two to be ready, but turnaround times vary. You can check current turnaround times on the Registry’s website. Note: the full Death Certificate can take much longer if the coroner needs to determine the cause of death. In these cases, an interim death certificate may be issued.

After this, there is still much to do, including:

• Take care of yourself – eat, sleep and seek support. If the person received palliative care, free bereavement counselling is available for up to 12 months after they die.

• Inform family and friends.

• Organise a burial or cremation and funeral.

• Secure the person’s property and valuables, such as locking up their house or putting valuables in a safe place.

• If you are the executor of the will, send a copy of the will to everyone who will inherit something (beneficiaries).

• Sort out administration of the estate.

• Close social media accounts.

• Tell caregivers, service providers and cancel appointments.

• Cancel licences, registrations, insurance and memberships.

• Inform the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and other government agencies.