Who to Notify & What to Close

When someone dies there is a long list of organisations that have to hear about it, and it arrives at the worst possible moment, gets done by people who are not thinking clearly, and is usually held in somebody's head until something surfaces six months later. This makes it a document instead. You tick off which of the usual things apply — employer, landlord, anyone providing care, banks, pensions, insurers, utilities, the council, benefits, vehicles, phone and broadband, subscriptions, doctor, clubs, then the long tail of online accounts and mailing lists — and add whatever this list could not know about. What comes back is a printable checklist grouped by who is affected soonest, with the same columns on every row: the account or reference, who holds it, when you contacted them, who you spoke to, the reference they gave back, what they asked you for, and what is still outstanding. It is a sheet to work through over weeks, not a leaflet to read once. It also prints a tracker for certified copies of the death certificate, because that is the usual bottleneck and copies are neither free nor instant, and a section of things people get pushed into early that can perfectly well sit. What it will not do: it gives no legal, tax or financial advice, makes no statement about what is required or by when, names no office, service, form or charge — those differ by country and change, so each one is a field you fill in yourself — and says nothing about who receives what or who is able to act. Everything runs on your device, offline; nothing you type leaves it.

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Worked example

Who to Notify & What to Close The affairs of J. Okonkwo — list kept by Ana Print this, keep a pen with it, and work down it over however long it takes. Cross off what does not apply, add what this list could not know about, and write the reference number down the moment somebody gives it to you — that number is what saves the second call. None of this needs doing in one sitting, and most of it cannot be. WHAT THIS IS, AND WHAT IT IS NOT - This is a list to work through and a place to write down what you are told. It is not advice of any kind — not legal, not tax, not financial — and it makes no statement about what is required, by whom, or by when. Every one of those answers is set where you are and by each organisation you speak to. - It names no organisation, no office, no government service, no form and no charge. Those differ from country to country and they change, and a confidently wrong name printed on a working checklist is worse than a blank line. Every one of them is a field you fill in from your own situation. - It says nothing about who receives what, who is able to act, or what authority any document carries. Those questions are real and they matter, and they are not this tool's to answer. - The three groups are about who is affected soonest, not a schedule anybody set. Nothing in the third group is late because it is in the third group. - Everything runs on your device, offline. Nothing you type here leaves it and nothing is stored. HOW THE ROWS WORK Each row has the same columns because the same four things go missing: when you contacted them, who you spoke to, the reference they gave back, and what they are still waiting for from you. Filling those in as you go is the difference between one call and four. 1. FIRST — the people and places expecting them These are the ones where nothing happening is itself the problem: a shift nobody covered, a visit still booked, a payment nobody stopped, a name still on a register. Most are one short call or one short message, and most will not ask for anything in writing at this stage. [ ] 1. Employer · Ask what is already scheduled to be paid and what they hold that belongs to the household — a locker, a vehicle, tools, a pass. Account or reference .. staff no. 417 Who holds it ......... Ana has the payroll contact Contacted on ......... ______________________ Spoke to ............. ______________________ Reference they gave .. ______________________ They asked me for .... ______________________ Still outstanding .... ______________________ Finished ............. [ ] May ask for: written notice of the death; a copy of the death certificate; the payroll or staff number [ ] 2. Landlord or mortgage lender · Whoever else lives there is usually the first question they ask, so have that answer ready before the call. Account or reference .. ______________________ Who holds it ......... ______________________ Contacted on ......... ______________________ Spoke to ............. ______________________ Reference they gave .. ______________________ They asked me for .... ______________________ Still outstanding .... ______________________ Finished ............. [ ] May ask for: the tenancy or account reference; a copy of the death certificate; who is living in the property now [ ] 3. Anyone providing care · Visits, deliveries and equipment collections keep being scheduled until somebody says otherwise, and an unanswered door is hard on everyone. Account or reference .. ______________________ Who holds it ......... ______________________ Contacted on ......... ______________________ Spoke to ............. ______________________ Reference they gave .. ______________________ They asked me for .... ______________________ Still outstanding .... ______________________ Finished ............. [ ] May ask for: the care or client reference; written notice of the death [ ] 4. School or nursery · This is worth doing early even when the person who died was not the one attending — a register, a pickup list and an emergency contact list all carry names. Account or reference .. ______________________ Who holds it ......... ______________________ Contacted on ......... ______________________ Spoke to ............. ______________________ Reference they gave .. ______________________ They asked me for .... ______________________ Still outstanding .... ______________________ Finished ............. [ ] May ask for: the pupil or student reference; who to contact instead 2. NEXT — money, accounts and services This is the bulk of it, and it is where the reference numbers earn their keep. Expect to be passed between departments and to repeat yourself. Write down the name of whoever you spoke to as well as the reference — the name is worth more than the number when a call goes wrong. [ ] 1. Bank or building society · Ask them to list what is set up to go in and out of the account before anything is changed, and write that list down — it is the fastest way to find accounts nobody knew about. Account or reference .. account ending 417 Who holds it ......... joint with Ana Contacted on ......... ______________________ Spoke to ............. ______________________ Reference they gave .. ______________________ They asked me for .... ______________________ Still outstanding .... ______________________ Finished ............. [ ] May ask for: a copy of the death certificate; proof of who you are; the account number; whatever letter of authority they say they need [ ] 2. Pension provider or scheme · There is often more than one, and old ones from previous jobs are the easiest to miss. Account or reference .. ______________________ Who holds it ......... ______________________ Contacted on ......... ______________________ Spoke to ............. ______________________ Reference they gave .. ______________________ They asked me for .... ______________________ Still outstanding .... ______________________ Finished ............. [ ] May ask for: a copy of the death certificate; the member or scheme reference; the date of birth [ ] 3. Insurer · Home, contents, vehicle, travel, pet, life — each is usually a separate conversation even with one company. Account or reference .. policy H-88 Who holds it ......... home and contents Contacted on ......... ______________________ Spoke to ............. ______________________ Reference they gave .. ______________________ They asked me for .... ______________________ Still outstanding .... ______________________ Finished ............. [ ] May ask for: the policy number; a copy of the death certificate [ ] 4. Utility supplier · Take a meter reading and write it down on the day you call. A reading nobody wrote down is an argument later. Account or reference .. ______________________ Who holds it ......... ______________________ Contacted on ......... ______________________ Spoke to ............. ______________________ Reference they gave .. ______________________ They asked me for .... ______________________ Still outstanding .... ______________________ Finished ............. [ ] May ask for: the account number; a meter reading; who is paying now [ ] 5. Council or local authority · Anything billed to the address, plus anything they were registered with — parking, waste collection, a permit. Account or reference .. ______________________ Who holds it ......... ______________________ Contacted on ......... ______________________ Spoke to ............. ______________________ Reference they gave .. ______________________ They asked me for .... ______________________ Still outstanding .... ______________________ Finished ............. [ ] May ask for: the account or property reference; a copy of the death certificate [ ] 6. Benefits or state payments office · Payments that arrive after the date of death are usually a separate conversation of their own. Ask them plainly what they want to happen, and write the answer down. Account or reference .. ______________________ Who holds it ......... ______________________ Contacted on ......... ______________________ Spoke to ............. ______________________ Reference they gave .. ______________________ They asked me for .... ______________________ Still outstanding .... ______________________ Finished ............. [ ] May ask for: whatever reference number they use for the claim; a copy of the death certificate; the date of death [ ] 7. Vehicle registration · Separate from the insurer, and usually a separate conversation for each vehicle. Account or reference .. plate on the logbook Who holds it ......... ______________________ Contacted on ......... ______________________ Spoke to ............. ______________________ Reference they gave .. ______________________ They asked me for .... ______________________ Still outstanding .... ______________________ Finished ............. [ ] May ask for: the vehicle's registration number; the registration document [ ] 8. Television, broadband and mobile · Tell them, but see the 'can wait' section before closing a number or an email address — a great many other accounts still reach you through them. Account or reference .. ______________________ Who holds it ......... ______________________ Contacted on ......... ______________________ Spoke to ............. ______________________ Reference they gave .. ______________________ They asked me for .... ______________________ Still outstanding .... ______________________ Finished ............. [ ] May ask for: the account number; the number or line reference [ ] 9. Subscriptions and memberships · These renew quietly and nobody remembers all of them. Read a statement rather than trying to. Account or reference .. ______________________ Who holds it ......... ______________________ Contacted on ......... ______________________ Spoke to ............. ______________________ Reference they gave .. ______________________ They asked me for .... ______________________ Still outstanding .... ______________________ Finished ............. [ ] May ask for: the membership or customer number [ ] 10. Doctor, dentist and any clinic · Also stops repeat prescriptions and recall letters, which otherwise keep arriving. Account or reference .. ______________________ Who holds it ......... ______________________ Contacted on ......... ______________________ Spoke to ............. ______________________ Reference they gave .. ______________________ They asked me for .... ______________________ Still outstanding .... ______________________ Finished ............. [ ] May ask for: the patient reference; the date of birth [ ] 11. Professional body, union or club · Some of these hold small funds or arrangements for members and will only mention it if asked, so ask. Account or reference .. ______________________ Who holds it ......... ______________________ Contacted on ......... ______________________ Spoke to ............. ______________________ Reference they gave .. ______________________ They asked me for .... ______________________ Still outstanding .... ______________________ Finished ............. [ ] May ask for: the membership number; a copy of the death certificate 3. WHEN YOU ARE ABLE — the long tail None of this is late. It is here because it can sit until there is room for it, because it is mostly small, and because a good deal of it is easier to face some months on than it is now. [ ] 1. Online accounts · Every provider handles this differently and some will not discuss an account at all. Write down what each one says as you find it, because you will not be told the same thing twice. Account or reference .. ______________________ Who holds it ......... ______________________ Contacted on ......... ______________________ Spoke to ............. ______________________ Reference they gave .. ______________________ They asked me for .... ______________________ Still outstanding .... ______________________ Finished ............. [ ] May ask for: a copy of the death certificate; proof of who you are; the address the account was registered with [ ] 2. Social media · Some can be closed, some can be left as they are, and there is rarely a hurry. It is also the one people most often wish they had left alone for a while. Account or reference .. ______________________ Who holds it ......... ______________________ Contacted on ......... ______________________ Spoke to ............. ______________________ Reference they gave .. ______________________ They asked me for .... ______________________ Still outstanding .... ______________________ Finished ............. [ ] May ask for: a copy of the death certificate; the account name or link [ ] 3. Loyalty schemes and points · Low stakes and slow, but they hold an address and keep writing to it. Account or reference .. ______________________ Who holds it ......... ______________________ Contacted on ......... ______________________ Spoke to ............. ______________________ Reference they gave .. ______________________ They asked me for .... ______________________ Still outstanding .... ______________________ Finished ............. [ ] May ask for: the card or member number [ ] 4. Mailing lists and marketing post · This is the tail that runs longest, and for a lot of people it is the hardest part of the whole list. Doing it in one sitting months later is a perfectly reasonable plan. Account or reference .. ______________________ Who holds it ......... ______________________ Contacted on ......... ______________________ Spoke to ............. ______________________ Reference they gave .. ______________________ They asked me for .... ______________________ Still outstanding .... ______________________ Finished ............. [ ] May ask for: the name and address exactly as it is printed on the post [ ] 5. Charity with a recurring donation · A recurring donation carries on until somebody stops it, either at the bank or with the charity, and both sides are usually glad to be told. Account or reference .. ______________________ Who holds it ......... ______________________ Contacted on ......... ______________________ Spoke to ............. ______________________ Reference they gave .. ______________________ They asked me for .... ______________________ Still outstanding .... ______________________ Finished ............. [ ] May ask for: the supporter or donor reference 4. CERTIFIED COPIES — how many, and where each one is Certified copies of the death certificate are the usual bottleneck. Several organisations want to see one, some want to keep one, copies are not free, and they are ordered from wherever the death was registered rather than obtained instantly. So the count matters, and so does knowing which copy is where — a copy sitting in an envelope on somebody's desk is a copy you do not have. THE COUNT, AND WHERE IT CAME FROM Rows on your list, all groups ......................... 20 Of those, marked as commonly keeping a copy ........... 6 Copies you told this tool you have or have ordered .... 6 The count above is arithmetic on the list you built, using this tool's own default for which kinds of organisation commonly keep a copy rather than glance at one and hand it back. That default was chosen to be round and easy to argue with. It is not a standard, it is not anybody's guidance, and each organisation decides for itself — several will take a photocopy or a scan and never need a certified one at all. Ask each of them which they want; that one question moves this number more than anything else. WHERE EACH COPY IS Copy 1 Who has it ..... ______________________ Sent to them on ______________________ For which row .. ______________________ Back with me ... [ ] Copy 2 Who has it ..... ______________________ Sent to them on ______________________ For which row .. ______________________ Back with me ... [ ] Copy 3 Who has it ..... ______________________ Sent to them on ______________________ For which row .. ______________________ Back with me ... [ ] Copy 4 Who has it ..... ______________________ Sent to them on ______________________ For which row .. ______________________ Back with me ... [ ] Copy 5 Who has it ..... ______________________ Sent to them on ______________________ For which row .. ______________________ Back with me ... [ ] Copy 6 Who has it ..... ______________________ Sent to them on ______________________ For which row .. ______________________ Back with me ... [ ] [ ] Asked each organisation whether they keep the copy or return it [ ] Asked whether a photocopy or a scan is enough for any of them [ ] Noted where more copies are ordered from, in case more are wanted 5. THINGS THAT CAN WAIT Some things get pushed forward hard in the first weeks — sometimes by a company, sometimes by somebody trying to help, sometimes by the feeling that everything ought to be finished. This section is here so that the list has somewhere to put them. Nothing below is a recommendation either way; they are simply things that can sit while the rows above get done. - Closing the phone number or the email address A great many other accounts still reach you through both, and messages that arrive after they are gone are simply gone. Most people keep at least one of the two running for a while. - Clearing the home, or giving away clothes and belongings Very little turns on it being done quickly, and none of it can be undone once it is. - Selling or scrapping a vehicle It can sit where it is while the paperwork side is sorted out, as long as whoever provides the cover on it knows the situation. - Deciding what happens to a home The largest decision on the list, made at the point when the least information is available. - Closing a joint account that other payments still run through Anything set up to pay out of it stops too, including things nobody has thought of yet. Worth listing what runs through it first. - Answering a letter that arrives with a strong tone A firmly worded letter is not the same as an urgent one. A short reply saying what has happened and that you will come back to it is usually the whole answer. - Signing anything you have not read, or agreeing to something on a phone call Asking for it in writing and reading it another day costs nothing and is a normal thing to ask for. - Deciding on a memorial, a headstone or where ashes go It is permanent, it is usually not cheap, and minds change. It keeps. - Choosing a firm because they made contact first Being first to ring is a fact about their marketing rather than about them. - Making a large purchase, a large gift, or a large decision about money A large decision taken while everything around it is still unsettled is a hard one to revisit. - Cancelling cover on a property or a vehicle nobody is using An empty home and a stored vehicle are not the same thing to whoever provides the cover as an occupied home and a driven car. One question to them before anything is cancelled. 6. WHO IS DOING WHAT Two people ringing the same bank on the same morning is a wasted hour, and it happens for one reason: nobody wrote down who had taken what. One name against each block of rows fixes it. Sharing the list out is also the easiest concrete answer to give somebody who has asked what they can do. Ana Taking on: the bank, the pension, anything with money in it Sam Taking on: utilities, broadband, subscriptions Priya Taking on: the long tail, later on Keep this with the paperwork, not in a drawer somewhere. Fill in the reference numbers as you get them, put a name against the rows somebody else has taken, and leave the rows you have not reached alone — they will still be there. The point of writing it down is that you do not have to carry it.

Learn the method

Inputs

Whose affairs this list is for, and who is keeping it
The affairs of J. Okonkwo — list kept by Ana
Print
Everything / The notify list only / Certificate tracker only / Things that can wait only
Expecting them — one per line or comma-separated: what | account or reference | who holds it
employer | staff no. 417 | Ana has the payroll contact landlord care agency school
Money, accounts and services — one per line: what | account or reference | who holds it
bank | account ending 417 | joint with Ana pension insurer | policy H-88 | home and contents utilities council benefits vehicle | plate on the logbook broadband subscriptions doctor union
The long tail — one per line or comma-separated: what | account or reference | who holds it
online accounts, social media, loyalty, mailing lists, charity
Certified copies of the death certificate you have or have ordered
6
Who is sharing the work — one per line: name | what they have taken on
Ana | the bank, the pension, anything with money in it Sam | utilities, broadband, subscriptions Priya | the long tail, later on

Frequently asked

Why does it not tell me which offices to contact?

Because it cannot know, and a checklist that guesses is worse than one that leaves a line blank. The offices, services and registries involved are different in every country, several have been renamed in the last few years, and this tool runs offline with no way to check any of it. What it can do honestly is give you the shape of the list — the kinds of organisation that turn up on almost everybody's, in the order they tend to matter — and let you write in the ones that apply where you are. That is the decision that keeps this useful everywhere rather than wrong nearly everywhere.

How are the three groups ordered?

By who is affected soonest, and nothing more than that. The first group is people and places who are expecting the person who died — an employer, a landlord, anyone providing care, a school, anybody holding a booking — where nothing happening is itself the problem. The second is money, accounts and services, which is the bulk of the work. The third is the long tail that can sit. It is not a schedule, nobody set it, and nothing in the third group is late because it is in the third group.

What are the columns for?

The same four things go missing every time: when you contacted them, who you actually spoke to, the reference they gave back, and what they are still waiting on from you. Every row has a line for each, plus the account or reference you already hold and who in the household holds it. Write the reference down the moment it is said to you — it is the single thing that turns a second call from twenty minutes into two. The name of the person you spoke to is worth even more than the reference when a call goes wrong.

How many copies of the death certificate will I need?

Nobody can tell you that from here, and the tracker does not pretend to. What it does is count the rows on your own list that this tool marks as the kind of organisation that commonly keeps a copy rather than glancing at one and handing it back, and print that count beside the number of copies you said you have. The marking is this tool's own default, chosen to be round and easy to argue with, not a standard and not anybody's guidance. The question that actually settles it is asking each organisation whether they keep it, return it, or would be satisfied with a photocopy or a scan — and a good many are.

Why is there a tracker for the copies at all?

Because it is the usual bottleneck and it is almost always underestimated. Copies are ordered rather than printed at home, they are not free, and several organisations will hold on to one for a while. The result is that people run out, order more, and wait — and meanwhile a copy is sitting unopened on somebody's desk. Writing down which copy went where, and whether it came back, is unglamorous and saves more time than anything else on the sheet.

What is the "things that can wait" section for?

In the first few weeks a lot gets pushed forward — sometimes by a company with something to sell, sometimes by somebody trying to be helpful, and often by the feeling that everything ought to be finished. That section lists the ones that commonly get hurried: closing a phone number or an email address that other accounts still reach you through, clearing the home, selling a vehicle, deciding about a memorial, signing something on a phone call. It states each one neutrally with the plain reason it can sit. It is not telling you to wait; it is giving the list somewhere to put them.

Can I add things that are not on the list?

Yes, and most people will. Type anything you like on its own line and it prints as a full row with all the same columns. A row this tool does not recognise gets a general set of the things an organisation may ask for — a certificate copy, proof of who you are, the account number, a letter from you saying what you are asking them to do — and works exactly the same way as one it does. You can also put the account number and who holds it on the same line, separated by vertical bars, and they land in the right columns.

Can more than one person work through this?

That is the main reason for the last section. Two people ringing the same bank on the same morning is a wasted hour, and it happens for one reason: nobody wrote down who had taken what. Put a name against each block of rows, print a copy each, and it stops. It is also the easiest concrete answer to give somebody who has asked what they can do.

Does it say who is able to deal with any of this?

No, and it will not. Who may act, what document gives them standing, and who receives what are questions with different answers in different places, carrying different words with different meanings, and getting them wrong on a printed sheet would be worse than useless. This tool records what you were told and by whom. The rest belongs with someone who knows your situation and the place you are in.

Does anything I type leave my device?

No. The whole tool is a pure function running in your browser: no network, no server, no storage, no clock — which is also why no row ever carries a computed date, only a line for you to write one on. The account numbers, the names and the references stay with you, and the useful copy of this is the one on paper with pen marks on it.