What to Do Immediately After Someone Dies

The hours after someone dies can feel confusing, especially if you have never had to arrange a funeral before. There may be medical paperwork, family calls, funeral decisions and practical questions all happening at once.

Try to take it one step at a time. You do not need to plan the whole funeral in the first conversation.

1. If the death was unexpected

If someone dies unexpectedly, call 000.

This may include situations where the person dies suddenly, in an accident, at home without an expected illness, or in circumstances that are unclear.

Emergency services will tell you what needs to happen next. In some cases, the police or coroner may become involved. This does not always mean anything suspicious has happened. It may simply mean the cause of death needs to be formally confirmed.

2. If the death was expected

If the death was expected, contact the person’s doctor.

The doctor may need to attend and complete the required medical paperwork. A medical practitioner usually needs to certify the cause of death before funeral arrangements can properly move forward.

This often applies when someone has been unwell, receiving palliative care, or had a known medical condition.

3. If the person died in hospital, hospice or aged care

If the person died in a hospital, hospice or aged care facility, staff will usually guide you through the immediate process.

They may:

• Arrange for a doctor to confirm the death
• Explain how long the person can remain in their care
• Tell you what paperwork is needed
• Let you know when to contact a funeral director
• Support you with the next practical steps

You can still take some time before choosing a funeral director. Unless there is a specific reason to act quickly, you do not need to rush into a decision.

4. Contact close family or key people

Once the immediate medical steps are underway, you may want to contact close family, friends or anyone who needs to know early.

It can help to choose one person as the main contact. This person can help manage calls, messages and decisions so everything does not fall on one person at once.

You might want to let people know:

• What has happened
• Whether there are any immediate arrangements yet
• Who the main family contact will be
• That more details will be shared later

It is okay if you do not have funeral details yet. A simple message is enough.

5. Check whether there were funeral wishes

Before making arrangements, check whether the person left any funeral wishes.

These may be written in:

• A will
• A funeral plan
• Personal notes
• An advance care plan
• A conversation with family
• A prepaid funeral arrangement

They may have expressed preferences around burial, cremation, music, readings, religious or cultural traditions, or the type of farewell they wanted.

If you are unsure, speak with close family and make the best decision you can with the information available.

6. Choose a funeral director when you are ready

A funeral director can help bring the person into care, explain your options, arrange transport, organise paperwork, coordinate the funeral and guide you through the practical decisions.

If you already know which funeral home you want to use, you can contact them directly.

If you are unsure, it is okay to call more than one funeral home and ask questions before deciding. You can ask about:

• Their fees
• What is included
• Cremation or burial options
• Timing
• Cultural or religious needs
• Payment requirements
• Whether they provide itemised quotes

You do not need to agree to everything in the first call.

7. Gather the basic information you may need

The funeral director or registry may ask for some basic details about the person who has died.

This may include:

• Full name
• Date of birth
• Place of birth
• Date of death
• Place of death
• Usual home address
• Marital status
• Occupation
• Parent details
• Partner or spouse details
• Medicare or Centrelink details, if relevant
• Whether they wanted burial or cremation

Do not worry if you do not have everything straight away. The funeral director can usually tell you what is needed now and what can come later.

8. Registering the death

In Australia, a death must be registered with the births, deaths and marriages registry in the relevant state or territory. If you are using a funeral director, they will usually do this for you. The registry then issues the official death certificate.

The official death certificate is important because it may be needed for banks, superannuation, insurance, property, estate matters and other administrative tasks.

It is different from the medical certificate of cause of death, which is completed by a doctor.

9. Notify important organisations

You do not need to notify everyone immediately, but there are some organisations that may need to be told.

These can include:

• Services Australia
• Medicare
• Centrelink
• Banks
• Superannuation funds
• Insurance companies
• Employer
• Utility providers
• Phone and internet providers
• Landlord or real estate agent
• Accountant or solicitor
• Clubs, memberships or subscriptions

Services Australia provides an Advice of Death form that can be used to update Medicare, Centrelink and Child Support records, and asks for the relevant form to be returned within 28 days.

10. Start thinking about the type of funeral

You do not need to plan every detail immediately, but it can help to start with the bigger decisions.

The first questions are usually:

• Cremation or burial?
• Religious, cultural or non-religious service?
• Private farewell or larger funeral?
• Funeral service, memorial service or celebration of life?
• Funeral home chapel, church, cemetery, crematorium or another venue?
• Simple service or more personalised farewell?

Once these decisions are clearer, the smaller choices usually become easier.

A simple first-day checklist

Here is a gentle checklist for the first day:

• Call 000 if the death was unexpected
• Call the doctor if the death was expected
• Speak with hospital, hospice or aged care staff if the person died in care
• Contact close family or key people
• Choose one main point of contact
• Check for funeral wishes, prepaid plans or written instructions
• Contact a funeral director when you are ready
• Ask for clear information about costs and inclusions
• Gather basic personal details for paperwork
• Take your time before making non-urgent decisions

What not to worry about straight away

There are many things that can wait.

You do not need to immediately:

• Choose every song or reading
• Decide on flowers
• Write a eulogy
• Notify every organisation
• Close every account
• Sort the whole estate
• Accept the first funeral quote you receive
• Make decisions before you feel ready

Some things are urgent. Many things are not.

Final thought

When someone dies, it can feel like everything needs to happen at once. In reality, the first step is simply to make sure the death has been confirmed properly, then take each practical decision one at a time.

A funeral director can guide you through much of the process, but it is still okay to ask questions, compare options and take a moment before deciding.

When you are ready, Funeral Friend can help you understand your options and make the next steps feel clearer.

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