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Funeral arrangements checklist

Written plainly, because clarity is the useful thing here. Only the first group is urgent. Everything else can wait days or weeks, and most of it should.

42 items

Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.

The items

  1. The first days
  2. Obtain the medical certificate of cause of death
  3. Register the death — there is a legal deadline
  4. Order several certified copies of the certificate×6
  5. Contact a funeral director
  6. Check for a will, and whether it states any wishes
  7. Check for a pre-paid funeral plan
  8. Tell the closest family and friends yourself
  9. The funeral
  10. Burial or cremation
  11. Date, time and place
  12. Who leads the service
  13. Music, readings and who is speaking
  14. Flowers, or donations to a named charity
  15. Order of service printed
  16. Transport for close family
  17. Where people go afterwards, and food
  18. Notice in a paper or online
  19. People to tell
  20. Employer or school
  21. Bank and any card providers
  22. Pension providers and any benefits office
  23. Insurers: life, home, car, travel
  24. Landlord or mortgage lender
  25. Utilities, phone and internet
  26. Doctor, dentist and any care services
  27. Council or local authority
  28. Subscriptions and memberships
  29. Paperwork that follows
  30. Find out who is the executor
  31. Speak to a solicitor if the estate is complicated
  32. Value the estate
  33. Inheritance tax, where it applies
  34. Close or transfer accounts
  35. Redirect the post
  36. Cancel the driving licence and passport
  37. Deal with online accounts, when you are ready
  38. For the people doing this
  39. Let people bring food, when they offer
  40. Write down who has been asked to do what
  41. Take the time off work you are entitled to
  42. Nothing below the first group is urgentWeeks and months are normal for the rest. Nobody will mind.

Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.

Questions people ask

What has to be done first after a death?
Get the medical certificate, register the death, and contact a funeral director. Registration has a legal deadline in most countries; the rest genuinely can wait.
How many copies of the death certificate do I need?
More than you expect — banks, insurers and pension providers each want an original. Six is a reasonable starting number, and extra copies cost less later.