What to do when a parent dies: a checklist (2026)

What should a family do when a parent dies?

A family can work through these twelve steps as it is able. They are practical first steps, not legal ones, and each names an official page where one applies.

The June's Help checklist for when a parent dies

1. Ask the funeral home whether it has told Social Security about the death. If it has not, Social Security's page on what to do when someone dies says how to report one.
2. Order certified copies of the death certificate. In Texas, the Department of State Health Services explains how to order, and USAGov says a certified copy is needed for tasks such as closing bank accounts and credit cards. Ask each company whether a photocopy will do before ordering more.
3. Choose one person to keep the main list, and agree who takes which job: the calls, the mail, the papers or the home. A brother, a sister or another relative can take a part, near or far.
4. Look after the home. Lock it, collect the keys, and ask a relative or a neighbor to check on it. If the parent lived alone, think about pets, perishable food and medicines.
5. Put the mail in one place. The page of the United States Postal Service on mail for a person who has died describes the options, from forwarding to the Deceased Do Not Contact List.
6. Make a list of the accounts and who they are with: banks, credit cards, loans, insurance, a pension, utilities, phone and subscriptions. Mail, statements and phone contacts show who belongs on it.
7. Gather the key papers: ID, the Social Security number, recent statements and insurance papers. The article on what papers to gather after someone dies has the full list.
8. Tell the people who need to hear: family and friends first, then the employer or a pension plan, then government offices. The article on who to notify when someone dies turns USAGov's list of agencies into a checklist.
9. Call the banks, credit card companies and insurers on the list. Ask what each needs before it changes or closes an account, and write down the date, the name and any reference number. The IRS page on identity theft says to send the credit bureaus a copy of the death certificate and ask for a deceased alert.
10. Look for a life insurance policy and for money in the parent's name. The insurance commissioners' association explains its policy locator, and ClaimItTexas searches the Texas Comptroller's unclaimed property by name.
11. Keep a short note of every call and every letter: the date, who it was with, and what was said. A notebook or one shared document works.
12. Ask for help and rest between steps. The list can wait for a good day.

• Social Security Administration What to do when someone dies When and how to report a death, and the benefits Social Security describes for family members., official page, opens in a new tab
• Texas Department of State Health Services Death Records How to order a certified copy online, by mail or in person., official page, opens in a new tab
• United States Postal Service How to Stop or Forward Mail for the Deceased Options for mail that keeps arriving, from forwarding a single piece to the Deceased Do Not Contact List., official page, opens in a new tab

See also: Checklist after someone dies: the first week (2026), What papers to gather after someone dies, Who to notify when someone dies: the full list

Is there one death of a parent checklist that fits every family?

No. Every family and every parent is different, so a death of a parent checklist is a guide, not a schedule. Some steps will not apply, because a parent may have had no pension, no car or no credit card.

A single list, kept by one person, and a note of every call help whatever the order.

See also: How to share the work of an estate with family

How can brothers and sisters share the work when a parent dies?

Split the checklist by job rather than by step: one person takes the calls to banks and insurers, another the mail, another the papers and the home. A brother or sister who lives far away can still take a share.

With the assistant plan, the person who signed up for June's Help can invite a brother, a sister or another family member to a family seat, which is an extra on top of the plan. A seat holder reads the letters as June read them. The original photos, the answers to the start questions and the account stay with the person who signed up.

See also: How to share the work of an estate with family

What should be done with a parent's mail?

Put all of it in one place and keep every letter until someone has read it. Write down the sender and the date printed on each letter. The USPS page describes how to ask for forwarding, and a lawyer can tell a family whether they can show what USPS asks to see.

A photo of a letter from a bank, a life insurer, a pension or Social Security can be added to June's Help, which reads it in plain words and shows the date printed on it. A letter of another kind gets the sender and the dates printed on it, with a label that says who can help: For your lawyer, For your accountant, For the court's self-help center or For the office that sent it.

See also: What to do with a loved one's mail after a death, How to sort the letters that arrive after a death

What does June's Help do after a parent dies?

June's Help is an AI estate assistant that reads a letter from a bank, a life insurer, a pension or Social Security in plain words and keeps the printed dates in one file. The family signs up first, then the page asks three questions, answered Yes, No or Not sure, and says how many steps the plan has, in a sentence such as "Your plan is ready: 40 steps." The plan page lists the steps in six parts, and a Today page shows what is next.

June reads your letters in plain words. For a letter from a bank, a life insurance company, a pension plan or Social Security, the page names the sender, quotes the letter's own lines, says what it asks and shows the date printed on it. Medical bills and records are not accepted, and any that arrive are deleted from the file at once.

With the assistant plan, a reminder email comes three days before a due date that a letter prints, and a weekly check-in email lists the next due dates. Export my data downloads the letters and their readings as one web page.

The calls, the forms and the checklist stay with the family, and June's Help sends no letter or notice to a company or an office. June doesn't replace your lawyer. She keeps your letters and dates ready to show one.

See also: What June's Help does, How to keep track of the dates on estate letters

Where can a family find official help after a parent dies?

USAGov has a page on dealing with the death of a loved one that links to the agencies, and the article on official help in Texas gathers the Texas pages. A lawyer can tell a family what applies to the estate.

• USAGov Dealing with the death of a loved one Report a death to government agencies, get a death certificate, and find survivor benefits., official page, opens in a new tab

See also: Where to find official help after a death in Texas