What to Do When a Parent Dies: A Gentle, Step-by-Step Checklist

Last reviewed October 2026

If you're reading this because your mother or father has just died, we're so sorry. Please be gentle with yourself. Very few things have to happen today, and most of the paperwork can wait days or weeks.

This guide puts the practical steps in order so you can do the next thing and set the rest aside. It is general information, not legal or financial advice. Laws and procedures vary by state, and where it helps, we note how things work in Clark County, Nevada.

In the first hours

1. Have the death officially pronounced.

In a hospital or care facility: staff will handle this and tell you what comes next.
At home under hospice care: call the hospice team first, not 911. A hospice nurse can usually pronounce the death and help with the next calls.
At home and unexpected: call 911.

2. Call a few close people. Let immediate family know, and ask one or two people to help you share the news. You don't need to make every call yourself.

3. Look after anyone who depended on your parent. That includes a surviving spouse, a dependent adult, and pets. If your parent had a dog or cat, ask someone to take it in for a few days.

4. Contact a funeral home or cremation provider. They can transport your parent and hold them while the family decides. Calling doesn't commit you to anything. If your parent made pre-arrangements, look for that paperwork now, because it may answer many questions for you.

5. Secure the home if your parent lived alone. Lock up, take valuables or medications somewhere safe, and arrange for the mail to be collected.

In the first few days

6. Gather the key papers. Look for:

The will and any trust documents
Any funeral pre-arrangement or written final wishes
Life insurance policies
Recent bank, retirement, and investment statements
Their Social Security number, birth certificate, marriage certificate, and military discharge papers (DD-214), if any

Common places to look are a home safe, a filing cabinet, a desk, a safe deposit box, or the office of the attorney who drafted the will. If your parent wrote down where things are kept, this step gets much easier.

7. Plan the service. Work with the funeral home on burial or cremation, the type of service, and the date. Take your time. A memorial can happen weeks later if the family needs it to. Costs vary widely, so ask for the itemized General Price List. Funeral homes are required to provide it.

8. Order certified copies of the death certificate. Banks, insurers, pension plans, and courts usually want a certified copy, not a photocopy. Many families order 10 to 15 copies. The funeral home often places the first order for you.

In Clark County, Nevada: death certificates come from the Southern Nevada Health District Vital Records office. You can order online, by mail, or at the drop box. The first certificate costs $38 (this includes a one-time $13 registration fee), and each additional copy costs $25. Allow 2–4 weeks. There's no same-day service. You'll need photo ID and, if required, proof of your relationship. (Fees from snhd.org, Sept. 2026. Check the site before ordering, and watch out for third-party sites that charge extra.)

9. Write the obituary, if your family wants one. Online obituaries are often free or low-cost. Newspaper notices usually cost more. The funeral home can usually help.

In the first few weeks

10. Find the will and get it to the right person. The will names the executor (also called a personal representative), who has the legal authority to settle the estate. Rules and deadlines vary by state.

In Nevada: state law (NRS 136.050) says whoever has the will must deliver it to the clerk of the district court, or to the personal representative named in it, within 30 days after learning of the death.

11. Notify Social Security. The funeral home usually reports the death to Social Security. Ask them to confirm. If they don't, call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213. Some things to know:

The benefit paid for the month of death and any later months must be returned. Tell the bank if payments were direct-deposited.
A one-time $255 death payment may be available to an eligible surviving spouse or child. Apply within two years.
A surviving spouse or minor child may be eligible for survivor benefits.

12. Notify other agencies and organizations. Depending on your parent's situation:

Medicare and any other health insurer
Veterans Affairs, if your parent served
Their employer or pension plan
Life insurance companies (to start a claim)
The DMV, the voter registration office, and the passport office

13. Notify the credit bureaus. Contact Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion to help prevent identity theft. Executors and surviving spouses can usually make this request.

14. Meet with an attorney if you need one. Many estates need probate, the court process that confirms the executor and oversees paying debts and passing on property. Some assets skip probate, such as accounts with a named beneficiary, joint accounts, or property held in a living trust. Smaller estates may qualify for a simpler process. A probate attorney can tell you what applies in your state.

In the first few months

15. Handle bank and credit accounts carefully. Don't rush to close everything. Some accounts receive income or pay bills automatically. Banks generally want a certified death certificate and proof of the executor's authority. A power of attorney ends when the person dies, so it can't be used after the death.

16. Deal with debts in the right order. Debts are generally paid from the estate before anything goes to heirs. Family members usually aren't personally responsible for a parent's debts unless they co-signed or held the account jointly. Get advice before paying anything out of your own pocket.

17. Look after the home, car, and belongings. Keep insurance active on the house and vehicles, keep the utilities on, and hold off on giving away belongings until the executor has authority and has reviewed the will.

18. Close or memorialize online accounts. Email, phone, streaming, and social media can wait. Some platforms let family memorialize an account rather than delete it.

19. File final tax returns. A final income tax return is usually due for the year of death, and the estate may need to file its own return. A tax professional can help, and this is one task where it's worth asking.

What can safely wait

You don't need to do any of these in the first week:

Sorting or giving away belongings
Closing social media or subscription accounts
Selling the house or car
Making big financial decisions with an inheritance

The urgent tasks are short. Everything else can be done one step at a time, and it's fine to let other people help.

Taking care of yourself

Grief makes paperwork harder. Keep one notebook or list of who you called, when, and what they asked for. Share the work. A sibling can take the phone calls while you work with the funeral home. And if the weight of it starts to feel like too much, many hospices offer free bereavement support to families, even months later.

How Passage Plans can help

Passage Plans is a guided end-of-life checklist with 21 tasks: 9 to do ahead of time and 12 for the family afterward. Every step in this guide matches one of those 12 "after" tasks, and each comes with "Where to Begin" guidance and a typical cost range.

If you're handling a parent's affairs now: use the after-passing tasks to keep track of what's done and what's next, and share the plan with siblings so everyone sees the same list. Family members can read a shared plan for free. Give Can Edit access to whoever is doing the work.
If you're thinking about your own family: the 9 before-passing tasks help you write down your wishes, where your will and other documents are kept, and which accounts exist, so your children won't have to search. (Passage Plans doesn't store your documents or passwords. It records where they are and who to call.)

See all 21 tasks → · Not sure where you stand? Take the 2-minute readiness quiz. · Read the planning guide for what to write in each task.

Start free for 30 days, no credit card needed. After that it's $5 a month to keep editing.

This article is general information, not legal, financial, tax, or medical advice. Laws, fees, and deadlines vary by state and change over time. For decisions about an estate, talk with a qualified attorney or tax professional. Last reviewed October 2026.