What to Do When Someone Dies in Victoria: A Checklist for the First 30 Days

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The first few days

• A doctor issues a medical certificate of the cause of death. If the death was unexpected, the coroner may be involved.
• Contact a funeral director. In Victoria the funeral director usually registers the death with Births, Deaths and Marriages and helps you order the death certificate.
• Look for the Will: home papers, the deceased’s lawyer and bank, and any country where they lived. If we prepared the Will, we may hold the original. Call us.
• Secure the home, car, keys and valuables, and check that insurance stays in place.
• Tell close family, including relatives overseas who may need to travel.

The first two weeks

• Notify Services Australia (Centrelink and Medicare) and other organisations. The Australian Death Notification Service can notify several organisations at once.
• Notify the banks, super funds and insurers. Accounts in the deceased’s sole name will usually be frozen.
• Redirect mail and keep everything that arrives.
• Make a list of assets and debts: real estate, bank accounts, shares, super, insurance, vehicles, loans, credit cards, and anything overseas.
• Keep receipts for the funeral and other expenses you pay. They can usually be repaid from the estate.

Within the first month

• The executor should get advice on whether a grant of probate (or letters of administration, if there is no Will) is needed. Try our 2-minute check.
• Gather documents: the death certificate, the original Will, identification, title documents and recent statements.
• If there are assets or family overseas, start collecting the documents that will need certifying or translating.

Things not to do

• Do not use the deceased’s cards or online banking, even to pay the funeral.
• Do not throw away papers, mail or devices.
• Do not promise or hand out belongings until the Will has been checked.
• Do not sell or transfer property before a grant, unless advised.

We help families through each of these steps in English, Mandarin and Cantonese. See letters of administration and our probate and estate administration services.

Related guides

• Letters of administration (no Will)
• Estate planning: Will, power of attorney, medical decisions
• Testamentary trusts
• Superannuation and your Will
• Executor problems and disputes
• Do I need probate? 2-minute check
• Professional executor & trustee services
• Wills & estates fees

General information only, not legal advice. It is based on Victorian law unless stated otherwise; the rules in other states and territories differ. Your circumstances should be assessed individually.