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Dealing with death is one of the greatest challenges of life.
If you have lost someone close to you, or are responsible for managing the affairs of someone who has passed away, there is an overwhelming amount to take care of.
We've compiled this guide to walk you through some areas you may need to take care of.
The majority of deaths occur inside a hospital or nursing home and most have procedures in place when someone dies.
If someone dies at home then it's crucial to stay calm and assess the specific circumstance. If the death is:
If someone passed away while overseas, there are two points of contact:
The first formality after someone dies is to get a doctor’s certificate confirming the event. This certificate is formally known as a Doctor’s Certificate of Cause of Death, or Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. It confirms that someone has passed away and details how it happened. A funeral home will need this certificate before it will take charge of the deceased's body.
There are a few people you may need to notify. As a start, here are some people you should probably notify first:
The first people to notify are family and friends because they might be able to offer you help and support as well as assist you with the next steps.
You or the doctor should also notify the next of kin, if necessary, as soon as possible. Usually only the next of kin, or an appropriate representative, can carry out certain steps, such as taking charge of the body before a funeral.
If you know there is a life insurance policy, funeral plan or some other type of relevant cover, then you should contact the insurance provider as soon as possible. They will often send you an information pack and offer assistance to help you claim the insurance payout. Here's a checklist you can use for organisations and people you may need to notify:
The next step is to obtain a death certificate. A funeral director might obtain this on your behalf when you’re organising a funeral. Otherwise, you should contact the relevant government office.
The relevant government office is the state or territory registry office in the state where the person passed away. You will generally need to provide specific documentation in order to receive a death certificate, and you may have to pay a fee. You can apply for a death certificate online, at the state and registry websites listed below, or in person at the government offices or service centres. Here is a list of state and territory registry offices
Try to find the following information, if it exists:
Once you find these, you will have a better understanding of where you stand financially, and how you might pay for funeral expenses or for a solicitor’s help in handling these affairs.
You will need to provide a death certificate.
Organising a funeral is a complex process. The closest family members of the deceased will generally make funeral decisions, possibly in consultation with a funeral director. There are many decisions to make when organising a funeral. But it's important to check if the deceased has left any instructions relating to the funeral or has any funeral benefits in their insurance. Here are some of the decisions funeral organisers will have to make:
Find out more about funeral costs in each state here.
The claims process for life insurance payments and accessing the deceased’s estate, such as bank accounts and superannuation, can take some time. It's a good idea to start as soon as possible.
This will depend how the person bought the policy
Although this is number seven, it's something that should be considered from the start. It's important to take care of your grief when a loved one dies. The challenges of registering a person's death, handling their affairs, contacting loved ones and organising a funeral are stressful at the best of times. But doing so while grieving for a lost loved one makes it so much harder.
Remember to take care of yourself as best you can. Talk about your feelings with people close to you. Get rest when you can and delegate responsibilities to others if you feel overwhelmed. Consider therapy, counselling or taking time off work if you need it.
The death of a loved one can bring home the importance of having your affairs in order, from taking out funeral insurance to making a will.
It makes it a lot easier all round if you leave a will that explains exactly how you want your estate to be divided up on your passing. Besides it explaining how your assets are to be distributed it can also name who you want to be the executor of your will.
This is usually a person who you feel understands what you want to happen and is a further protection as to how your assets are to be treated. Before any of this can happen the executor has to formally apply to the Supreme Court for what is known as "a grant of probate". This is the court's recognition that the will before it was your last. Once the Supreme Court has dealt with it and probate is granted your assets can be treated as you wished them to be.
Almost half of all Australian who die, do so without leaving a will. When this occurs it is known as you having died 'intestate.' When this happens it is usual for the Probate Court to distribute your assets in the following manner:
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