Who to Notify When Someone Dies in Australia, and What Each Letter Should Say

When someone dies in Australia, the people who usually need to be told include Services Australia (within 28 days if the person got a payment), the ATO, their banks and credit unions, super funds, insurers, utilities, phone and internet providers, and their landlord. You can tell many of them with one letter that gives the person’s details, your role, and what you want done, followed by a certified copy of the death certificate when they ask for it.

Claim Done drafts a notification of death letter from your answers for a flat A$29. It is one formal letter, set out as a template you can reuse for each bank, super fund, utility or agency, and you download it straight away and send it yourself.

Who usually needs to be told

There is no single legal list. Legal Aid NSW says on its who to notify page that there are no laws about who must be notified, and that it is important to tell phone, gas and electricity companies, government departments, banks, insurance companies and online accounts the person had.

Services Australia publishes a Who to notify checklist. Among the organisations on it are:

• Centrelink and Medicare
• the Australian Taxation Office
• banks and credit unions, and credit card and hire purchase providers
• the superannuation fund
• insurance companies and the health benefits fund
• gas, electricity, phone and internet providers
• the landlord, employers, and vehicle registration authorities.

Services Australia comes first

Services Australia’s guide on what to do when someone dies says you need to tell it within 28 days if the person got a payment, so it can update its records and they are not overpaid. Its page on who to tell when someone dies lists three ways: call the Older Australians line, submit the Advice of death form, or visit a service centre.

The Australian Death Notification Service

Services Australia also points to the Australian Death Notification Service, a free government service for telling several organisations at once. Service NSW’s page on using the Australian Death Notification Service explains that a death certificate must have been issued first. You then choose which of the participating organisations to tell. Account numbers help but are not required.

Not every organisation takes part. Legal Aid NSW says some organisations ask for a letter and a copy of the death certificate.

The ATO and super funds

The ATO’s page on notifying it of a death says you can phone first, and it will pause the person’s tax mail until you are ready. To notify it officially, you need the death certificate or a grant of probate or letters of administration. The same page says to contact the person’s super fund, or funds, to tell them about the death and discuss the release of their super.

Who can deal with the estate

The ATO’s checklist for when someone dies says that if a will names an executor, that person generally manages the person’s financial affairs. If there is no executor, the next of kin may take responsibility.

The ATO’s page on who can represent a deceased estate says the legal personal representative is usually the executor named in the will, or an administrator appointed by the court, which can be the next of kin. A grant of probate means a Supreme Court recognises the will as valid. Letters of administration are used when there is no will or no executor. Some small estates may not need either, but the ATO and many financial institutions may still ask for one before releasing information or money.

One timing point: the ATO says that if you plan to apply for probate or letters of administration, you should wait for the grant before sending its official notification form. You can still phone it in the meantime.

What organisations usually ask for

Services Australia says organisations may ask for a death certificate. It suggests you make copies, have them certified by a Justice of the Peace, and give a certified copy to each organisation that asks. Legal Aid NSW says some organisations want a certified copy and others want to sight the original, and that you should always keep the original.

Before closing accounts, a bank may also ask for a copy of the will or the grant, documents showing who you are and your relationship to the person, or, for a small amount, a form sometimes called a small estate indemnity. A super fund may ask for a certified death certificate and papers showing your relationship, such as a birth or marriage certificate, or the will if you are the executor.

Where to get the documents, by State

The death is registered with the births, deaths and marriages registry in your State or Territory, usually by the funeral director, and the registry issues the certificate. Getting it can take some time. Inheritance is governed by State and Territory law, and the ATO lists these courts for wills and probate.

What each letter should say

Services Australia says a letter telling an organisation about a death should include the person’s:

• full name, including family name and given names, and any other names they used
• date of birth and address
• date of death
• membership, client or account number.

It also says to give your name, contact details and relationship to the person.

How the letter is set out

The Claim Done letter follows this structure:

1. Organisation and account. Placeholders for the organisation’s name and address and the account or reference number, so you can reuse the letter.
2. Notice of death. The full name of the person who died and the date of death.
3. Who is writing. Your name and your role: executor, next of kin, or administrator. If you are not sure yet, it describes you neutrally as a family member handling their affairs.
4. What you are asking for. Only the steps you choose, such as noting the death, freezing or closing the account, stopping direct debits and billing, sending a final statement, or transferring a balance to the estate.
5. Documents. A line saying a certified copy of the death certificate, and a grant of probate or letters of administration if they need it, can be provided on request.
6. Reply. A request for written confirmation, a single contact for follow-up, your contact details, and a dated signature line.

Bank accounts and regular payments

Legal Aid NSW says, on its page about assets and debts, that you can tell a bank about a death by letter. The bank will then list the accounts and balances at the date of death, freeze further access to those accounts, and work out interest to the date of death. Each bank has its own rules, and for a large balance it may need probate or letters of administration before paying out.

It also suggests checking bank statements for regular payments to or from a provider or person, and telling them about the death too.

How to send it and what to keep

• Send one copy to each organisation, with the account number filled in.
• Send certified copies and keep the original death certificate.
• Keep a list of who you wrote to, when, and every reply.

Mistakes to avoid

• Waiting for every document before telling anyone. You can call Services Australia, and the ATO says you can phone to let it know before you have the documents.
• Claiming to be the executor or administrator when you are not.
• Forgetting online accounts. Services Australia says to close their online accounts, mobile apps and social media too, by contacting each company.

If you need help applying for probate, with a will that is being contested, or with an estate where there is no will, the ATO suggests getting professional advice.

When you are ready, start your notification of death letter. It costs a flat A$29. You answer a few gentle questions, download the letter, and send a copy to each organisation yourself.