The First 24 Hours After a Death

If you're reading this right now because someone has just died, we're sorry. Nothing here needs to happen this second. Take a breath. This checklist is here when you're ready for it. You don't have to do all of it today, and none of it requires you to have a funeral home picked out yet.

If the death just happened

If it was unexpected, at home, and not under hospice or a doctor's care: call 911. Do not move the body. This is the case where the order matters: emergency responders (and possibly a medical examiner or coroner) need to see the scene first.

If the person was under hospice care: call the hospice nurse or hospice line first, not 911. Hospice has a protocol for this and can often pronounce death themselves, which avoids an unnecessary emergency response.

If it happened in a hospital or nursing facility: the staff will handle pronouncement and next steps. You don't need to call anyone else immediately; a staff member will talk you through what happens next, including when the body will be moved and how to reach a funeral home.

If hospice or a doctor confirms it was expected (a natural death under existing medical care): you generally have time. There's no need to call 911. You can contact a funeral home directly when you're ready, even if that's not for a few hours.

In the next few hours (only when you're ready)

• Notify immediate family. Just the people who need to know right now; a wider circle can come later.
• Locate any funeral pre-plans, burial insurance, or veteran's discharge papers (DD Form 214), if you know where to look. Don't tear the house apart looking for this today; it matters more in the next few days than in the next few hours.
• If a funeral home hasn't been chosen yet, that's completely normal. You do not need to decide this in the first 24 hours. When you're ready to call one, see our guide to questions worth asking: funeral homes are required by federal law to answer pricing questions over the phone.
• If the person was a veteran, note that down: it affects both burial options and financial assistance. See our guide to paying for a funeral for the real VA numbers, not the inflated ones you may see advertised.

In the first day or two

• Order certified copies of the death certificate. You'll likely need 10–15 for banks, insurance, Social Security, and the DMV. The funeral home you choose can usually help order these; ask them.
• Contact the person's employer, if they were working, about final pay and benefits.
• Secure the home: pets fed, mail held, valuables locked up, especially if the person lived alone.
• Reach out to an attorney or check for a will, if one exists. Not urgent today, but worth knowing about soon.

What can wait

Obituaries, service planning, flowers, headstones, and most paperwork beyond the death certificate can all wait a few days. There is no rule that says any of this has to be figured out on day one. Grief doesn't run on a checklist's schedule, and this one is only here to take a few decisions off your plate, not add pressure to it.

Next: Questions to ask a funeral home · Paying for a funeral · Your rights under the FTC Funeral Rule

Haven Care is free for families, no account, ever. care@gethavencare.com