1. Contact and engage a funeral home to conduct a funeral and prepare death certificates
2. Contact the banks and financial institutions. If you have a financial advisor, they should also be contacted.
3. Contact the appropriate government offices concerning the deceased’s identification cards like Health Card, Social Insurance Card and Passport
4. Contact credit card companies to cancel cards
5. Contact Service Canada about Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security programs if applicable.
6. Apply for any Survivor Benefits for which you may be eligible. If the deceased leaves behind children, apply for Children’s Benefit on their behalf.
7. Contact former employers about pensions and life insurance companies about any policies. Update policies where the deceased was a beneficiary.
8. Change ownership of property like automobiles and real estate. Update accounts with utilities and other services like telephone, cable and hydro. Update or cancel any club memberships or other affiliations.
9. Update your Will and Power of Attorney if neccessary.
10. Make an appointment with an accountant to file the deceased’s tax return.

Visit our Q&A section to find additional details on completing some of the above tasks.