In the first 30 days after a death, two things arrive at once: grief, and a list of tasks that cannot wait. Authorities, banks, insurers, contracts — all of it comes calling at the exact moment you can barely believe what has happened. Here is what you need to do in the first 30 days after someone has passed away and who can help you during that time.
The First Week: Breathe, Notify, Begin
The earliest days are about reaching the people who matter most and setting the essential formalities in motion.
First: you do not have to do this alone. 💜 Even if it feels that way, nobody expects you to function normally right now. Ask for help as early as you can, and accept it when it’s offered.
The first days are, unfortunately, always filled with formalities and to-dos rather than having the space to grieve and process. We put together a free guide to get you through this time – The First Week After a Loss – that you can download and keep to hand.
Confirm and Register the death
Once a doctor has confirmed the death and issued a death certificate (the format depends on where you live), the first official step is registering the death at the local registry office. This is where the death is formally recorded, and where you’ll receive several certified copies of the death certificate.
You’ll need more copies than you’d expect, so grab plenty when you’re at the office.
Contact a funeral home
At the same time, a funeral home will usually enter the picture early. A good funeral director does far more than handle the burial: they know the local processes, can guide you through the paperwork, and take a surprising amount off your shoulders in those first raw days.
Inform the people who matter
Close family members and friends should be told personally, best by phone if not in person. The deceased’s employer is also worth contacting early, not only to close out practical matters, but because some employers offer bereavement benefits that families don’t know to ask about.
If you are not sure where to start with the immediate practical steps, Meolea’s facing loss guide walks you through the first actions clearly and without overwhelm.
Week Two: Institutions Enter the Picture
From the second week onward, the conversations with banks, insurers, and authorities begin, and having organised documents makes all the difference.
Banks need to be notified so accounts can be handled correctly and any standing arrangements updated. You should also contact the person’s health insurance, life insurance, and accident insurance providers promptly. Pension funds and, where relevant, occupational retirement schemes also belong on the list. Many have notification deadlines that are easy to miss, so it’s best to note down who needs to be contacted.
You can copy this one if you like:
- Health and long-term care insurance
- Life and accident insurance
- Banks and financial institutions
- Pension and retirement funds
- The deceased’s employer
- Landlord or property management (where applicable)
One of our users – Inge from Germany – told us she still remembers standing at a bank counter a week after her mother died. She had the death certificate in hand (remember step 1) but no idea what accounts her mother actually held, which policies were still active, or who had power of attorney. “The woman at the desk was kind,” she says. “But I just didn’t know where to start.” She eventually found her way through it, but it took weeks longer than it needed to.
A simple record of accounts, policies, and contacts, prepared in advance by the person who has passed, changes everything. If you’d like to see how Meolea helps families do exactly that, here’s how it works.
Week Three: Taking Stock of the Estate
This is the time to build a realistic picture of what the deceased left behind — assets and liabilities alike.
The word “estate” can sound grand and formal. In practice, it usually means something much more concrete: a savings account, a car, a few insurance policies, perhaps a property. Sometimes also debts. In most countries, heirs inherit both and typically have the right to decline the inheritance entirely if the debts outweigh the assets. That decision is usually time-limited, so it’s worth taking advice sooner rather than later.
If a will exists, it should be submitted to the probate court without delay. This is a legal requirement in most jurisdictions, even if you are the only heir. The court will then formally open and read it. Whether you’ll also need a certificate of inheritance depends on your situation — jointly held accounts, for example, sometimes pass without one — but a short conversation with a notary or solicitor is almost always worth having at this stage.
In the best case, the deceased person wrote down the contact of their own notary.
Week Four: Cancelling and Transferring What Remains
In the fourth week, recurring contracts and subscriptions need attention — most will quietly continue otherwise.
Nowadays, the digital legacy is just as important as the personal one. Mobile phone contracts, streaming services, magazine subscriptions, and club memberships all keep running after a death unless someone acts. Most can be cancelled with a shortened notice period when a death is involved; a copy of the death certificate is usually sufficient proof. The same applies to rental agreements, where many countries have specific legal protections for bereaved family members worth knowing about.
Don’t forget digital accounts — email, social media, cloud storage. Most major platforms offer memorialisation or full deletion; both typically require proof of death. This is all relatively new territory, but an increasingly important one.
Many people today leave behind more online than offline.
Who Can Help You Through This
You don’t have to navigate these weeks alone — there are people and organisations whose job is exactly this.
A platform like Meolea is built precisely for this moment: To help you through the information chaos, keep everyone involved on the same page, and make sure nothing important gets lost. It also makes it easier for banks, insurers, and everyone else involved to work through your case quickly.
Another option is the funeral director. They know local processes inside out and are already involved with funeral preparations in week one. Notaries handle wills, certificates of inheritance, and estate matters. Lawyers specialising in inheritance law are valuable whenever things get more complex — multiple heirs, real estate, or disputes.
If you or the deceased person has a tax advisor, they take care of inheritance tax returns where required. Banks often have dedicated estate departments that can be more helpful than people expect, especially when they use software like Meolea already.
One Final Thought
Thirty days is a short time for so much to happen. But you aren’t alone in this. Talk to the people closest to you and let them help you.
Use our guides like The First Week After a Loss that gives you a checklist and step by step guide through the hardest moments.
You got this!
