Legal steps and duties after death
When someone dies, there are legal steps that need to happen. You don’t have to do everything alone. You can ask family and friends to help, and there is a lot of help available from government and community groups.
You also don’t have to do everything straight away. You can choose to do some tasks first, and wait till you’re ready to do others.
What are the legal duties when someone dies
The first step is to register the death with your state or territory’s registry of births, deaths and marriages. The funeral director can do this for you.
You will then receive an official death certificate, which you will need to organise the person’s estate, claim insurance or deal with their money.
If the person had a will, the executor should pay any debts the person had, distribute the person’s assets according to their will, and tell government agencies.
Getting help with legal duties when someone dies
You can find more information from:
- Services Australia – Death of a loved one
- Australian Taxation Office – Notification of a deceased person
- MoneySmart – Wills and power of attorney
- MoneySmart – Losing your partner
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