The first hours, the first days and the first weeks, in order. Nothing here needs doing at once except the first two steps; the rest can wait until after the funeral.
The first hours
If the death was expected, at home
Ring the GP, or the out-of-hours doctor service at night. A doctor must see the person and confirm the death before anything else happens. If the person was under hospice or palliative care, ring the hospice number you were given; they will tell you what to do.
If the death was sudden or unexpected
Ring 999 or 112. The Gardaí and an ambulance will come. A sudden, unexplained or accidental death is reported to the coroner, and the coroner may order a post-mortem. This is routine and does not mean anything is suspected. It can delay the funeral by a day or two, and the coroner, not you, registers the death afterwards.
In hospital or a nursing home
The staff confirm the death and tell you what happens next. Ask them for the Death Notification Form; you will need it to register the death.
If the person was in a nursing home under the Fair Deal scheme and had the nursing home loan, the HSE has to be told and the deferred amount falls due within 18 months (12 months for a death before 5 September 2026); fairdeal.ie explains what happens to the loan after a death.
Then
Ring the people who need to know today: close family first.
Ring a funeral director. You can ring at any hour, and they will collect the person and take over the practical arrangements. You are not obliged to use a funeral director, but almost everyone does.
Look for any written funeral wishes, a pre-paid funeral plan, or a will. The will may name an executor and say what the person wanted.
The Death Notification Form and registering the death
The doctor who confirms the death (or the hospital) completes Part 1 of the Death Notification Form and gives it to the family. You complete Part 2. If the coroner is involved, the coroner registers the death instead and you do not need this form.
The death must be registered within three months, at any Civil Registration Service office in the country, not only the one nearest the death. Bring the Death Notification Form and your own photo ID. Registration is free. You can book an appointment through the HSE.
At the same time, buy death certificates. Each copy costs €20, and a certificate marked "for social welfare purposes only" is free. Most families need several: the bank, each insurer, each pension provider and the solicitor will all ask for one, and some insist on an original or a certified copy. Six to ten copies is normal.
If the coroner is holding an inquest, ask the coroner's office for an interim certificate of the fact of death. Banks, insurers and Social Protection will usually accept it while the inquest is pending.
The funeral
The funeral director arranges the removal, the notice on RIP.ie and in the papers, the church or celebrant, the crematorium or grave, the cars and the coffin, and will tell you what each costs. Ask for the estimate in writing. A funeral in Ireland commonly costs between €4,000 and €8,000 before the grave, and the funeral director's invoice usually comes within a few weeks.
You do not have to pay it from your own pocket. The person's own bank account can pay the funeral invoice before probate: most Irish banks release money from a sole account against the funeral director's invoice and the death certificate. There may also be a credit union death benefit, an employer's death-in-service payment, or a State Additional Needs Payment if money is short. Help with the cost of the funeral sets these out.
The first week: who to tell
None of this has to happen before the funeral. In the week after, these are the ones that matter most, in order.
Department of Social Protection, if the person was getting a State pension or any welfare payment. Payments stop at death, and anything paid after the date of death has to be returned, so the sooner they know the less there is to repay. A surviving spouse or partner may be entitled to six further weeks of the payment, and to a widow's or surviving partner's pension of their own. Social welfare after a death.
The bank and credit union. Sole accounts are frozen when the bank is told; joint accounts usually continue for the other person. Standing orders and direct debits from a sole account stop, so check what was being paid from it (house insurance, the electricity, a loan) and move those payments. AIB, Bank of Ireland, PTSB, An Post Money.
Pension providers and the employer. An occupational pension may carry a spouse's pension and a lump sum; an employer may have a death-in-service benefit. Pensions after a death.
Life and health insurers. A life policy, a mortgage protection policy or a policy with a credit union or employer pays out on a claim; it does not happen by itself. Claiming life insurance.
Revenue. A tax refund is often due for the year of death, and the executor will later need Revenue's Statement of Affairs for probate. How to tell Revenue.
The house: the landlord or local authority if it was rented; the home insurer (an empty house is often only covered for 30 days unless the insurer is told); the electricity, gas, phone, broadband and TV licence, which move into the survivor's name or are closed. Who to tell, with each one's contact details.
Post. An Post can redirect the person's post to you, so nothing is missed. Mail redirection.
Driving licence, passport, motor tax and car insurance. Nobody can drive the car unless they are insured on it; tell the insurer first. Motor tax and the car, NDLS.
For each one, have to hand: the person's full name, date of birth, date of death, last address, PPS number, and the account or policy number if you have it. A death certificate will be asked for by most of them.
Mistakes to avoid
Do not use the person's bank card or online banking, even if you know the PIN and even for the funeral. Once someone has died, their account can only be operated by the executor or administrator. Ask the bank to pay the funeral invoice instead; they do this routinely.
Do not cancel the house insurance or the direct debits for the house until you have moved them into someone else's name. An uninsured empty house is the costliest mistake families make.
Do not give away or sell belongings, the car or the house contents until the will is known and the executor agrees. Everything belongs to the estate until it is distributed.
Do not pay the person's debts from your own money. Debts are paid from the estate, and if the estate cannot pay them they generally die with the person. Credit card and loan companies will write to you; refer them to the executor.
Do not throw out paperwork. Bank statements, policy documents, pension letters, the deeds, old payslips: they tell the executor what exists. Keep every receipt for anything you spend on the funeral or the house.
Do not assume everything will be found. Old pensions from past jobs, a forgotten life policy, a credit union account: the organisations list is a prompt, and LegacySteps' letters ask each one whether anything was held.
The first months: the will and the estate
If there is a will, the executor named in it deals with the estate. If there is none, the next of kin applies to be administrator. Either way, a Grant of Probate (or of Administration) from the Probate Office is needed before most assets above a bank's small-balance limit can be released; that limit is commonly €25,000 to €30,000 per institution. Many families use a solicitor; a personal application is possible for a simple estate. LegacySteps' estate summary gathers the balance at the date of death from every organisation that replies, which is what the solicitor or the Probate Office asks for.
Take your time with this part. There is no deadline on applying for probate, and the organisations that need to be told will wait.
The checklist
Print this page and tick it off. Only the first two items need doing today.
A doctor has confirmed the death (GP, out-of-hours doctor, hospital, or 999 if sudden)
Funeral director rung; written estimate asked for
Death Notification Form received from the doctor or hospital (not needed if the coroner is involved)
Funeral wishes, pre-paid plan and will looked for; executor known
Death registered at a Civil Registration office (within three months)
Death certificates bought (six to ten; one free for social welfare)
Department of Social Protection told; six weeks' payment and widow's or surviving partner's pension asked about
Bank and credit union told; funeral invoice sent to the bank for payment; direct debits for the house moved
Pension providers and employer told; spouse's pension and death-in-service asked about
Life, mortgage protection and health insurers told; claims started
Revenue told; tax refund for the year of death asked about
Home insurer told the house is empty; landlord or council told if rented
Electricity, gas, phone, broadband, TV licence moved or closed
Post redirected
Car insurer, motor tax and NDLS told; passport returned or cancelled
Medical card, GP and any hospital appointments cancelled
Written and checked on 3 November 2026 against the published rules of the organisations named. Rules, rates and forms change, so check with the organisation before relying on any figure. LegacySteps is independent: it is not the HSE, the Department of Social Protection, a bank, an insurer or a credit union, and nothing here is legal, tax or financial advice.