Write the letters that tell companies someone died
After a death, someone has to tell the bank, the card companies, the insurance, the utilities and more. It's a lot of the same hard sentence, over and over. Fill in the person's details once, pick who the letter is for, and a plain, polite letter takes shape as you go. Change any word you like.
What you type stays on your own screen. We don't see it or save it, so copy or print each letter before you close this page. This page never asks for Social Security numbers or full account numbers.
Who I've told
A simple list to keep track. Each letter you finish with "Start my next letter" is ticked here, and you can tick others yourself. This list isn't saved either, so copy it before you close the page.
Good to know before you send
- Some places want a call, not a letter
- Social Security, VA, military retired pay, the IRS, the post office, online accounts and many DMVs ask you to call, go online or use their own form first. This page tells you when. A letter afterward still gives you a record.
- Send copies, never originals
- Order several certified copies of the death certificate from the funeral home or your county or state vital records office. Some places take a plain copy. Banks and insurers often want a certified one.
- Keep a copy of everything
- Keep each letter and a notebook of every call: the date, who you talked to and what they said. Certified mail with a return receipt gives you proof it arrived.
- Keep ID numbers safe
- Never email a Social Security number. Only write one in by hand, on paper, for the agency or credit bureau that needs it. Use the last 4 digits of account numbers.
- You usually don't owe their debts
- The CFPB says that generally, no one else has to pay a person's debts from their own money. Debts are paid from what they left behind, the estate. The exceptions: a co-signer, a joint account holder (not an authorized user), or a spouse where state law requires it. Debt collectors may not say or hint that you have to pay from your own money, and you can tell them in writing to stop contacting you.
- When to talk to a lawyer, the court or the agency
- Talk to a lawyer before you sign anything that makes you responsible for a debt, if a collector pushes you, if you get court or foreclosure papers, if family disagree about the will, or if Medicaid makes a claim on the home. The probate court clerk can explain court papers and simpler small-estate steps in your state. Legal aid offices help for free if money is tight.
- Watch for scams
- Scammers read obituaries. If someone calls about a debt or an account, hang up and call back using the number on a statement or the company's own website.
- Every family is different
- A partner who wasn't married, a stepchild, a friend doing the work for a family that can't: you can still write to let a company know. They may only make changes for a joint owner, a named beneficiary or the executor, and they'll tell you what they need.
Still hunting for accounts and policies? Part 13 of my book, Everything They'll Need to Know, is for families who are already looking. It walks through free official search tools for lost life insurance and unclaimed money.
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