Who to Notify When Someone Dies: The Full Checklist

A practical, printable checklist of the people, government agencies and organisations to tell when someone dies in Australia, in a sensible order, with the free government service that lets you tell many of them at once.

By Anne G, reviewed by Kate B · Last updated 5 October 2026 · Editorial standards

Key points

After a funeral, there's usually a long list of people and organisations to tell. It isn't urgent all at once, and you don't have to do it alone. This guide sets out who to tell and in what order, and points you to the free government service that can tell many organisations in one go. There's a printable checklist at the end.

Who Should You Tell First?

People first, paperwork later. In the first day or two, tell:

It often helps to ask one or two people to share the calls. Keep a simple list of who's been told, so nobody hears twice or not at all.

When Should You Tell Services Australia?

If the person received a payment from Services Australia, such as a pension or Centrelink payment, Services Australia asks to be told within 28 days. This stops them being overpaid, which could create a debt the estate has to repay.

You can tell them by phone, with the Advice of death form, or at a service centre. Services Australia uses the details to update the person's Medicare, Centrelink and Child Support records.

If you were the person's partner or carer, ask about help you might be able to get. Some partners and carers are eligible for a bereavement payment.

How Can You Tell Several Organisations at Once?

The Australian Death Notification Service is a free government service that lets you tell several organisations at once that someone has died. Participating organisations include banks, superannuation funds, phone and internet companies, and energy and water providers.

A few things to know:

How Do You Tell the Tax Office?

The Australian Taxation Office has its own notification. Usually it's done by a relative, the executor or administrator of the estate, or a tax agent or lawyer acting for them.

You'll need a supporting document, such as the death certificate, or the grant of probate or letters of administration if you have them. The ATO also has a checklist for deceased estates, including whether a final tax return, called a date of death return, is needed.

Who Else Might Need to Know?

After the people and the main government agencies, work through the organisations the person dealt with. Not all of these will apply.

Money and property

Everyday services

Health and care

Licences and registrations

The Australian Electoral Commission usually doesn't need to be told. The registries of births, deaths and marriages pass the information on, though you can send the commission a form if you'd like to.

Online accounts. Many social media and email services let a family member close or memorialise an account. Each has its own process.

Tips That Make This Easier

For the bigger picture, our guide to planning a funeral in Australia shows where this fits, and What to Do in the First 24 to 48 Hours covers the earliest steps. If it's all feeling like too much, our page on grief support in Australia lists free services you can call at any hour.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who do you need to notify when someone dies in Australia? Family and friends first, then Services Australia if the person received a payment, then banks, super funds, insurers, utilities and other organisations they dealt with. The tax office needs to be told too, and the Australian Death Notification Service can tell many organisations at once.

How long do you have to tell Centrelink about a death? Services Australia asks to be told within 28 days if the person received a payment. It uses the details to update their Medicare, Centrelink and Child Support records.

What is the Australian Death Notification Service? A free government service that lets you tell several organisations at once that someone has died, including banks, super funds, phone and internet companies, and energy and water providers. The death must be registered before you can use it.

Do I need to tell the Australian Electoral Commission? Usually not. The registries of births, deaths and marriages pass the information to the Australian Electoral Commission. If you'd like to, you can also send the commission a form telling them about the death.

This guide is general information for people in Australia, not legal or financial advice. How we write and check our guides is set out in our editorial standards.

A printable checklist of who to tell when someone dies. Tick each one off, and note the date and any reference number.

People

Government

Using the Australian Death Notification Service (after the death is registered)

Money and property

Everyday services

Health and care

Online

Sources

  1. Services Australia, Who to tell when someone dies (checked 5 October 2026)
  2. Services Australia, Advice of death form (SA116) (checked 5 October 2026)
  3. Australian Government, Australian Death Notification Service (checked 5 October 2026)
  4. Australian Taxation Office, Notification of a deceased person (checked 5 October 2026)
  5. Australian Taxation Office, Checklist: what to do when someone dies (checked 5 October 2026)
  6. Australian Electoral Commission, Enrolment FAQs (checked 5 October 2026)
  7. Moneysmart (ASIC), Claiming a super death benefit (checked 5 October 2026)

About the author

Anne G writes Mixtape Memories' guides on the first steps after a death, from the first hours to registering the death and telling the people and organisations who need to know. She also reviews guides before they are published, checking that each one is accurate, clear and kind to read for someone in the middle of arranging a funeral. If a step could be simpler, or a word could land harder than intended, it gets changed.

Reviewed by Kate B.

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