A personalized, deadline-driven plan for survivors and executors — progress saved automatically, entirely in your browser.
Order about this many certified death certificates
8
A practical starting point for a typical estate.
Important: This is an educational organizing tool, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Deadlines and procedures vary by state and by the specifics of the estate. Confirm everything with a licensed probate attorney and the relevant agencies before you act.
Losing a parent or spouse drops a long, deadline-driven to-do list on the survivor or named executor — usually for the first time, while grieving. This tool turns that chaos into a personalized, ordered checklist. From the details you enter (date of death, your role, state, assets), it estimates how many certified death certificates to order, builds a checklist grouped by urgency (first week → first 30 days → ongoing), and shows live days-remaining countdowns for time-sensitive tasks like depositing the will.
Mobile & printing: this tool works on any screen size — tap items to check them off and use Print to PDF for a printable copy. Embedded versions are responsive and adapt to the container they sit in.
Robert's father died on the 1st. He's the named executor, the estate is in Florida, and there's a will he has in hand. His father had 2 life-insurance policies, 3 accounts, owned 1 home and 1 vehicle, no pensions, and was receiving Social Security with a surviving spouse.
Certificate math: 2 base + 2 insurers + 3 accounts + 1 home + 0 pensions + 1 vehicle = 9, which falls inside the recommended 5–15 band, so the tool says order about 9. Estimated cost: 9 × $4–$25 = about $36–$225 (varies by state). Because Florida requires depositing the original will within 10 days, the will-deposit task shows a tight countdown at the top. The Social Security section reminds Robert to return the month-of-death payment and notes the surviving spouse may claim the $255 lump-sum.
Each institution that settles part of the estate typically demands its own original certified copy and won't accept a photocopy. So the estimate is:
needed = 2 (base: one to keep + funeral home/registrar)
+ life insurance policies
+ bank / brokerage / retirement accounts
+ real properties
+ pensions / annuities
+ vehicles to retitle
recommended = clamp(needed, 5, 15) // never fewer than 5, capped at 15If the true need exceeds 15, order at least 15 and request more from your state's vital-records office as you go — reordering later is always possible (just slower and often pricier than ordering through the funeral home up front).
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A common rule of thumb is one certified copy for every institution that requires an original — each life-insurance policy, bank or brokerage account, real property, pension, and vehicle title — plus a couple of spares. For a typical estate that lands somewhere between 5 and 15. This tool estimates a recommended count from the assets you enter. You can always order more later from your state vital-records office (ordering through the funeral home at the time of death is usually cheaper and faster).
It varies by state. Some states set a strict deadline to deposit the original will with the court — for example Florida requires depositing it within 10 days of learning of the death. Many states use a more general window. This tool defaults to a conservative 30-day prompt when no state rule is set and tells you the days remaining. Always confirm your state's actual statute with the probate court or an attorney; the 30-day default is a prompt, not a guarantee.
Social Security benefits are not prorated for the month of death. The full benefit for the month the person died (and any later month) must be returned, even if they lived most of the month — don't spend it, because spending it creates a debt SSA will claw back. Separately, a surviving spouse who lived with the deceased (or an eligible dependent child) may qualify for the one-time $255 lump-sum death payment; apply within 2 years. The $255 figure is the current fixed federal amount and is not paid to every estate.
No. The funeral home typically reports the death to Social Security through the death record, but banks, the VA, the IRS, pension plans, and the three credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) usually require separate notification by you or the executor. Reporting to one credit bureau may notify the others, but verify all three. Only a spouse or legally authorized person (e.g., an executor with letters testamentary) can formally report a death to the bureaus.
Nothing you enter leaves your browser. The tool runs fully client-side and saves your progress only in your browser's local storage, which is appropriate given how sensitive these details are. In a private/incognito window storage may be unavailable — the checklist still works for the session, it just won't persist.
No. This is an educational organizing tool, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Deadlines and procedures vary by state and by the specifics of the estate. Confirm everything with a licensed probate attorney and the relevant agencies before acting.
Everything you enter stays in your browser. We don't store, transmit, or sell your data.