---
name: notify-everyone-of-a-death
description: "Work through who and what has to be notified after someone dies — the people, agencies, banks, and accounts — in a sane order, so nothing critical is missed while grieving. Use when asked who do I need to notify when someone dies, what to do after a death checklist, or how do I handle my parent's accounts after they died. Produces an ordered notification checklist (immediate people, then government/SSA, then financial, then subscriptions/digital), what each notification needs (death certificates, account numbers), how many death certificates to order, what to stop vs. transfer vs. close, and the scams that target the newly bereaved — so the administrative avalanche becomes a calm sequence. Not legal or financial advice; points to probate/estate resources."
---

# Notify Everyone of a Death

After a death, an administrative avalanche lands exactly when there's no capacity for it — dozens of people, agencies, and accounts to notify, each with its own requirements. This turns it into a calm sequence: who and what to notify in what order, what each one needs, how many death certificates to order, and the scams that prey on the grieving — so nothing critical slips while you grieve.

## What This Skill Produces

- **An ordered notification checklist** — immediate circle first, then government (SSA, and where relevant benefits/tax agencies), then financial (banks, insurers, pensions), then subscriptions and digital accounts
- **What each notification needs** — death certificates, account numbers, relationship proof — so calls aren't repeated
- **A death-certificate count** — a realistic number of certified copies to order up front (many institutions want an original)
- **Stop vs. transfer vs. close** — for each account type, what actually should happen (stop benefits that will claw back, transfer a joint account, close a card)
- **A scam warning** — the identity theft and fraud that target the recently deceased and their families, and how to reduce it
- **A "not now" list** — what genuinely can wait weeks, so the first days aren't spent on the non-urgent

## Required Inputs

Ask for these if not provided:
- **Your role** — executor/next of kin/family, and whether there's a will/estate
- **The accounts** — roughly what existed (benefits, banks, property, subscriptions) — no need for detail yet
- **Region** — country/state (agencies and probate differ)
- **Time-sensitive items** — anything with an imminent deadline (a pension, a lease, a business)

## Framework: People, Government, Money, Digital — In Order

1. **Order certified death certificates early.** Most notifications require one; ordering enough up front prevents weeks of delay. Estimate generously.
2. **Notify the immediate circle first.** People before paperwork — the administrative work can start in parallel but humans come first.
3. **Then government.** Social Security / national benefits and tax agencies — because unstopped benefits often must be repaid, and this prevents fraud on the identity.
4. **Then financial.** Banks, insurers, pensions, credit — each with stop/transfer/close handled correctly, not blanket-closed.
5. **Then digital and subscriptions.** Recurring charges, email, social accounts — memorialize or close deliberately.
6. **Guard against fraud.** Notify credit bureaus, watch for account takeover, and don't publish details that enable it — the bereaved are targeted.

## Output Format

### Notifications after a death: [role] · [region]

**Order first:** [~N certified death certificates].
**1 · People:** [immediate circle].
**2 · Government:** [SSA/national benefits · tax agency — stop benefits to avoid clawback · report to reduce fraud].
**3 · Financial:** [banks · insurers · pensions · credit — stop/transfer/close per account].
**4 · Digital & subscriptions:** [recurring charges · email · social — memorialize/close].
**Each needs:** [death cert · account #s · relationship proof].
**Fraud guard:** [notify credit bureaus · watch takeover · limit public detail].
**Can wait:** [the non-urgent list].

> Not legal or financial advice — estate/probate steps vary by jurisdiction and the will. Confirm executor duties with a probate resource or attorney.

## Quality Checks
- [ ] Orders certified death certificates up front, with a realistic count
- [ ] Sequences people → government → financial → digital
- [ ] Specifies stop vs. transfer vs. close per account type
- [ ] Warns about deceased-identity fraud and credit-bureau notification
- [ ] Separates what's urgent from what can wait

## Anti-Patterns
- **Closing everything blindly** instead of stop/transfer/close per type.
- **Under-ordering death certificates** and stalling for weeks.
- **Leaving benefits running** that later must be repaid.
- **Ignoring fraud risk** on the deceased's identity.
- **Front-loading non-urgent tasks** into the hardest days.

## Example Trigger Phrases
- "Who do I need to notify now that my dad has died?"
- "What's the checklist of things to do after a death?"
- "How do I handle my mother's accounts and benefits after she passed?"
- "How many death certificates should I order?"
- "What has to happen this week vs. what can wait after a death?"