What to Do When Someone Dies in Australia: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Obtain Medical Verification and the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death

   Before a funeral director can transfer the deceased or arrange burial or cremation, a medical practitioner must verify the death and issue the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD), or the state or territory Coroner must issue clearance [3][4][5]:

   • Death in a hospital, hospice, or residential aged care facility: The attending doctor or authorised medical officer verifies the death, completes the MCCD, and coordinates with facility staff to care for the body until your appointed funeral director arrives [3][4].
   • Expected death at home under palliative care: Contact the treating general practitioner (GP) or community palliative care team according to the care plan (you do not need to call emergency services for an expected natural death at home if a doctor can attend and certify the cause of death) [3][4]. Once the doctor signs the MCCD, your chosen funeral director can transfer the deceased into their care [3].
   • Unexpected, sudden, or unexplained death (at home or in a public place): Call Triple Zero (000) immediately for police and ambulance attendance, and do not move the body or disturb the surroundings [3][4][5]. Where a doctor cannot certify a natural cause of death, or where the death was sudden, accidental, or reportable under state law, police refer the matter to the State or Territory Coroner (such as the Coroners Court of Victoria, the NSW State Coroner, or the Coroners Court of Queensland), who investigates the cause of death and issues the release and burial or cremation authorisation [3][4][5].
2. 2

   Appoint a Funeral Director and Register the Death with State or Territory BDM

   Check whether your family member held a pre-paid funeral contract, funeral bond, or funeral insurance policy, and appoint a funeral director to coordinate the funeral and official registration [1][6]:

   • Locating a funeral provider: You can search for member funeral directors across all states and territories through the Australian Funeral Directors Association (now operating as Funerals Australia) at 03 9859 9966 or [email protected] [6].
   • State or Territory Births, Deaths and Marriages (BDM) registration: In Australia, the appointed funeral director normally submits the official death registration statement (together with the doctor's MCCD or Coroner's certificate) directly to the relevant state or territory registry - typically within 7 days in New South Wales or 14 days in Victoria and Queensland [3][4][5]. The funeral director also orders the official Death Certificate on behalf of the next of kin or executor from the relevant registry, such as the NSW Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages (13 77 88) [3], Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria (1300 369 367) [4], or the Queensland Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (13 74 68) [5].
3. 3

   Notify Services Australia, Government Agencies, and Financial Institutions

   Promptly notifying government bodies stops ongoing benefit payments (preventing overpayments that the estate must repay) and updates official identity records [1]:

   • Services Australia (Centrelink, Medicare, and Child Support): Notify Services Australia within 28 days by calling the Centrelink bereavement line on 132 300 (or Medicare on 132 011), visiting a service centre, or submitting an Advice of Death form [1]. A single notification to Services Australia updates both Centrelink and Medicare records [1].
   • My Aged Care and state agencies: If the deceased received government-subsidised home care or residential aged care, notify My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 [1]. Cancel their Australian passport through the Australian Passport Office (131 232), and cancel their driver licence, vehicle registration, and electoral roll entry through your state or territory service agency (such as Service NSW, VicRoads, or Transport and Main Roads in Queensland) [1][3].
   • Australian Death Notification Service (ADNS): Once you receive the official BDM Death Certificate, you can use the free, government-backed Australian Death Notification Service (operated jointly by the state and territory BDM registries) to notify multiple participating banks, superannuation funds, insurers, utilities, and telecommunications companies in a single online submission [7].
4. 4

   Check Bereavement Payments and Claim Superannuation Death Benefits

   • Services Australia bereavement assistance: Depending on family relationship and benefit status, a surviving partner (spouse or de facto partner) or carer who was receiving a qualifying pension, income support payment, or Carer Payment from Services Australia may be eligible for a lump-sum bereavement payment or a 14-week continuation period to assist with the transition [1][2]. Check eligibility when you call Services Australia on 132 300 [1][2].
   • Superannuation death benefits and life insurance inside super: In Australia, a person's superannuation balance (and any life insurance held inside the super fund) does not automatically form part of their estate governed by their will [9]. Contact the deceased's superannuation fund trustee immediately (if you do not know which fund they used, the executor can trace lost or held superannuation through the Australian Taxation Office on 13 28 61) [8][9]. If the deceased left a valid Binding Death Benefit Nomination, the trustee must pay the death benefit to the nominated dependants (such as a spouse, child, or person in an interdependency relationship) or to the Legal Personal Representative (the estate executor or administrator); otherwise, the trustee distributes the benefit under fund rules [9]. Under federal tax law, lump-sum superannuation death benefits paid to a tax-law dependant (such as a spouse or child under 18) are tax-free, whereas taxable components paid to adult non-dependent children are subject to superannuation death benefits tax [9].
5. 5

   Administer the Estate, Apply for Supreme Court Probate, and Lodge Final ATO Tax Returns

   The executor named in the will (or the next of kin if there is no valid will) acts as the Legal Personal Representative (LPR) to settle the estate [3][8]:

   • Locating the will and applying for Probate or Letters of Administration: Locate the original will and check with the deceased's banks, share registries, and the state land titles office whether a formal court grant is required before assets can be released or transferred (small bank balances are often released with a certified Death Certificate, will, and indemnity form, whereas real estate held solely in the deceased's name or larger financial accounts require a court grant) [3][5]. Where required, the executor applies to the Probate Office of the relevant State or Territory Supreme Court (for example, the Supreme Court of NSW, the Supreme Court of Victoria, or the Supreme Court of Queensland) for a Grant of Probate (or, if there is no valid will, the next of kin applies for Letters of Administration) [3][5].
   • Notifying the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and lodging final tax returns: The Legal Personal Representative must submit an official notification of death to the Australian Taxation Office (13 28 61) with a certified copy of the Death Certificate and the will or grant of probate/administration [8]. If the deceased met tax lodgement criteria, the LPR must lodge a final individual Date of Death tax return covering the period from 1 July up to the date of death (and, if the estate earns taxable income or capital gains after the date of death, a separate Deceased Estate Trust tax return) before making final distributions to beneficiaries [8].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   What to do when someone dies — Services Australia (Australian Government)
2. [2]
   Death of a partner and bereavement payments — Services Australia (Australian Government)
3. [3]
   Deaths - Registering a death and applying for a death certificate — NSW Government (NSW Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages)
4. [4]
   Deaths - Register a death and get a death certificate — Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria
5. [5]
   Deaths, wills and probate — Queensland Government (Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages)
6. [6]
   Funerals Australia (Australian Funeral Directors Association) — Australian Funeral Directors Association (AFDA)
7. [7]
   Australian Death Notification Service — NSW Government / Australian Death Notification Service
8. [8]
   Doing tax returns for a deceased person — Australian Taxation Office (ATO)
9. [9]
   Paying superannuation death benefits — Australian Taxation Office (ATO)