The First 30 Days After a Death

Some tasks after a death can’t wait a day. Most can wait weeks. A few, done too early, cost a family months and real money.

The First 30 Days After a Death is a plain-English checklist for a California family in the first month, before any lawyer is involved. It’s written by a California attorney whose practice emphasizes estate planning, trust administration and probate. It takes the calls, the papers and the decisions in the order they come up, and it says which ones can wait.

What’s inside

• The first 48 hours. Hospice or 911, the coroner, organ donation, and looking after the people and pets who depended on the person.
• The funeral. Who has the legal right to decide, what a prepaid plan means, your rights under the FTC Funeral Rule, and who pays.
• Death certificates. Who can order certified copies, what they cost, and a simple way to count how many you need.
• Telling people. Social Security, Medi-Cal, the banks, the employer, the insurers and the credit bureaus, and why you shouldn’t close the accounts.
• Securing things. The house, the insurance, the mortgage, the car, the mail, the safe deposit box, firearms and digital accounts.
• The papers. Finding the will and trust, the 30-day duty to deliver an original will to the court, and who has authority to act.
• What not to do yet. No distributions, no closed accounts, no paying every bill, and no promises.
• Beneficiary claims, the surviving spouse and the family. Life insurance, retirement accounts, community property and keeping the peace.
• When to call a lawyer. The signs, the deadlines that start at death, what to bring and how lawyers are paid.

Every rule is tied to its source, from the Probate Code and the Health and Safety Code to federal rules. The back of the book has checklists, worksheets, a glossary and a page of this year’s figures and deadlines.

This book is general information about California law. It isn’t legal, tax or financial advice.

Read the free guide first

• What to do when someone dies in California
• Successor trustee checklist: the first 30 days

More books: when someone dies

• You’re the Trustee Now: Your First 90 DaysComing soon
• Mom Died and the House Is Still in Her NameComing soon
• Selling a House Through ProbateComing soon