The government agencies, organisations and people who may need to know, what to tell them, and a free service that tells several at once.
Last reviewed · For readers in Australia
In short
Start with people, then the organisations, an hour at a time.
The free Australian Death Notification Service can tell several organisations at once.
Services Australia needs to know within 28 days if the person got a payment.
After a death, a surprising number of people and organisations need to be told. It can feel endless, and every call means saying the hard words again. This guide helps you work through it steadily, and shows where you can tell several organisations at once.
You don’t need to do it all in one sitting, and you can ask a friend or family member to share the calls. If you’re the executor, many of these will be your job in time. Our guide to being an executor covers that role.
Start with people
Before the organisations, there are the people: close family, friends, neighbours, the person’s employer if they were working, and any groups they belonged to. Services Australia suggests asking family and friends to pass the news on to others, so you aren’t carrying every conversation yourself.
Services Australia
If the person was receiving a payment from Services Australia, such as the Age Pension, you need to tell Services Australia within 28 days. It explains you can do this by:
phoning the Older Australians line and saying someone has died
The form updates the person’s Centrelink, Medicare and Child Support records. If you’re the executor, there’s a separate executor or administrator request form you’ll need before Services Australia can give you information.
Telling several at once
The Australian Death Notification Service is a free government website that lets you notify several organisations about a death in one go. You answer a few questions and choose which participating organisations to tell. It can save a great many phone calls.
The ATO
The Australian Taxation Office asks to be told officially of a death, and of who will manage the estate, using its notification of a deceased person form, with a death certificate, a grant of probate or a will as supporting documents. If you don’t have those yet, you can phone the ATO to let it know unofficially, and it will pause the person’s tax letters while you get ready.
The checklist
Services Australia publishes a who to notify checklist you can print and tick off. It includes, among others:
Government - Australian Electoral Commission (132 326) - Australian Taxation Office (132 861) - Centrelink (132 300) and Medicare (132 011) - Department of Veterans’ Affairs (133 254), if relevant - My Aged Care (1800 200 422), if they were receiving aged care - vehicle registration and licensing authorities - the local council
Money and property - banks and credit unions - credit card and hire purchase providers - the super fund - insurance companies, including health, funeral and life insurance - the landlord or tenants
Everyday services - utilities such as gas and electricity - phone and internet providers - the post office
People who looked after them - doctors, dentists and other health professionals - the hospital, hearing centre or social worker - their solicitor, accountant or financial adviser - a religious adviser
What to tell them
Services Australia suggests that when you write to an organisation, you include the person’s:
full name, including any other names they used
date of birth and address
date of death
member, client or account number
Add your own name, contact details and your relationship to them, so they can contact you with questions. Many organisations will ask for a copy of the death certificate. Services Australia suggests noting on your checklist who wants one, which helps you work out how many certified copies you need.
Super funds
Contact each super fund the person had. Moneysmart explains that the fund will decide who receives the death benefit, guided by any valid beneficiary nomination, and will ask for documents such as the death certificate and proof of your relationship. Claims can take time, so it’s worth starting early.
Online accounts
Email, social media and other online accounts each have their own process for when someone dies. Our guide to digital legacy explains the main ones.
If they died overseas
Services Australia advises contacting the nearest Australian embassy, high commission or consulate. Smartraveller explains how consular staff can help.
If you’re not the executor
You can still help with notifications if you’re a family member or friend, and many organisations will take a first call from you. Some will only deal with the executor or administrator about money, though, and Services Australia and the ATO both have separate forms for the person managing the estate.
If you’re unsure who that is, it’s usually the executor named in the will. Our guide to being an executor explains the role.
A gentle way through
Many people find it easier to set aside an hour at a time, make three or four calls, and then stop. Keep the checklist in one place with a pen, note the date you called and who you spoke to, and tick it off. It’s a long list, and there’s no need to finish it in a week.
For the steps that come before all of this, our gentle checklist is here.
GOV.UK: Tell Us Once The UK service for telling several government departments at once.
Sources we checked (5)
Each fact in this guide was checked against these official pages on 23 October 2026. Rules and forms change, so please check the source for your own situation.
This is general information, not legal, financial, insurance or medical advice. For your own situation, please speak with a qualified professional or the official body named above.
