What To Do When Someone Dies – Who To Notify

Who To Notify When Someone Dies

When someone close to you passes away, emotions are raw and it can be very difficult to think about the practicalities.

But there are some important decisions to make, certain actions to take and there are organisations you will need to notify.

We understand that this can be incredibly overwhelming regardless of the circumstances of death, but particularly so if it is sudden and unexpected.

To help, we’ve put together this guide which will bring you through the process of what to do and who to notify when someone dies in Ireland.

Information you will need

In order to notify organisations and register the death, you will need to have certain information:

• The deceased’s PPS number
• Their date of birth and address
• Date of marriage or civil partnership, if applicable
• The deceased’s passport

Who to notify

Immediately

When someone dies, there are certain organisations and people you will need to notify immediately. These include:

• The Gardai and Coroner if the death is sudden and unexpected. You can find information on how to this on the Coroner Service
• Next of kin. If the deceased was an organ donor, the next of kin will need to act quickly.
• You will also need to notify the Registrar of Births, Marriages and Deaths. Every death in Ireland needs to be registered. To register the death, you must bring a Death Notification Form noting the cause of death to any office of the Regsistrar of Births, Marriages and Deaths. You can get the Death Notification Form from the doctor who saw the deceased during their illness. If the deceased was not seen by a doctor, or if the doctor is not satisfied with the cause of death, a post mortem may be required.
• The executors named in the will. This person will have to organise the deceased’s affairs and must start the process of applying for a probate in order to have access to do this. If the deceased did not have a will, you must decide who will organise their affairs and they must contact the Probate Registry to apply for letters of administration.
• The deceased’s solicitor.
• A funeral director to arrange the funeral.

Soon after the death

Once the immediate actions have been taken care of, over the course of the next few weeks and months, there are other organisations you should notify:

• The deceased’s employer
• Banks, building societies or credit unions
• Insurers – such as car or health insurance providers.
• Cancel any direct debits and credit cards.
• Cancel any subscriptions – magazines, gym memberships.
• Hire purchase or loan companies.
• If the deceased lived in rented accommodation, contact the landlord.
• If the deceased had a mortgage, you will need to change the name on the mortgage.
• Names may need changed for utilities providers and other bills.
• Department of Social Protection, if the deceased was receiving any payments.
• The tax office to discuss any refunds or credits.
• Pension providers, if applicable.
• An Post, to redirect mail to the executor.
• The local health office of the deceased.
• Return the deceased’s passport to the passport office for cancellation.
• If possible, check any bookings or appointments made by the deceased (flights, hotels, dental appointments etc) to cancel these and get refunds.

We hope you found this useful and if you have any questions about burial or interment, please contact us.