Estate & Practical Tasks
What actually has to be done after a death, in five areas — and what changes the answer in your circumstances. Nothing here is legal advice.
The practical steps below apply Australia-wide. Probate, intestacy, property transfers and retirement village rules are state and territory law, so the court, the forms and the process depend on where the person lived and where any property is.
Ask ELUMMA in your own words. It answers the practical question first, then points you to the section that goes through it — and it will tell you plainly when something needs legal advice instead.
Ask ELUMMAFive areas of estate administration
Choose the one that matches what you are dealing with. Its detail opens below, and everything else stays out of the way.
Estate tools
Start with your progress, or go straight to the tool you need.
The ten stages of an estate, what is still outstanding, and what to follow up — the place to start if you want the whole picture.
The death certificate, the Will or the grant, your identification and the asset list — the same set every institution asks for.
Finding what the person actually had, and keeping the bills under control while the estate is sorted out.
Who has to be told, what is happening to each account, and when to follow up — including the services that have to stay switched on.
Legal & Estate Administration
Who is allowed to act, what the court needs to confirm, and the documents that prove it. Until authority is sorted out, banks, share registries and titles offices may not accept instructions from anyone — including family.
What to do, in order
Estate Assets, Bills & Finalisation
Finding everything the person had, keeping the bills and accounts under control while the estate is sorted out, and finishing it properly at the end. Work through it in any order — most people come back to it over weeks, not in one sitting.
What changes the answer
What forms part of the estate, who may deal with it, and when, depends on state and territory law. Where the person lived, and where any property is, both matter.
Until your authority is confirmed, some institutions will not release information or money to anyone — including family. Ask each one what evidence it needs, and ask in writing.
If the estate may not cover everything, the order things are paid in matters, and paying a debt personally or out of order can change who is liable. Get advice before paying anything yourself or distributing anything.
The asset hunt
Most estates have something nobody knew about. Work through these in any order, and ask each institution to search its own records rather than relying on the paperwork you happen to hold.
Bank accounts and cash
Accounts are usually frozen once the bank is told. Ask each bank to search for every account in the person’s name — not just the ones you know about.
Shares, investments and registry holdings
Registry details are the fastest way in — an SRN or HIN lets the registry identify the holding, and tell you what else is registered to it.
Superannuation and insurance
Super and insurance often do not form part of the estate at all. What happens depends on the fund’s rules and on any nomination the person made — so ask the fund, rather than assuming.
Property, vehicles and registrations
Money owed to the person or the estate
This is the group people most often miss. Money coming back is still an asset.
Memberships, benefits and entitlements
These are rarely advertised, and some are only paid if someone asks.
Digital assets
Digital assets can hold real value and real memories. Get advice before closing or deleting anything.
Unclaimed money and lost accounts
Money can sit unclaimed for years. These searches are free, and they are worth doing even if you think everything has been found.
Assets that may not form part of the estate
Some assets pass to someone else without going through the estate at all — and some only look like they will. It depends on how the asset was owned and on any nomination, not on what the family expects.
- Property held as joint tenants often passes to the surviving owner outside the estate. Property held solely, or as tenants in common, usually forms part of the estate.
- Superannuation is usually held in a trust rather than owned personally. A binding death benefit nomination can direct it to a particular person; a non-binding nomination is only a wish.
- Life insurance may pay to a nominated beneficiary, or to the estate, depending on the policy.
- A joint bank account may pass to the surviving account holder.
- A family trust, company or partnership is not owned by the estate the way personal assets are — the trust deed or the company rules decide.
Whether an asset forms part of the estate changes what the executor can actually deal with, what has to be declared, and who pays tax on it. Ask each institution to confirm in writing how the asset is held, and get advice where the answer is unclear.
Bills and account tracker
Every account the person had, and what you have decided to do about each one. Nothing here is saved — write down anything you need to keep, and tell each provider in writing.
If the property still has to be cleared, repaired, inspected or sold, cutting off power, water or insurance can cost more than it saves — and a lapse in cover on an unoccupied home can be hard and expensive to restore.
- Check the property’s stage first: still occupied, being cleared, waiting on repairs, on the market, or under contract.
- Tell the insurer the home is empty, rather than letting the policy lapse. Many policies limit or exclude cover once a home is unoccupied for a set period.
- Ask each provider what it needs, and ask for the final statement in writing so the account stops moving.
- Keep every bill, statement and receipt with the estate records — whether an estate cost can be claimed or reimbursed depends on the estate and on your authority.
Check the property’s stage before anything is cut off — a property still being cleared or repaired needs the power on.
These often carry the account other things are billed to, and the email that reaches everything else. Check before closing.
Rates keep accruing. Ask the council what it needs, and whether any concession applies to this property.
Tell the insurer the home is empty rather than cancelling. A lapse can be hard to restore.
Ask for a statement to a set date, and ask which clause says when the charges end.
Tell the lender what has happened. Interest can keep accruing, and many lenders have a bereavement process.
Small amounts, but they keep coming out of an account that may already be frozen.
Write down who it is owed to, how much, and what you have done about it so far.
Set an action on anything you are tracking. Nothing here is saved — write down anything you need to keep.
Finalisation checklist
The end of the administration. Work through this before distributing anything, because distribution usually happens last.
Selling the property, or settling the sale, does not mean the estate is finished. Assets can still be outstanding, a final tax return may still be due, and the estate accounts still have to be settled before anything is distributed. Property settlement is one step, not the end.
Paying the beneficiaries
What each person is entitled to is governed by the Will — or, if there is no valid Will, by the intestacy law of the state or territory where the person lived — and by the circumstances of the estate. It does not change because someone helped more or less.
Doing the work, or being the one who stepped up, does not by itself increase or reduce what any beneficiary receives. Whether an executor can claim commission is a separate question, allowed only in defined circumstances and usually only with the court’s approval.
Documented expenses you have paid, and any reimbursement, are a claim on the estate. They are not a share of it, and they are not deducted from someone’s entitlement. Record them separately.
An executor cannot simply reduce or withhold a beneficiary’s share because that person did not help with the estate. If you are unsure what you may do, get advice before withholding anything.
Distribution usually happens after the debts, tax and expenses are dealt with. Paying the wrong person, or distributing too early, can leave the executor personally exposed.
If there is a disagreement about what someone is entitled to, or about the estate accounts, get advice before acting. Free legal help may be available if cost is a barrier.
ELUMMA cannot tell you what anyone is entitled to. That depends on the Will or the intestacy rules, the state or territory, and the circumstances of the estate — and it is a question for independent legal advice.
Notify, Close & Transfer Accounts
Every organisation that has to be told, and what is actually happening to each account — notify only, keep it running for now, transfer it, cancel it, ask for the final bill, or dispute it. Work through it over weeks rather than in one sitting, and record what you sent and when.
What changes the answer
What forms part of the estate, who may deal with it, and when, depends on state and territory law. Where the person lived, and where any property is, both matter.
Until your authority is confirmed, some institutions will not release information or money to anyone — including family. Ask each one what evidence it needs, and ask in writing.
If the estate may not cover everything, the order things are paid in matters, and paying a debt personally or out of order can change who is liable. Get advice before paying anything yourself or distributing anything.
Closing an account is usually harder to undo than leaving it open a little longer. These four checks prevent the mistakes that cost the most.
If the home still has to be secured, insured, cleared, repaired, inspected or sold, it usually needs power, water and insurance to stay on. Cutting them off can cost more than it saves, and a lapse in cover on an unoccupied home can be hard and expensive to restore.
Close the account first and the payments attached to it fail — sometimes into the estate’s name, sometimes as a missed payment against the person’s record. List what comes out of each account before anything is closed, and deal with each one.
The final tax return, the estate accounts and any dispute can need statements, transaction histories and receipts from years back. Download or ask for them before an account is closed, because access usually ends with it.
Being the next of kin is not the same as being allowed to use someone’s account, and using a card, PIN or online login after a death can create serious problems. Tell the organisation what has happened and ask what it needs from you — that is not the same as operating the account.
One notification, several organisations
The Australian Death Notification Service is a free government service, supported by all states and territories. You enter the person’s details once and it notifies multiple participating organisations, which then make contact with you.
- The death must already be registered with the state or territory Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages before it can be used.
- You will need the person’s name, date of death, the state or territory where they died, and their last known address. Account and membership numbers help, but you can still send a notification without them.
- It does not cover every organisation. Banks, super funds, insurers, utilities, phone and internet providers, councils and some government agencies often have to be contacted separately — use the categories below as the checklist.
- It notifies organisations that someone has died. It does not confirm your authority to deal with the estate, and it does not close anything by itself.
ELUMMA cannot tell you which organisations a particular notification will reach, or what each one will need from you. Check the service’s own list, and confirm with each organisation directly.
The order that works
- 1Register the death first
Most notification steps, including the Australian Death Notification Service, need the death registered with the state or territory Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages. Get several copies of the certificate — you will be asked for them repeatedly.
- 2Find out what exists before you close anything
Redirect the mail, read the last twelve months of bank and card statements, and ask each bank and registry to search its own records. An account you close today can be one you cannot see tomorrow.
- 3Check your authority, and ask what each organisation needs
Some institutions will not release information or money until your authority is confirmed, and each one asks for something slightly different. Ask in writing, and keep the reply.
- 4Notify the essential organisations first
Government agencies, banks, super funds, insurers and the council. Payments can keep being made after a death and then be recovered, so telling them early is usually better than telling them late.
- 5Decide account by account, rather than cancelling in a sweep
Notify only, keep temporarily, transfer, cancel, ask for the final bill, pay from the estate, or dispute. Different accounts need different answers, and the property usually needs some of them left on.
- 6Ask for the final bill or refund in writing
A verbal figure is not a statement. Ask each provider for a final statement to a set date, and check whether a part-period refund is owed rather than accepting that the account is settled.
- 7Keep the records together as you go
Who you told, when, what you sent, what came back, and what is still outstanding. This is what the estate accounts are built from, and it is much harder to reconstruct later.
Who to notify, and what to ask for
Work through these in any order. Not every one will apply, and the ones you did not know about are usually found in the mail or on a bank statement.
Services Australia (Centrelink), the ATO, Medicare, DVA, the electoral roll and state agencies. Payments can continue after a death and then be recovered, so tell them promptly rather than waiting.
Ask for: Ask each agency what evidence it needs, and whether any payment already made will have to be repaid.
Every bank, not just the one you know about. Interest and fees can keep accruing, and many banks have a bereavement process. Check what is being direct-debited from each account before you close anything.
Ask for: Ask for a search of all accounts in the person’s name, and for a written statement to the date of death.
Super and life insurance often pay to a nominated person rather than to the estate, and the death cover inside a super account can be far larger than the balance. Home, contents, car, travel and funeral cover all need to be told.
Ask for: Ask the fund for the balance, the nomination on file, and whether any death cover applies. Ask each insurer to search its records.
Do not cut these off automatically. A property still being secured, cleared, repaired, inspected or sold usually needs the power and water on, and a service cut off and reconnected can cost more than it saves.
Ask for: Ask for a final reading and a final statement in writing. If the property is still being dealt with, ask to keep the account running in the estate’s name instead.
The mobile is often the number every other organisation uses to reach the person, and the one that receives security codes. The email address is often where the receipts and statements are. Check before closing either.
Ask for: Ask whether the account can be kept temporarily or transferred, rather than closed. Ask what happens to the number and the email address.
Rates and water charges keep accruing while the property is still held, and a pensioner or concession rate may have applied. Tell the council what has happened so the notice is addressed correctly.
Ask for: Ask what the position is to a set date, whether any concession applied, and who is to be billed from now on.
Ask which clause says when the charges stop, and ask for a statement to a set date rather than accepting a verbal figure. Village and strata charges are a common source of surprise deductions at the end.
Ask for: Ask for an itemised statement to a set date, with the clause or rule each charge comes from.
Registration, licence, toll accounts, insurance and any finance all need to be dealt with. Check for outstanding tolls or infringements before transferring or surrendering anything, and check whether a refund applies.
Ask for: Ask what is needed to transfer or surrender the registration, and whether a refund of the unused portion applies.
Small amounts that keep coming out of an account that may already be frozen. Some carry a refundable joining fee, shares or a benefit payable on death — so check before cancelling.
Ask for: Ask what the membership carries, and whether anything is refundable or payable on death.
Medicare, a private health fund, ambulance cover and any rebate still owing. A private health fund usually owes a part-period refund once it is told, and the rebate position can affect the final tax return.
Ask for: Ask for the fund’s position and any refund owed, and keep the statement for the tax return.
Do not close email or cloud storage early. They often hold the receipts, statements, contacts and account numbers that lead to everything else — and they may hold photos and files the family wants.
Ask for: Ask what the provider’s process is for a deceased person’s account, and what it needs before anything is changed or closed.
Final pay, unused annual and personal leave, long service leave, super guarantee, commissions and any bonus owed. An employer may also hold superannuation or a group insurance policy.
Ask for: Ask the employer in writing for a full breakdown of everything owed, including super and any group cover.
An SRN or HIN on an old statement lets the registry find that holding and any others registered to the same number. Dividends can keep being paid, and the registry can tell you what else is registered.
Ask for: Ask the registry and any broker to search for all holdings in the person’s name, including under a former name or address.
Redirecting the mail is one of the fastest ways to find accounts nobody knew about — new statements and notices keep arriving for months. Redirect it to someone who can act on it.
Ask for: Ask the post office about a mail redirection, and how long it can run for.
Anything that keeps charging: storage, security monitoring, garden or cleaning services, pet insurance, gym, streaming, cloud storage, roadside assistance. Check the last twelve months of statements for charges you do not recognise.
Ask for: Ask what the notice period is, and whether anything is refundable for the unused period.
Account tracker
One line per organisation. Record what you sent and when, so that a letter that never arrived, or a bill nobody answered, is visible rather than remembered.
Nothing here is saved. Write down anything you need to keep, and keep every letter, statement and confirmation with the estate records — you may need them for the tax return, the estate accounts, or a dispute years later.
Things People Often Miss
The items that slip through in real estates — the small recurring charges, the devices nobody thought to return, the statements that turn out to hold an asset. Read it as a list to rule things out with, not a list of things that are wrong.
What changes the answer
What forms part of the estate, who may deal with it, and when, depends on state and territory law. Where the person lived, and where any property is, both matter.
Until your authority is confirmed, some institutions will not release information or money to anyone — including family. Ask each one what evidence it needs, and ask in writing.
If the estate may not cover everything, the order things are paid in matters, and paying a debt personally or out of order can change who is liable. Get advice before paying anything yourself or distributing anything.
Not every item will apply to your estate. Rule each one out rather than working through all of them — and if you are not sure whether something applies, that is a question for advice rather than a guess.
The checklist
Work through these in any order. Most estates only have a handful of them, and finding that out is the point.
Small amounts keep coming out of an account that may already be frozen. Check the last twelve months of statements for recurring charges, and include ambulance cover, health and hospital cover, and member or professional services — these are often paid annually and forgotten.
Personal emergency pendants, medical alarms, home monitoring, and any remotes, keys or access fobs that belong to someone else. These can keep being charged after a death, and some carry a return obligation or a charge for equipment that is not sent back. Ask the provider what has to be returned, and get it in writing.
Redirecting the mail is the fastest way to find accounts nobody knew about — statements and notices keep arriving for months. Read the old mail before anything is thrown out: it is where a forgotten account, an unclaimed asset or an unpaid bill usually shows up first.
An old statement, dividend notice or tax record can lead to a holding nobody knew about. The SRN or HIN on it lets the share registry find that holding and any others registered to the same number — so search by the identifier, not just by name.
There may be more than one fund, and old accounts are easy to lose. Many super accounts include death cover that is worth far more than the balance, and standalone life, trauma or funeral policies are easy to overlook. Ask each fund and insurer to search its records, and ask what nomination was actually on file.
Part-period utility and insurance refunds, a rental bond, Medicare and private health rebates, unused registration or membership amounts, and credits sitting on an account. Ask for a final statement rather than assuming an account is settled, and do not count a refund until it has been received.
Some accounts need a final reading and a final bill; others need to keep running. A property still being secured, cleared, repaired, inspected or sold usually needs power, water and insurance left on — and a service cut off and reconnected can cost more than it saves.
Email and cloud storage often hold the receipts, statements, contacts and account numbers that lead to everything else, so do not close them early. Check phones, computers, tablets and storage for accounts, photographs, files and anything of value — and ask each provider what its process is before anything is changed.
Some unions, professional bodies, clubs, co-operatives and friendly societies pay a death, bereavement or funeral benefit, or hold a refundable joining fee or shares. These are rarely advertised, and some are only paid if someone asks — so ask directly rather than assuming there is nothing.
Final pay, unused annual and personal leave, long service leave, super guarantee, commissions and any bonus owed. An employer may also hold superannuation or a group insurance policy. Ask in writing for a full breakdown rather than a verbal figure.
Money can sit unclaimed for years — dormant bank accounts, unpaid dividends, and lost super. Each state and territory runs its own register, and the ATO holds lost and unclaimed super. These searches are free, and they are worth doing even if you think everything has been found.
Registration, licence, toll accounts, insurance and any finance. Check for outstanding tolls or infringements before transferring or surrendering anything, and ask whether a refund of the unused registration applies. Tell the insurer what has happened rather than letting the policy lapse.
Many policies limit or exclude cover once a home has been unoccupied for a set period. Tell the insurer the home is empty, in writing, rather than letting the policy lapse — a lapse on an unoccupied home can be hard and expensive to restore, and it is the wrong time to be uninsured.
A property waiting on sale still has to look maintained and stay secure. Lawns, mail piling up, unlit or obviously empty homes all attract attention, and an insurer or a buyer may care about the state it is kept in. Arrange the minimum ongoing care rather than letting it slide.
Everything paid out while sorting out the estate: DIY materials, trades, cleaning, removalists, storage, and anything bought for the property or the funeral. Documented expenses are what the estate accounts are built from — and reimbursement depends on the estate having money and on your authority, so keep every receipt.
A buyer expects the keys, remotes, garage and gate openers, appliance manuals and warranty documents that go with the property. Handing these over at settlement avoids a dispute after it, and a warranty card can be worth real money on a recently replaced appliance.
You will be asked for the same documents repeatedly — certified identification, the death certificate, and proof of your authority to deal with the estate. Keep several certified copies together, and keep a record of who you have given them to and when.
A final tax return is usually needed, and the estate itself can owe tax on income earned after the death. A return can produce a bill rather than a refund. Ask the accountant what to hold back, and do not assume the position is settled because the person had lodged everything before.
Legal and professional fees can arrive long after the work looks finished, and a solicitor may be holding money in trust for the estate. Ask for a final account and confirm what is held in trust before you treat the estate as closed.
An interim distribution is a part payment made before the estate is finished; a final distribution is made once everything is resolved. If you make an interim payment and the estate later falls short, recovering it can be difficult. Be clear in your own records about which one you are making, and get a receipt for each.
A bill that has not arrived, a return that has not been assessed, a charge being queried, an asset not yet sold. Distributing to the last dollar leaves nothing to meet these — and the executor can be personally exposed. Keep a reserve until everything is genuinely settled.
Final statements, the distribution records, the tax returns and the correspondence, kept together and kept for a long time. Disputes and questions can arise years later, and the estate accounts are what you answer to the beneficiaries with.
Estate loose ends review
Work through this before anything is distributed. An item does not have to be Resolved to move on — but if it is Waiting or still to Check, something is still open, and that is worth knowing before the estate is closed.
A final statement can arrive months later. An account that is not formally closed can keep accruing.
Get written confirmation from each organisation, rather than assuming a phone call was enough.
Check what is still coming out of every account, including the small annual ones.
Part-period refunds, a bond, rebates and unused registration. Do not count one until it has been received.
A return can produce a bill rather than a refund, and the estate can owe tax on income after the death.
Including anything held in trust by a solicitor. Ask for a final account before treating it as closed.
Payments can continue after a death and then be recovered. Ask each agency what the position is.
Super, life, funeral, home and contents, vehicle and health — and any refund of unused premium.
Power, water, rates, garden and security, and the insurance on a home that is no longer occupied.
State and territory registers, ASIC unclaimed money, and ATO lost and unclaimed super. All free to search.
Anything being queried, or a charge you have not agreed to. Get advice before treating it as settled.
A bill not yet arrived, a return not yet assessed, an asset not yet sold. Keep a reserve until everything is genuinely settled.
Final statements, distribution records, tax returns and correspondence, kept together and kept for a long time.
An item marked Waiting or Check is something still unresolved. That does not necessarily stop a distribution, but it is the thing to be sure about first.
Distribution usually comes after the debts, tax and expenses are dealt with. Paying too early, or to the wrong person, can leave the executor personally exposed — and an interim payment made before the estate is finished can be difficult to recover if the estate later falls short.
- Work through the review above, and be honest about anything still Waiting or to Check.
- Keep a reserve for the items that are not resolved, rather than distributing to the last dollar.
- Get a signed receipt or acknowledgement from every person you pay, and record what it was for.
- Get advice before distributing if anything is unresolved or disputed, or if the estate may not cover its debts.
ELUMMA cannot tell you when it is safe to distribute, or what anyone is entitled to. That depends on the state or territory, the Will or the intestacy rules, your authority, and the estate’s own circumstances — and it is a question for independent legal advice. Free legal help may be available if cost is a barrier.
Nothing here is saved. Write down the statuses you set, and keep them with the estate records — the review is only useful if it survives the session.