When someone dies, the practical and financial tasks start right away and continue for a year or more while the estate is settled. This checklist runs through them in order, from the first 48 hours to the final distribution, mostly from the executor’s side. It is part of our estate planning guide. A surviving spouse’s own money questions (survivor benefits, the home, a new budget) are covered in finances after a spouse dies.
The first 48 hours
| Step | Action | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrange the funeral, burial or cremation (see funeral costs in Canada) | Funeral home |
| 2 | Order several copies of the death certificate or funeral director’s statement | Funeral home or provincial vital statistics |
| 3 | Secure the home and valuables | Change locks if needed |
| 4 | Find the will and the named executor | Lawyer, family, safe deposit box, provincial will registry |
| 5 | Tell immediate family | Personal |
The first week
| Step | Action | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Tell Service Canada, which stops CPP, OAS, GIS or EI payments | Service Canada (1-800-277-9914) |
| 7 | Apply for the CPP death benefit and survivor’s benefits | Service Canada or My Service Canada Account |
| 8 | Cancel the provincial health card | Provincial health plan |
| 9 | Tell the employer, if any | HR, for final pay, group life insurance and pension benefits |
| 10 | Contact life insurance companies | With the death certificate |
The CPP death benefit is a one-time payment of $2,500 to the estate or next of kin of an eligible contributor (up to $5,000 with the top-up for some contributors). A surviving spouse or partner may receive the CPP survivor’s pension, and dependent children a children’s benefit.
The first month
| Step | Action | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Meet an estate lawyer, if needed | Probate, the will’s validity, any disputes |
| 12 | Apply for probate, if required | Called a certificate of appointment of estate trustee in Ontario |
| 13 | Tell banks and investment firms | Accounts are frozen; an estate account is opened |
| 14 | Contact the mortgage lender | Check for mortgage insurance; see what happens to a mortgage when you die |
| 15 | Cancel credit cards | Note the balances for the estate |
| 16 | Deal with the landlord, or keep up a property | Continue payments from the estate |
| 17 | Redirect mail | To the executor’s address |
Who to notify
Government
| Agency | Action |
|---|---|
| Service Canada | Stop CPP, OAS, GIS; apply for death and survivor benefits |
| CRA | Report the death; later, request a clearance certificate |
| Provincial health plan | Cancel the health card |
| IRCC | Return or cancel the passport |
| Provincial licensing | Cancel the driver’s licence |
Financial institutions and others
| Who | Action | Documents usually needed |
|---|---|---|
| Banks | Freeze accounts, open an estate account | Death certificate, probate (if required), executor ID |
| Investment firms | Report the death, begin transfers | Death certificate, probate |
| Insurers | File life insurance claims | Death certificate, policy numbers |
| Credit card companies | Cancel cards | Death certificate |
| Pension plans | Apply for survivor benefits | Death certificate, marriage certificate |
| Utilities, phone, internet, subscriptions | Transfer or cancel | Account details |
| Social media and email | Memorialize, close, or download information | Proof of death and authority |
What passes outside the estate
| Asset type | Goes to | Probate needed? |
|---|---|---|
| Joint bank account with right of survivorship | The surviving joint holder (see joint accounts after a death) | No |
| RRSP or RRIF with a named beneficiary | The beneficiary | No |
| TFSA with a successor holder or beneficiary | The successor holder or beneficiary | No |
| Life insurance with a named beneficiary | The beneficiary | No |
| Pension and group benefits | The beneficiary or survivor under the plan | No |
| Real estate held in joint tenancy | The surviving owner | No |
| Property in the deceased’s name alone | The estate | Usually |
| Non-registered accounts with no beneficiary | The estate | Usually |
Settling the estate: the executor’s steps
1. Probate
Whether probate is needed depends on the assets and what the banks and land registry require. The fee in each province, and how it is calculated, is in probate fees by province.
2. Inventory assets and debts
| Assets | Debts |
|---|---|
| Bank and investment accounts | Mortgage |
| Real estate and vehicles | Credit cards and lines of credit |
| RRSPs, RRIFs, TFSAs | Car and student loans |
| Pensions and life insurance | Income tax owing |
| Business interests | Unpaid bills |
| Personal property |
3. Pay debts and taxes
The estate pays the funeral, the costs of administering the estate and taxes before anything goes to beneficiaries. Debts are the estate’s, not the family’s, except where someone co-signed or is a joint borrower; how that works is covered in what happens to debt when you die.
4. File the tax returns
At death, the deceased is treated as having sold most of what they owned at fair market value, and RRSPs and RRIFs are taxed as income unless they roll to a spouse or dependent child; see taxes at death. The executor files the final return (and any optional returns), the estate’s own T3 returns, and asks the CRA for a clearance certificate before distributing, which protects the executor from being personally liable for unpaid tax. Deadlines, forms and the clearance certificate are covered in how to file taxes for a deceased person.
5. Distribute the estate
Once debts and taxes are paid and the clearance certificate is received, the executor distributes what’s left under the will and gives the beneficiaries an accounting. Beneficiaries’ side of this is in what to do when you receive an inheritance.
What settling an estate costs
The main costs are the funeral, the probate fee, legal fees, accounting fees for the tax returns, appraisals, and executor compensation if the executor takes it. How much each one comes to depends on the province, the size and complexity of the estate and whether anyone disputes it. Executors are entitled to be paid for their work under rules that differ by province; the details are in executor fees in Canada.
Executor vs beneficiary
| Role | Main duties |
|---|---|
| Executor | Find and act on the will; notify government and institutions; collect and protect the assets; file the returns; pay debts and taxes; get the clearance certificate; distribute the estate |
| Beneficiary | Receive the distribution; review the executor’s accounting; challenge the will within the provincial time limit if there are grounds |
How the executor’s role differs from an attorney’s under a power of attorney, whose authority ends at death, is in the difference between an executor and an attorney.
A timeline for the executor
| When | Tasks |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | Secure assets, notify Service Canada, apply for the death benefit |
| Month 1 | See a lawyer, apply for probate, notify institutions |
| Months 1 to 3 | Inventory assets and debts, open the estate account |
| Months 3 to 6 | Sell assets if needed, pay debts |
| After that | File the final return, request the clearance certificate |
| Usually a year or more after the death | Distribute the estate |
| Throughout | Keep records of every transaction |
Starting a will of your own is covered in how to make a will in Canada.
Related reading
Sources
The figures and rules on this page come from these sources. How we check facts.
- Government of Canada: CPP: Death Benefit