What Do You Do When Someone Dies? A Step-by-Step Guide for Australia

Detailed Explanation

The hours and days after a death feel overwhelming, but only a few things are genuinely urgent. This guide walks through them in order. For the full set of funeral-planning guidance, including the decisions and notifications that follow, see the Funeral Planning hub.

Step 1: Have the death certified

What happens first depends on where and how the person died:

• Expected death at home (for example, under palliative care): contact their GP, after-hours doctor, or palliative care team. A doctor confirms the death and issues a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. There is no need to call an ambulance or police for an expected death.
• Unexpected death at home: call Triple Zero (000). Paramedics and police will attend. Deaths that are sudden or unexplained are referred to the coroner. This is a standard process, not an accusation.
• Death in hospital or aged care: staff handle certification and will ask you which funeral director to contact. There is no need to decide immediately; the person can remain in the facility's care for a short time.
• Death overseas: this guide assumes the death happened in Australia. If a family member died while travelling or living abroad, see how do you repatriate a body after a death overseas for the consular and funeral-director process involved instead.

Step 2: Choose a funeral director

Once certification is under way, contact a funeral home. They will bring the person into their care at any hour, then meet with you to plan the service. You are free to compare providers, so ask for an itemised quote, which funeral homes must provide on request; see how to choose a funeral director for the specific questions worth asking before committing. Understanding what a funeral costs in Australia before this meeting makes the decisions much easier.

If the person had a prepaid funeral plan or documented wishes, tell the funeral director early, as it shapes everything that follows. If the family needs a fast burial for religious reasons, as is customary in Islamic funeral practice, say so from this very first call, as it affects how certification and any coronial steps are prioritised. Using a funeral director is optional, not a legal requirement. See can you arrange a funeral without a funeral director if you're considering handling some or all of it yourselves.

Step 3: Make the key decisions

Over the following days, the family (led by the executor or senior next of kin) decides:

• Burial or cremation, if the person didn't record a preference
• The type of service: religious, civil, or a simple committal, and where it's held
• The funeral notice, flowers, music, speakers, and who will lead the service

None of these need to be decided on day one. Take the time you need.

Step 4: Registration and paperwork

Your funeral director registers the death with the state or territory Births, Deaths and Marriages registry and usually orders the official death certificate for you. Banks, super funds, and insurers will all ask for it.

After the funeral, the practical work of notifying organisations begins. See who you need to notify when someone dies for the full checklist, from government agencies through to banks, employers, and subscriptions. If you're juggling all of this around a job, bereavement leave entitlements in Australia explains the minimum you're owed and how to extend it. The estate itself is handled through probate or letters of administration where required.

Things to Consider

• You don't have to do this alone. Funeral directors handle the logistics daily; let them carry the process while you make only the decisions that matter to you.
• Interstate and overseas family need time to travel. This is one of the most common reasons funerals are held a week or more after the death, and it is completely normal.
• Check for documents early. A will, prepaid funeral contract, or letter of funeral wishes can answer the biggest questions for you. Check with their solicitor, bank, or the state trustee if you can't find one.
• Costs fall to the estate first. Funeral costs are generally paid from the deceased's estate; banks will usually release funds from the deceased's account to pay a funeral invoice even before probate.
• Look after the living. Grief makes administration harder than it looks. Share tasks between family members, and see how to support someone who is grieving, including yourself.
• If there's genuinely no family able to arrange things, this doesn't get left unresolved. See what happens if someone dies with no next of kin for how state processes step in.

Common Mistakes

• Calling 000 for an expected palliative death. It isn't required and can add distressing procedure to a peaceful death. Call the GP or palliative team instead, as they will have briefed you.
• Signing with the first funeral home before comparing. Prices for equivalent services vary widely. Asking two or three providers for itemised quotes is normal and takes little time.
• Rushing the funeral date. Unless religious practice requires speed, a few extra days for planning and travel almost always produces a service the family is more at peace with.
• Ordering only one death certificate. Institutions often need certified copies simultaneously, so most families order several from the outset.
• Missing entitlements. Services Australia bereavement payments, superannuation death benefits, and life insurance are commonly overlooked in the fog of the first weeks. Write a list and work through it slowly.