Following the death of a loved one, the circumstances do not require you to think about the many steps to take. However, some of them must be carried out very quickly after death. Others are needed within 6 months or within a year of death. Our chronological calendar of the steps necessary on the occasion of the death of a loved one.
A death must be certified by a doctor. It is he who establishes at the end a death certificate necessary for many steps to be taken afterwards.
If the death occurred in a health establishment, the staff takes care of the procedures related to the declaration of death by a health professional.
In the event of a violent death (accident, suicide, etc.), the gendarmerie services or the police station must be notified first.
Within 24 hours of the death, excluding weekends and public holidays, the relatives of the deceased must declare the death to the town hall of the place of death. The declaration of death is made on presentation of a document proving the identity of the deceased and the medical certificate attesting to the death.
At the end of this process, the municipality draws up a death certificate which mentions the date, time and place of death, the first names, surname, date and place of birth, profession and domicile of the deceased, the first names, surnames, professions and domiciles of his parents, the first names and surname of his spouse or PACS partner, as well as the first names, surname, age, profession, domicile and possibly the degree of kinship of the declarant with the deceased. The death is also mentioned in the margin of the birth certificate of the deceased by the civil status services.
The town hall sends the information to the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (Insee), which informs pension funds in particular through the National Directory for the Identification of Individuals (RNIPP).
If the death occurred in a hospital, in a clinic or in a retirement home, the staff can take care of this declaration, but it is not an obligation.
If the death took place abroad, the next of kin must declare the death to the local registry office, which draws up a death certificate. Concerning the steps related to the funeral or the repatriation of the body of the deceased, the relatives can ask for the help of the consular services.
Within 24 hours following the death, or in any case very quickly, relatives must check whether the deceased has left specific instructions, oral or written, to authorize the removal of organs from his body, to donate his body to science and for the organization of his funeral (cremation or burial).
Within 6 days of the death, but most often sooner, relatives must contact a funeral home to arrange the funeral. In particular, it will take care of the steps for a burial or a cremation according to the wishes of the deceased or the family.
The deceased may have planned the organization and financial support of his funeral and, in some cases, have designated during his lifetime the funeral service that will be responsible for their organization.
The organization of the funeral requires defining several elements to inform the funeral director:the type of funeral (cremation or burial), the choice of burial, the funeral concession, the type of transport of the body before the in coffin, coffin and type of ceremony.
If the deceased had not provided for the financial support of his funeral during his lifetime, the relatives can ask to debit these costs from the bank account of the deceased, within the limit of 5,000 euros, and if the account is supplied.
Many administrative procedures must be carried out by relatives in the month following the death. Most of them ask to be in possession of a copy of the death certificate drawn up by the town hall of the place of death, in particular to update the family record book of the deceased.
In the month following the death of a loved one, it is necessary to take steps in their place, such as using their bank account to pay for their funeral, or even paying current bills.
To do this, the person in charge of these procedures must certify that he is an heir. If the estate is less than 5,000 euros, a certificate signed by all the heirs is sufficient. On the other hand, if the estate is greater than 5,000 euros, an affidavit drawn up by a notary is necessary.
Quickly after a death, in principle in the following month, his relatives must take an interest in the administrative situation of the deceased, that is to say, sort through his papers to take stock of his possible debts, claims, surety bonds with a bank, a tenant or on life annuity sales, for example.
If the deceased has movable property, pending the settlement of the estate, it is possible to call on a bailiff to draw up an inventory of this property.
Procedures, in particular with the social organizations on which the deceased depended, are necessary in the month following his disappearance.
If the deceased was retired, relatives must contact their basic and supplementary pension funds to request payment, subject to conditions, of a survivor's pension or a widow's or widower's disability pension. surviving husband or wife, or to his dependents.
If the deceased was an employee, his employer must be informed of his death, just like Pôle emploi if he was unemployed.
Relatives must also contact the deceased's health insurance fund to request reimbursement of any medical expenses that may still be due and, if the deceased had been retired from the private sector for less than three months, payment of the death benefit for assigns.
In the same way, all social organizations that paid benefits to the deceased, such as family benefits (Caf or MSA), as well as health insurance and its complementary health, must also be notified of the death of their beneficiary.
In the month following the death, relatives must approach the bank (or banks) of the deceased to block their accounts.
The home, vehicle, etc. insurance companies of the deceased must also be notified of the death of their insured in order to close the current contracts if necessary.
On the other hand, relatives can inquire with the Association for the management of information on risk in insurance (Agira) to find out whether or not they have been designated beneficiaries of a life insurance contract. or death insurance, by the deceased, during his lifetime.
If the deceased was a tenant, the landlord must be notified of his death. In all cases, tenant or owner, the relatives must inform the communication services (landline, mobile, Internet) of the deceased person, his energy suppliers, the water service, etc., to terminate the current contracts. or modify them.
The settlement of the estate, i.e. the division of the inheritance, must take place within 6 months of the death. Relatives should check with the notary of their choice whether the deceased had deposited a will or not.
If the estate includes real estate, its amount is equal to or greater than 5,000 euros, or if there is a will or a gift between spouses, it must be settled with a notary.
Depending on the amount of the inheritance, and once the estate is settled, the relatives must declare the estate to taxes.
In the 6 months following the death, if the deceased owned a vehicle, the relatives must modify its registration certificate.
The husband or wife of the deceased, like the surviving PACS partner, must contact the tax department to declare the death of their spouse and therefore report a change in their own situation which will have consequences on their tax rate. income tax.
In the year following the death, the main step to take is tax. Relatives must indeed, on the occasion of the annual declaration of income, declare to taxes the last income of the deceased.
