Guide · US edition · Updated 2026-10-29

Who to Call When Someone Dies: The First 24 to 48 Hours, In Order

When someone dies, the phone feels like the hardest thing in the room. You know you are supposed to call someone, but nobody tells you who, or in what order. The good news: only a handful of calls are truly urgent. Almost everything else (banks, Social Security, insurance, subscriptions) can wait days or even weeks.

This guide walks through the calls that matter in the first 24 to 48 hours in the United States, depending on where the death happened.

1. The call that makes the death official

Before a funeral home can take the person into its care, a death has to be legally pronounced. Who you call depends on the situation.

If the person was in hospice care at home: call the hospice agency's 24-hour number, not 911. A hospice nurse will come, pronounce the death, and help you contact the funeral home. Calling 911 in an expected hospice death can lead to an ambulance, resuscitation attempts or a police report that nobody wanted.

If the death was unexpected at home: call 911. Paramedics and possibly police or the medical examiner/coroner will come. This is routine, not an accusation. If the death needs to be reviewed, the medical examiner decides when the body can be released.

If the person died in a hospital or care facility: staff handle the pronouncement. They will ask which funeral home you want to use. You do not have to decide in that minute. It is fine to say you will call back within a few hours.

2. Close family and the people who need to know first

Next, call the people who would be hurt to hear it from anyone else: spouse or partner, children, parents, siblings. You do not have to make every call yourself. Pick one or two trusted people and ask them to tell the wider circle (cousins, friends, neighbors). That one request can spare you dozens of painful conversations.

If you are not the next of kin, make sure the legal next of kin knows, because they (or the executor) are the people who make decisions about the body and the funeral.

3. Someone for children, pets and anyone who depended on them

If the person cared for children, an elderly relative, or pets, arrange temporary care today. It is easy to forget in the shock, and it is the one thing that genuinely cannot wait.

4. The funeral home or cremation provider

Before you call, take ten minutes to check for:

A pre-paid funeral plan (look in their files, desk or with their attorney). If they already paid a specific funeral home, you usually want to use that one.
Written wishes about burial, cremation or a religious service.
Organ or body donation papers. Body donation programs often need to be contacted within hours.

The funeral home will collect the person, help prepare the death certificate and, in most cases, report the death to Social Security. Ask them early how many certified death certificates they can order for you. Most families need between 10 and 15 (see our guide on how many death certificates you need).

You are allowed to ask for prices. Under the federal Funeral Rule, funeral homes must give you an itemized price list, and you only have to buy what you choose.

5. Their employer (if they were working)

If they were still employed, call their manager or HR in the first few days. Ask about final pay, unused vacation, any group life insurance, and retirement plan beneficiaries. Write down the name of the person you speak to.

6. Someone for you

A clergy member, a close friend, a grief counselor, a neighbour who can sit with you. This is not a luxury. You will make better decisions with one steady person beside you.

What can safely wait

It is tempting to start cancelling cards and calling banks on day one. In most cases, you shouldn't. Many accounts can only be handled by the executor once a court has appointed them, and closing things in the wrong order can break autopays you still need (mortgage, utilities, home insurance).

Things that can usually wait until the first week or later:

Banks, credit cards and investment accounts
Life insurance claims (you will need certified death certificates first)
Social Security, if the funeral home is reporting the death (you can confirm later at 1-800-772-1213)
Credit bureaus, subscriptions, social media accounts
Cancelling their phone. Keep it active, because you may need it to receive two-factor login codes for their accounts.

Two things to do today that are not phone calls

Secure the home and car. Lock up, take in mail and packages, and keep valuables, keys and important papers somewhere safe. Sadly, empty homes and obituaries attract burglars.

Start a call log. One notebook or one page in your phone: date, who you called, the person's name, and any reference number. Over the next months you will make dozens of calls, and this log saves enormous frustration.

A simple checklist for the first 48 hours

Get the death legally pronounced (hospice nurse, 911 or facility staff)
Tell close family, then ask one person to tell everyone else
Arrange care for children, dependents and pets
Look for a pre-paid funeral plan, written wishes and donation papers
Call the funeral home or cremation provider
Ask about ordering 10 to 15 certified death certificates
Secure the home, car, mail and valuables
Start a call log
Do not pay any of their debts from your own money
Eat, drink water and sleep. Everything else can wait.

Get the printable version

We turned the first 48 hours into a free one-page checklist you can print and keep on the fridge: download the free First 48 Hours Checklist.

If you are the executor or the family member who will be handling the paperwork afterwards, the After-Loss Admin Kit takes you from day one to closing the estate: a 23-page workbook, a who-to-notify list of 36 organizations, 12 letter templates and an estate tracker spreadsheet.

This article is general information for families in the United States, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules differ by state. For complex situations, please speak with a licensed estate attorney.

Free: the First 48 Hours Checklist

The few things that are truly urgent after a death, on one printable page.

Get the free checklist See the full kit — $19