Get organised after a death

There may be many things that need to be done; taking a little time to pull together necessary documents and information may help.

Finding living wills and social security numbers

Living wills are sometimes used to instruct survivors about funeral plans or wishes and designate an agent to handle logistics. Other letters of instruction could also be used—for instance, some places have specific forms. 

However, those forms may not always be easy to find. Consider looking in these places for living wills, estate planning documents, and the social security number (for access to government benefits in your country). 

• Computer 
• Tax returns 
• Files and safe deposit box 
• If they worked with a lawyer, the lawyer’s office may have the records 

Some computers are password protected. If you don’t know the password, it can be difficult to get in—by design. If you're good with computers, you may be able to get into the computer yourself. You could also consider looking for a data recovery service. 

Sometimes people save important documents in a physical location such as a safety deposit box or storage location. With the right documents, the executor should be able to gain access to these places, even if they don’t have a key. If there’s not an executor or the will may be locked in the box, it may take an order from the local court to get access. 

Where to look for records after a death 

If you're not sure where key documents such as the will and financial account records are kept, below is a list of common places to find them. If you are helping someone through a recent loss, only the executor or surviving partner may be able to access these items.