What Documents Does Your Family Need After a Death?

What Documents Does Your Family Need After a Death?

When someone dies, families are asked for paperwork within days: by funeral directors, banks, super funds, government agencies and solicitors. The most common problem is not missing documents. It is that nobody knows where they are.

This checklist covers what families usually need, and the details that are easy to forget.

Identity and legal documents

• Birth certificate and, if applicable, marriage certificate
• Passport and driver licence details
• Medicare and any concession card details
• The original or a certified copy of the will, and the name of the executor
• Enduring power of attorney and any advance care directive, noting these generally stop having effect on death, but still matter for context

Money and property

• Bank and credit union accounts, including joint accounts
• Superannuation fund names and member numbers, and any binding or non-binding beneficiary nomination
• Life insurance and income protection policies
• Property titles, mortgage and loan details
• Shares, investments and the details of any business interests
• Recent tax returns and the tax agent’s contact

Government and ongoing services

• Centrelink or Department of Veterans’ Affairs details
• Utility, phone, internet and subscription accounts
• Health fund and any aged-care provider details
• Car registration and insurance

Digital life

• Email, cloud storage and social media accounts, and how to access or close them
• Password manager details and where the emergency access instructions are
• See our guide: what happens to your digital accounts when you die

Wishes and personal details

• Funeral wishes: burial or cremation, music, readings, who to notify. See how to write down your funeral wishes and funeral wishes versus your will.
• Contacts: family, close friends, employer, solicitor, accountant, financial adviser
• Pets: who will care for them
• Your life story and photos, so the family has more than paperwork: how to write your life story

The part most people skip: where it all lives

A list of documents is only useful if the right people can find it. Decide on one place, tell your executor and one family member, and review it once a year. Keep the original will somewhere safe and accessible, and note its location rather than copying its contents into casual notes.

Keep it all in one place

Lifebook Memories lets you record your wishes, your life story and where important documents are kept, and share access with the people you choose.

General information only, not legal or financial advice. Requirements vary by state and circumstance; speak to a solicitor or the relevant agency for your situation.

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Before publishing

• [Certain] Verify each item against current Services Australia, ATO and state probate guidance; rules change. I have not fact-checked agency specifics in this run.
• Add FAQ schema: “Who do I notify first when someone dies in Australia?” and “Where should I keep my will?”
• Offer a downloadable printable checklist PDF as a lead magnet.
• Internal links to Posts 1 to 4 and the sign-up page.

Queue (next 3)

1. How to start the “my funeral” conversation with parents
2. Preserving family photos: backup and labelling guide
3. Letters to loved ones: what to write and how to store them

Biggest unresolved risk

[Likely] Publication and backlinks. This week: pitch two Australian funeral directors, one aged-care blog and one estate-planning solicitor for a link or guest post.