For bereaved familiesA 6-minute read
The first two weeks
A calm, practical companion for South African families in the days after a death. Move at your own pace, or print the whole thing and use it on paper.
The kit is a 10-page A4 PDF with the full checklist, a contacts log, a blank notification letter and a "who to notify" list. You do not need to sign in or give us your email.
You do not have to be efficient right now. You only have to do the next small thing. Nothing here is legal, financial or tax advice. It is a calm checklist of what tends to come up, and roughly when. You can leave at any time. We do not phone you, and you do not need an account to use this page.
Phase 1First 24 to 72 hours
Immediate next steps
These are the things that usually have to happen in the first three days. Tick them off in your own time. There is no perfect order.
- If the death has not yet been formally certified, ask the attending doctor, hospital or paramedic to issue the BI-1663 Notification of Death.
- If the death was sudden, unexplained or unnatural, contact SAPS on 10111. They will arrange the necessary forensic process before the body is released.
- Contact a funeral director. They can collect the body, advise on burial vs cremation and usually help register the death at Home Affairs on your behalf.
- Locate the deceased's South African ID and any passport. Home Affairs needs the original ID to issue the Death Certificate.
- Tell only the people who must be told today: closest family, employer, the school of any minor dependants.
- Make sure someone is with surviving minor children, frail dependants and pets, and that the home is secure.
- Write down approximate locations of the will, ID, bank cards and house and car keys. It is generally wiser to wait before moving large sums of money or signing anything binding. Check with a qualified attorney first if anyone is asking you to.
Phase 2Days 3 to 7
Registering the death and arranging the funeral
By the end of the first week most families have a Death Certificate, a funeral plan, and have notified the few institutions that absolutely cannot wait.
- Register the death at Home Affairs (or via the funeral director) using the BI-1663 form. You will receive an abridged Death Certificate (BI-5). Ask for at least 5 to 10 certified copies. You will need them often.
- Confirm funeral logistics with the funeral director: date, venue, transport, religious or cultural rites, catering, notices.
- Decide on burial vs cremation in line with the deceased's wishes. Check the will, any letter of wishes, or recorded When I Am Gone instructions.
- Notify the deceased's employer or, if self-employed, their bookkeeper or business partner. Ask about salary, leave pay-out, group life cover and pension nominations.
- Notify any funeral cover provider (policy number on hand). Many policies pay out within 48 hours.
- If the deceased lived alone, secure the home: collect mail, redirect post, cancel newspaper and food deliveries.
- Keep a simple notebook of every call, the person you spoke to, the reference number and the date. This saves enormous time later.
Phase 3Days 7 to 14
Notifying institutions and opening the estate
From about day seven the focus shifts to opening the deceased estate at the Master's Office and telling the institutions that hold the deceased's accounts and obligations.
- Locate the original signed will. If you cannot find it, ask the deceased's bank, attorney or fiduciary practitioner. Many wills are stored in safe custody.
- Report the estate to the Master of the High Court within 14 days of the death (Administration of Estates Act, 1965). Submit the death notice (J294), original will, original Death Certificate, an inventory (J243) and the next-of-kin affidavit if there is no will.
- If the gross value of the estate is below R 250 000, ask about a Section 18(3) appointment. It is faster and cheaper than a full Letters of Executorship.
- Notify the deceased's bank or banks. They will freeze the deceased's individual accounts. Joint accounts and accounts in the surviving spouse's name normally continue.
- Notify medical aid, short-term insurers (car, home) and any retirement annuity or pension fund administrators.
- Notify SARS that the taxpayer is deceased, via eFiling or a SARS branch with the Death Certificate and ID.
- Notify any credit providers (home loan, vehicle finance, credit cards, store cards). Most will not require immediate payment but want to be told.
- Cancel debit orders that are no longer needed. Keep critical ones running: rates, water, electricity, security.
- If the deceased was a director, member or trustee of any company, close corporation or trust, notify the co-directors or trustees and the entity's accountant.
Phase 4Days 7 to 14
Immediate finances for the family
There is often a real cash-flow gap between the death and the executor being able to pay things from the estate. The goal of this phase is short-term stability without committing the estate.
- Submit the funeral cover claim: certified Death Certificate, ID copies of claimant and deceased, completed claim form, banking details.
- Submit pension fund and group life claims via the employer or fund administrator. These often pay surviving spouse and children directly outside the estate.
- Make a one-page household budget for the next 30, 60 and 90 days using the income that will continue versus essential expenses.
- Apply for the Social Relief of Distress grant via SASSA only if the family has no income at all. It is short-term and modest, but real.
- Banks generally freeze the deceased's individual accounts at this stage, and the typical legal position is that vehicles, property or shares are only sold once Letters of Executorship are issued. If you face an urgent need, ask a qualified attorney or fiduciary practitioner what is appropriate in your circumstances.
- If you genuinely cannot meet a critical payment, phone the provider before the due date. They almost always grant a short extension on the strength of a Death Certificate.
Phase 5Days 7 to 14
Early emotional and practical decisions
These are not commercial decisions, but they shape the next year. Take them slowly. There is no prize for moving fast.
- Tell yourself: do not make a major irreversible decision in the first two weeks. Not the house, not the car, not the job, not the relationship.
- Accept help with cooking, lifts, paperwork and admin. Keep a small list of jobs people can actually do for you.
- If there are minor children, keep their routine as close to normal as you can. Tell their school. Ask the school's counsellor what support is available.
- If the deceased was the family's primary income earner and there is no cover or pension, write down the three biggest financial questions to answer in the next 90 days. Do not yet act on them.
- Reach out to a recognised SA bereavement support organisation if it would help. LifeLine SA: 0861 322 322. SADAG: 0800 567 567. Compassionate Friends SA for bereaved parents.
- Pace your communication: a single short message can replace dozens of phone calls when you have no energy.
- Schedule a single quiet hour, once a week, to do nothing administrative at all.
A working list
Who to notify
The institutions most South African families have to contact in the first month. Tick them off as you go.
Government and statutory
- Department of Home Affairs (death registration, ID cancellation)
- Master of the High Court (estate reporting, J294 / J243)
- South African Revenue Service (SARS), deceased taxpayer
- SASSA, if a grant was being received
- Road Accident Fund, only if the death was the result of a motor accident
- Department of Labour, UIF dependants' benefit if applicable
Money and cover
- Each bank where the deceased held accounts
- Medical aid scheme
- Funeral cover provider or providers
- Life insurance and risk policies (each insurer separately)
- Pension, provident fund or retirement annuity administrator(s)
- Short-term insurer (vehicle, household, all-risk)
- Credit providers: home loan, vehicle finance, credit cards, store accounts
Work and professional
- Employer (HR or payroll)
- Bookkeeper, accountant or tax practitioner
- Attorney or fiduciary practitioner who holds the will
- Co-directors, trustees or business partners
- Professional bodies (e.g. SAICA, LSSA, HPCSA) where applicable
Day-to-day life
- Landlord, body corporate or sectional title managing agent
- Municipality (rates, water, electricity)
- Telecoms: mobile, fibre, DSTV or streaming
- Vehicle licensing and NaTIS
- School or university of any dependants
- Subscriptions (Netflix, Showmax, magazines, donations)
When you are ready
Help when you are ready
Two optional ways When I Am Gone can help. Each is genuinely optional. This page works perfectly well on its own.
Executor Quick Pack
A guided pack for the person handling the estate. It pulls together the documents, references and tasks the executor will need, in the order they will need them.
A practitioner alongside you
If you would like a vetted South African fiduciary practitioner to walk this with you, request a no-cost introduction.
Where to talk to someone
South African support lines
We do not offer counselling. If you would like to talk to someone, these recognised South African organisations do.
- LifeLine SA 0861 322 322 (24 hours)
- SADAG (mental health) 0800 567 567
- Compassionate Friends SA support for bereaved parents and siblings
- FAMSA family counselling, branches across SA
- Cancer Association of SA (CANSA) bereavement after cancer