Post-Death Matters

Who Should You Inform?

	Banks Contact the banks which the deceased person held accounts. Make sure any automatic monthly payments or GIRO deductions are dealt with accordingly. Check if the deceased had a safety deposit box and follow the bank's instructions to close the account. Check and settle outstanding credit card bills, mortgage, and loans.
	Insurance Companies Inform your deceased loved one’s insurance companies. If there are payouts for the beneficiaries, the insurance company will let you know how it works.

	Lawyers/ Solicitors Inform your loved one's lawyer or solicitor and obtain the will, if there is one. You will also need to inform the executor of the will (this means the person who will carry out your loved one's wishes in the will).
	Bills and Miscellaneous Items Go through your loved one's utilities such as electricity and telephone bills. You will have to inform the relevant companies and ask them to cancel GIRO, if the bills are being paid by GIRO. Other items could be rental payments and estate duty.

CPF Matters

If the deceased was a CPF member, the nominated beneficiary will receive the deceased person's CPF savings and any monies or assets owned by them. However, if no nomination is made, the Public Trustes will handle CPF savings, other monies, or assets and distribute them to the deceased person's family in accordance with the law.

The Public Trustee's office can be contacted here. The CPF Board will be able to provide you with detailed information about your loved one's CPF account.

Important Documents

For many legal and official post-death matters, these are the important documents that you will need:

• Death certificate or death extract
• Marriage Certificate
• Birth Certificate of deceased's children
• NRIC and other identification documents of all parties involved
• Bank account information

It is a good idea to compile all these documents in a folder so that you have easy access to them, and to make sure they stay safe.