What to Do When Someone Dies in Ontario

In the first few hours

• If the death was sudden or unexpected, or you're not sure what happened, call 911. Police and a coroner may be involved. That's routine and doesn't mean anything is wrong.
• If the death was expected, for example under palliative care at home, call the doctor or nurse who was caring for them. In a hospital, hospice or long-term care home, staff will guide you through the next steps.
• If there's no doctor or emergency service available, or you're unsure about the circumstances, contact the local coroner's office.
• If your loved one was a registered organ or tissue donor, or you think they'd want to be, tell the medical team right away. Timing matters.
• Call family and close friends. It's okay to ask one or two people to make calls for you.
• Choose a funeral home when you're ready. Check first for a prepaid funeral plan or written funeral wishes, which are sometimes kept with the will.

In the first few days

• Find the will. Look through their papers at home, in a safe or safety deposit box, and with the lawyer who prepared it (old cheques, emails or invoices can tell you which law firm). You can also ask the estates office of the local Superior Court of Justice whether a will was deposited there.
• Find out who the executor is. Ontario law calls this person the "estate trustee", but most people still say executor. If there's no will, see our guide to what happens when there's no will.
• Arrange the funeral, burial or cremation. The funeral director and a family member complete the Statement of Death together, and the funeral home registers the death with the municipality. That's what allows a burial permit to be issued.
• Get proof of death. The funeral home usually gives you several copies of a proof-of-death document, which many organizations accept. Some will want an official Ontario death certificate, which you order from ServiceOntario once the death is registered. Order a few. You'll likely need more than you think.
• Secure the home, car and valuables. Lock up, collect spare keys and put cash, jewellery and important papers somewhere safe.
• Call the home and car insurers. Keep the coverage in place, and ask about vacancy rules. Many home policies limit coverage when a home sits empty for more than about 30 days.
• Look after pets, plants and anything perishable, and redirect the mail with Canada Post.

In the first two weeks

• Tell Service Canada about the death (1-800-622-6232). This stops payments like the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), Old Age Security (OAS) and the Guaranteed Income Supplement, and it's where you apply for the CPP death benefit and survivor benefits.
• Tell the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) the date of death (1-800-959-8281). This stops benefit payments like the GST/HST credit and the Canada child benefit, and lets you set up the executor as the person's legal representative.
• Contact their employer, if they were working, about final pay, vacation pay, group life insurance, pension and benefits for family members.
• Let their bank and other financial institutions know. Accounts in the person's name alone are usually frozen. Accounts held jointly "with right of survivorship" usually pass to the surviving owner.
• Look for life insurance and start any claims. Our benefits and insurance claims guide explains how, including how to search for policies you can't find.
• The executor should meet with a lawyer, if they're using one, to talk about whether probate is needed.

Use our full list of who to notify →

In the first few months

• Make a list of everything the person owned and owed, with values on the date of death.
• Apply for probate, if it's needed. In Ontario, that means applying to the court for a Certificate of Appointment of Estate Trustee.
• Open an estate bank account and run all estate money through it.
• Keep paying the essentials from the estate: property tax, home insurance and utilities.
• Let creditors know about the death. Your lawyer can advise on advertising for creditors.
• Cancel subscriptions, memberships, phone plans and online accounts.

Within six months to a year

• File the Estate Information Return with Ontario's Ministry of Finance within 180 days after the probate certificate is issued.
• File the final tax return. It's due April 30 of the following year, or six months after the date of death if the person died in November or December.
• Sell or transfer property as the will directs.
• Ask the CRA for a clearance certificate before handing out the last of the estate.
• Prepare a summary of money in and money out for the beneficiaries, get their sign-off, and distribute what's left.

Follow every step with the executor checklist →

Things that can wait

It's okay to leave these for later. Really.

• Sorting through clothing and personal belongings
• Selling the house or the car
• Deciding what to do with an inheritance
• Closing social media accounts
• Thank-you cards

Grief has its own schedule. Paperwork can work around it.