What should I do immediately after someone passes away?

Updated September 26, 2026 · Orlando Funeral Guide editorial team

If you are reading this because someone has just died, we’re sorry. Most of what needs to happen does not need to happen in the next hour. Here is what does, and what can wait.

For guidance specific to where the death happened (home, hospital, hospice, nursing home, out of state, or abroad), use our interactive guide: A death has occurred — what do I do now?

In the first few hours

1. Get the death pronounced.
   • Hospice patient: call the hospice agency’s 24-hour line, not 911.
   • Hospital or nursing facility: staff take care of this.
   • Unexpected death, or you’re unsure: call 911.
2. If the death was sudden, accidental, or unexpected, leave everything as it is. Florida law requires these deaths to be reported to the medical examiner or law enforcement, and prohibits disturbing the body or the surroundings. In Orange and Osceola counties, that is the District Nine Medical Examiner’s Office, 407-836-9400.
3. Call close family or a friend who can be with you and help make calls.
4. Choose a funeral home once the death has been pronounced and any medical examiner review is complete. The funeral home transfers your loved one into its care. See Do I need to contact a funeral home right away?

In the first day or two

• Look for pre-arrangements. Check for a pre-need contract, a will, or written wishes about burial or cremation.

• Gather information for the death certificate:

  • full legal name
  • date and place of birth
  • Social Security number
  • parents’ names
  • marital status and spouse’s name
  • education and occupation
  • the veteran’s DD-214 discharge papers, if applicable

  The funeral director files the certificate with the state, which Florida law requires within 5 days.

• Meet with the funeral home. When you discuss arrangements in person, the FTC Funeral Rule entitles you to a written, itemized General Price List to keep. You can choose only the goods and services you want. Read our guide to funeral costs and your rights.

• Secure the home, vehicles, and pets, and collect mail.

In the first week or two

• Order certified death certificates. The funeral home can usually order the first set. How to get a death certificate in Orange County
• Social Security: the funeral home usually reports the death. If it doesn’t, call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213. A surviving spouse, or in some cases a child, may qualify for a one-time $255 death payment, which must be applied for within 2 years.
• Veterans: ask about burial in a national cemetery and VA burial benefits. See Veterans burial benefits near Orlando.
• Notify the employer, insurance companies, banks, and the executor or an attorney if there is a will.

Use our funeral planning checklist to keep track. It saves your progress in your browser and prints cleanly.