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Wills and Estates

Losing a Spouse or Parent

You may be overwhelmed with grief right now. You may want to leave the administrative matters for a later day. But there are notifications and legal steps that should not be postponed.


  • Make funeral and burial arrangements.
  • Obtain several copies of the death certificate.
  • Gather relevant documents, such as the will, insurance policies, trusts, and stock, bank account and annuity statements.
  • Contact the Social Security Administration (if the deceased was an eligible recipient).
  • Send a notification and death certificate to the director of health services (if the deceased was a AHCCCS recipient) within 90 days after the death.
  • Notify any life insurance companies of the death.
  • Contact the trustee of any trust and/or the attorney who prepared it.
  • Contact the executor of the will and/or the attorney who prepared it.
  • Call the administrator of the decedent’s pension plan.
  • Notify the decedent’s banks and financial institutions.
  • Contact credit card companies.
  • Be sure that insurance or Medicare claims have been processed before paying any medical bills.
Resources

AZCourts.gov - Probate Forms

AZCourtHelp.org - Probate Training Video Series