During the first few days

• Contact the funeral home, medical examiner, or other professional handling the remains.
• Locate any written final-disposition declaration, prepaid funeral agreement, will, trust, or estate-planning documents.
• Secure the home, vehicles, mail, medications, identification, financial records, devices, and other property.
• Notify close family, an employer, and any religious, cultural, or community contacts involved in arrangements.
• Avoid rushed financial decisions or paying unfamiliar bills from personal funds.

Keep one working file

• Record the date, name, organization, telephone number, and result of every contact.
• Keep copies of letters, forms, bills, contracts, account statements, receipts, and confirmation numbers.
• Make an inventory of known property, accounts, insurance, benefits, subscriptions, and debts.
• Track expenses paid for the estate and keep personal and estate funds separate.
• Ask for important instructions and payment demands in writing.

Documents you may need

• Certified death certificates
• Will, trust, and any amendments
• Final-disposition declaration and funeral agreement
• Marriage, birth, divorce, adoption, or military records
• Insurance policies and beneficiary information
• Recent tax returns and income records
• Bank, retirement, investment, loan, and credit-card statements
• Real-estate deeds, vehicle titles, leases, and business records
• Letters of appointment issued in a probate case, when applicable

Iowa death certificates

Certified Iowa death records may be requested through Iowa Health and Human Services. Depending on the record, copies may also be available through the county recorder in the county of residence or county where the death occurred.

Government and benefits

• Social Security and Medicare: Funeral homes usually report deaths to Social Security. If that did not happen, contact Social Security. Ask about survivor benefits.
• Veterans benefits: Contact the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs if the person served in the military.
• Employer and retirement plans: Ask about final wages, pension benefits, retirement accounts, life insurance, and other survivor benefits.
• State programs: Notify programs providing Medicaid, food assistance, unemployment, or other benefits when applicable.
• Driver's license and passport: Follow the issuing agency's process to report the death or return documents.

Financial and household accounts

• Banks, credit unions, lenders, and credit-card issuers
• Insurance companies and agents
• Landlord, mortgage servicer, and homeowners association
• Utilities, telephone, internet, and subscription services
• Professional licenses, memberships, and loyalty programs
• Postal service and mail-forwarding arrangements
• Businesses owned or operated by the deceased person

Reduce the risk

• Limit sensitive details in public notices and social-media posts.
• Secure identification, checkbooks, tax records, insurance cards, mail, devices, and account credentials.
• Notify financial institutions and the three nationwide credit-reporting companies.
• Ask each company what documentation is required to mark the file as deceased and whether an authorized person may obtain a report.
• Review statements and estate records for unfamiliar accounts, withdrawals, address changes, or benefit claims.

Report suspected identity theft

Preserve the evidence before closing or changing an account. Record what happened, when it occurred, the amount involved, and who received the report.

Authority to make decisions

A valid Iowa final-disposition declaration can name a designee. Without an effective declaration, Iowa Code chapter 144C establishes an order of priority that generally begins with the surviving spouse, followed by surviving children, parents, and other persons listed in the statute.

Disagreements, separation, inability to locate family, or concerns about a declaration may require legal advice or a court order.

Before agreeing to services

• Ask for an itemized general price list.
• Select only the goods and services wanted.
• Ask whether an item is legally required or is the provider's policy.
• Review prepaid funeral, burial trust, insurance, veterans, or county-assistance resources.
• Identify who is signing and whether the agreement creates personal payment responsibility.
• Keep the signed agreement, price lists, receipts, and all changes.

Before distributing property

• Locate the original will and any trust documents.
• Identify probate and nonprobate property.
• Determine whether a probate estate should be opened and who has authority to act.
• Identify secured debts, creditor claims, taxes, funeral expenses, and Medicaid estate-recovery issues.
• Do not divide property among heirs until valid claims and required procedures have been addressed.
• Keep a complete accounting of estate income, property, expenses, and distributions.

When the estate may owe Medicaid

Iowa Medicaid may seek estate recovery in qualifying cases under Iowa Code section 249A.53. Iowa law establishes the order in which estate expenses and claims are paid. Funeral and burial expenses, administration costs, and qualifying last-illness expenses have priority over Medicaid estate recovery.

This is an estate-recovery issue; it is not a general law making adult children personally responsible for a parent's care.

Taxes

A surviving spouse or personal representative may need to file the deceased person's final federal and Iowa income-tax returns. An estate may also need its own tax identification number and fiduciary income-tax return. Estate-tax filing requirements are separate and apply only in certain circumstances.

Consider consulting the person's tax preparer, a certified public accountant, or a qualified attorney.

Potential benefits and proceeds

• Social Security survivor benefits
• Employer-provided life insurance and final wages
• Pension, retirement, and annuity benefits
• Veterans burial and survivor benefits
• Workers' compensation or other employment-related death benefits
• Private life, accident, mortgage, or burial insurance
• Unclaimed property held by a state

Make an account inventory

• Email and cloud-storage accounts
• Social media and messaging services
• Mobile phones, computers, and tablets
• Online banking, payment apps, and cryptocurrency
• Shopping, entertainment, gaming, and subscription accounts
• Websites, domain names, online businesses, and monetized content
• Photo, music, writing, and other digital libraries

Use the provider's official process

Platforms may offer deletion, memorialization, legacy-contact, data-download, or account-transfer options. The available option depends on the provider, the account settings, the terms of service, and the legal authority of the requester.

Do not impersonate the deceased person or use stored payment methods. Preserve evidence before changing an account if fraud, harassment, threats, or financial loss may have occurred.

Warning signs

• Threats of arrest, property seizure, or immediate legal action
• Refusal to identify the creditor or provide a written explanation
• Demands for secrecy or immediate payment
• Requests for passwords, verification codes, remote computer access, or full account credentials
• Payment requested through gift card, wire, cryptocurrency, or payment app
• Claims that a relative must pay solely because the person was family

Report a problem

Preserve letters, envelopes, emails, text messages, voicemails, account records, receipts, web addresses, and screenshots. Report financial theft promptly to the financial institution and appropriate law enforcement agency.