# Paperwork after someone dies in Canada

The federal side of it, in roughly the order it comes up. Most of it can wait a few days, and much of it can be shared out. Take it one piece at a time.

- Kind: Paperwork & IDs
- Applies to: Canada
- Your time: about 3 hr
- Steps: 8
- Written by: @helg
- Version 1, updated 2026-10-24
- Source: https://helg.app/community/paperwork-after-someone-dies-in-canada

## Steps

1. **Get the funeral home's statement of death, and order certificates** (20 min)
   The funeral home's statement is enough for most federal offices. The official death certificate comes from the province or territory where [Their name] died; ordering a few copies at once saves going back.
   - [Documents you'll need](https://www.canada.ca/en/services/life-events/death/documents.html)
2. **Build a checklist for [Their name] on canada.ca** (15 min)
   Answer a few questions and it lists what applies. There's no single office that tells everyone, so this becomes your list. You don't need to cancel the SIN if the death was in a province: the province tells the SIN program.
   - [What to do when someone dies: checklist](https://www.canada.ca/en/services/life-events/death/questionnaire.html)
3. **Call Service Canada about CPP and OAS** (20 min)
   1-800-277-9914. The estate keeps the payment for the month of death; anything paid after that has to go back.
   - [Stop CPP and OAS payments](https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/publicpensions/cpp/cancel-cpp.html)
4. **Apply for the CPP death benefit** (30 min)
   Up to $5,000 since 2025. The executor should apply within 60 days of the death; if there's no estate, whoever paid for the funeral can. Online through My Service Canada Account, or on form ISP1200.
   - [CPP death benefit](https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/publicpensions/cpp/cpp-death-benefit.html)
5. **Tell the CRA** (20 min)
   1-800-959-8281, even if [Their name] wasn't getting any benefits. The final tax return is due April 30 of next year, or six months after the death if it was in November or December.
   - [Final return deadlines](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/life-events/doing-taxes-someone-died/prepare-returns/filing-deadlines.html)
6. **Send back the passport if it's still valid** (15 min)
   Mail it to the Passport Program, Gatineau QC K1A 0G3, with a copy of the death certificate and a note saying whether you'd like it destroyed or returned. An expired one can stay with you.
   - [Who to notify](https://www.canada.ca/en/services/life-events/death/notify.html)
7. **Tell Equifax Canada and TransUnion Canada** (15 min)
   So nobody can open credit in [Their name]'s name.
8. **Sort out the will and probate with your province** (30 min)
   Estates are provincial, so the rules and fees depend on where [Their name] lived. The health card is provincial too.
   - [Estates and wills by province](https://www.canada.ca/en/services/life-events/death/estates-wills.html)

## Details that depend on you

Words in [square brackets] are filled in when you add this to Helg:

- [Their name]: Whose affairs are you looking after?

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Written by people who have done it, not by Helg or any government. Check the official sites before paying for anything.
Add it to Helg as a checklist: https://helg.app/community/paperwork-after-someone-dies-in-canada