The first 48 hours after a death can feel unreal. Even in expected deaths, grief has a way of narrowing your thinking to the next minute, while real-world tasks keep arriving anyway. If you are reading this because you are suddenly responsible for next steps, you do not need to do everything at once. You need a calm order of operations that protects dignity, prevents avoidable mistakes, and gives you enough structure to move forward without feeling rushed.
This guide is written for families in the United States. Procedures and legal requirements vary by state and by the circumstances of the death, but the decisions most people face in the first two days are remarkably consistent: getting a legal pronouncement, choosing a funeral home or cremation provider, securing the home and dependents, starting the paperwork trail, and making initial choices about burial or cremation. The National Institute on Aging’s overview of what to do after someone dies is a practical starting point for understanding how “where and how the death occurred” changes your immediate steps.
As you move through this, it may help to remember one compassionate truth: you are not trying to solve grief. You are simply trying to get through the first two days with steadiness. The rest can unfold later.
First 48 Hours Checklist
- Confirm the situation and get a legal pronouncement of death. If the death occurs in a hospital or facility, staff handle this. If the person was on hospice at home, call the hospice number rather than 911 so a hospice professional can guide the process. Hospice Foundation of America
- Call close family and identify the legal decision-maker. If there is a spouse, adult child, or agent under a health care directive, clarify who is authorized to make disposition decisions. If you do not know, keep the early actions focused on safety and preservation while you locate documents.
- Secure the home, dependents, and pets. Lock doors, secure valuables, and make a plan for children and pets in the home. If the person lived alone, consider changing exterior locks later and securing mail to reduce fraud risk.
- Locate immediate instructions. Look for a will, prepaid funeral/cremation plan, military discharge papers (DD214), organ donation wishes, or written preferences. If papers are scattered, start a single folder—physical or digital—and put everything there.
- Choose a funeral home or cremation provider and arrange transport. If the person died at home and was not on hospice, ask the local authorities or physician how transport works in your area. If you are choosing a provider, you can legally ask for prices up front.
- Ask for the General Price List before committing to purchases. Under the FTC Funeral Rule, funeral homes must provide a General Price List (GPL) to anyone who asks about arrangements or pricing.
- Decide on burial vs. cremation for now. You do not have to finalize every detail in 48 hours, but you typically must choose a disposition direction so permits can be handled. If cremation is chosen, you can decide later what to do with the ashes.
- Request certified copies of the death certificate. Many organizations require certified copies. The federal guidance is to contact the vital records office in the state where the death occurred.
- Notify Social Security if needed. Funeral directors often report the death, but if a funeral home is not involved or does not report it, Social Security explains you should contact them. Social Security Administration
- Protect against identity theft and financial disruption. Start a list of accounts and notify banks, insurers, and creditors as appropriate. Government guidance notes that families should contact credit bureaus and take steps to prevent fraud; also be cautious about oversharing identifying details in an obituary. Internal Revenue Service
- Start the funeral or memorial plan at a “good enough” level. In the first 48 hours, the goal is usually to set a date range and basic service type, not to craft perfection. If you choose cremation, you can plan the memorial service separately from the disposition.
- Give yourself one protected hour. Eat something, drink water, and rest your eyes. The checklist is important, but your body is part of the process.
Step One: What to Do Based on Where the Death Occurred
If the death occurred in a hospital, nursing facility, or hospice facility, staff will guide you through immediate steps such as pronouncement and release of the body. If the death occurred at home, the right first call depends on whether hospice was involved. When hospice is involved, the guidance is typically to call the hospice provider rather than emergency services so a hospice professional can come, confirm death, and assist with arrangements.
If the person was not on hospice and death at home was unexpected, local authorities, a physician, or a medical examiner/coroner may need to be involved, especially in sudden, unknown, or traumatic circumstances. The National Institute on Aging emphasizes that what you need to do depends on where the person died and whether hospice was involved, and notes there is generally no need to move the body right away when death occurs at home.
Step Two: Choose a Provider Without Feeling Pressured
In the first 48 hours, many families feel they have to pick a funeral home immediately. In reality, you often have a small window to make calls, compare options, and choose a provider that feels respectful and transparent. A practical place to start is understanding your consumer rights. The FTC Funeral Rule requires funeral homes to provide itemized price information, and the FTC also publishes a consumer checklist for comparing funeral pricing.
At this stage, “choosing a provider” is not the same as “choosing every product.” It is usually choosing who will coordinate permits, transport, and the legal process, while you decide what kind of service fits your family. If you want help making sense of pricing language, Funeral.com’s guide to funeral costs and comparing price lists can make the first calls feel less intimidating.
Step Three: Cremation or Burial, and Why It’s a Real-Life Decision
Families often imagine that cremation versus burial is a “values-only” decision. In practice, it’s also about timing, cost, geography, and what feels manageable. Cremation is also increasingly common in the U.S. According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the U.S. cremation rate is projected to reach 63.4% in 2025 and 82.3% by 2045. The Cremation Association of North America reports a U.S. cremation rate of 61.8% in 2024 and provides ongoing projections.
If your family is leaning toward cremation, it’s normal to ask how much does cremation cost and to feel uneasy about pricing variability. Funeral.com’s guide on how much does cremation cost is designed to help families interpret quotes, understand what’s included, and avoid surprises without feeling like they have to become experts overnight.
Many families also choose to separate disposition from the ceremony. A direct cremation can handle the legal and physical disposition first, while a memorial service happens later when travel and emotions are more manageable. If you are considering that approach, Funeral.com’s guide to direct cremation and how families personalize later explains what is typically included and what families often add afterward.
Step Four: Death Certificates and the Paperwork Reality
In the first 48 hours, you will hear “death certificate” repeatedly, often before you feel emotionally ready to talk about documents. Unfortunately, this is the paperwork that unlocks other paperwork. Many banks, insurers, and agencies require certified copies. Federal guidance explains that you obtain certified death certificate copies through the vital records office in the state where the death occurred, and ordering methods and fees vary by state.
If you want a practical approach to “how many copies should I order,” Funeral.com’s Journal guide on death certificates, how many to order, and replacements is written for the exact moment families realize they will need more than one.
It is also normal to feel overwhelmed by where documents and passwords are. If you need a steady starting place, Funeral.com’s guide to important papers and where to store them can help you build one simple system rather than chasing information in ten different places.
Step Five: Notify the Right Agencies Without Guessing
Some notifications are handled for you, and some are not. Social Security is a common example. Social Security explains that funeral homes generally report a death, but if a funeral home isn’t involved or doesn’t report it for some reason, you should contact Social Security and provide identifying information.
If the person who died was a veteran, reporting the death to the VA is also time-sensitive because it helps stop benefit payments and starts the path for survivor and burial benefits. The VA’s guidance explains how to report the death of a veteran and notes that calling is the fastest way. If you are evaluating burial allowance eligibility, the VA also outlines benefit rules and time limits for certain claims.
Step Six: Protect Against Fraud and Unwanted Financial Chaos
Identity theft after a death is not a comfortable topic, but it is a practical one. The IRS’s identity theft guidance includes specific steps for deceased person identity theft, including sending death certificate copies to credit bureaus to place a “deceased alert” and watching reports for unusual activity, and it also cautions against putting too much identifying information in an obituary.
If you need a clear “who do we notify” map beyond government agencies, USA.gov also offers a page on agencies and organizations to notify when someone dies, including financial institutions and other entities. For a more hands-on walk-through in everyday language, Funeral.com’s guide to closing accounts and subscriptions after a death can help you move through this without feeling like you’re missing something invisible.
Step Seven: If Cremation Is Chosen, You Don’t Have to Decide “What to Do With Ashes” Yet
Families often feel they must decide immediately what to do with ashes. In reality, many families choose a temporary plan first: bring ashes home safely, choose an urn later, and decide on ceremonies when emotions are steadier. Funeral.com’s guide what to expect when you receive cremation ashes is a calm explanation of how ashes are returned, how to store them, and how families make next-step decisions over time.
If your family wants a home-base memorial, browsing cremation urns for ashes can be a gentle way to see what “keeping close” can look like in a real home. If you are creating a shared plan among siblings or adult children, keepsake urns are designed for small, meaningful portions, and small cremation urns often work when families want larger shared portions without using a full-size urn in each household.
For some families, a wearable memorial is the most comforting option, especially in the first year when grief arrives unexpectedly. Cremation jewelry and cremation necklaces are designed to hold a small symbolic amount and can be paired with a primary urn rather than replacing it.
If you’re unsure whether keeping ashes at home is emotionally or practically right for your household, Funeral.com’s guide to keeping ashes at home offers practical considerations about safety, family comfort, and how to revisit the plan if it stops feeling right.
If your long-term plan includes a ceremony on water, water burial is one option some families consider for cremated remains using appropriate biodegradable containers. Funeral.com’s guide to water burial explains what typically happens during a ceremony and what families plan for. If eco-focused options are part of your values, biodegradable and eco-friendly urns for ashes can support earth or water return plans in a more intentional way.
Step Eight: A Gentle Note About Pets and the First 48 Hours
It’s common for families to forget one practical detail in the fog: pets still need care, and pets may also grieve changes in the household. If there are animals in the home, make sure someone is responsible for feeding, walks, and routines for the first two days, especially if the primary caregiver died. And if your family is also navigating memorial planning for a companion animal in this season, Funeral.com’s pet urns for ashes collection and pet keepsake cremation urns can be helpful resources when you’re ready to think about pet aftercare without pressure.
A Closing Reassurance for the First Two Days
In the first 48 hours, you are not building a perfect plan. You are building a workable one. You are getting the legal and logistical pieces moving, protecting the household, and creating enough structure so grief doesn’t have to carry everything alone.
If you want a single companion resource that ties these steps together with cremation and memorial options, Funeral.com’s guide on what to do when a loved one dies can help you connect the “first calls” to the later choices around funeral planning, cremation, and remembrance.
For now, choose one next step, take it, and then come back to your breath. The checklist will still be here when you’re ready for the next line.
