When someone passes away

When a loved one passes away, the last thing you want to be thinking about is the responsibilities that might fall upon you. Sometimes, having to think about the practicalities of what you need to do during your time of bereavement can be extremely stressful and overwhelming.

We are here to tell you that this process has just become a lot simpler.

Fortunately, the Australian Death Notification Service has a wonderful platform to help you let organisations know that someone has passed away, in a simple and hassle-free manner.

How?

Let us answer some of those questions for you…

Who is the Australian Death Notification Service?

As per the Australian Death Notification Service website, this platform is a free government initiative to help people contact multiple organisations using a single online notification. It is a collaboration of the Births, Deaths, and Marriages registries across Australia. It aims to let people notify government and non-government agencies, organisations, and institutions that someone has died, just once.

When to use the Australian Death Notification Service?

According to the Australian Death Notification Service, you can use this service once a death certificate has been issued for the person who has passed away.

Once you have the death certificate, you can transfer or cancel accounts at any time using the Australian Death Notification Service. You do not need to wait for probate.

How long it takes to process will depend on the organisation that holds the account that is being transferred or cancelled. Starting this process sooner can help save on account fees and reduce unwanted mail or email.

What do I need to get started?

The Australian Death Notification Service advises that a death certificate needs to have been registered with Births, Deaths, and Marriages. This service only works when they can match the details provided to this record.

To use their service, you will need to provide details of the person who has passed, including:

• full name
• date of birth
• date of death
• state or territory where they died
• last known residential address

The Australian Death Notification Service notes that there can be a lot of additional details required during the administration process following a death and they provide details on where information might commonly be kept for different types of organisations.  Finding information – https://deathnotification.gov.au/finding-information

Some organisations might need additional details to close or transfer accounts belonging to the person who has passed. These could include:

• Account or policy number(s)
• Death Certificate
• Will
• Grant of probate or letters of administration

How is this information used?

According to the Australian Death Notification Service, to use their service, you only need to provide the details of the person who has passed and which organisations to notify.

In order for you to resolve any outstanding death administration, organisations need to ensure you have the authority to do so. The documents listed above are often requested after a notification is lodged, to verify this authority.

How do I use The Australian Death Notification Service?

You will be required to have all of the required information handy; you will then need to click the ‘Get Started’ tab and begin to follow the prompts.

1. Enter details of the person who has died
2. Details are checked to make sure they’re valid
3. Enter your details as the notifier
4. Choose which organisations to notify
5. Organisations are informed and will make contact with you

What organisations are a part of the Australian Death Notification Service?

There are many organisations that are a part of the Australian Death Notification Service such as:

• Banks
• Superannuation
• Utilities
• Councils
• Government
• Insurance
• Services
• Education

You can search for specific organisations on their website – click here

Are there any support services available through the Australian Death Notification Service?

The Australian Death Notification Service recommends the following support services to assist you during this difficult time – click here for more information

These support services include:

• Grief and Counselling
• Financial Support
• Specialist Services

The Australian Death Notification Service also provides a short video that is available on their website. This video is there to help you learn more about how the Australian Death Notification Service can help. Click here to watch.

https://deathnotification.gov.au/

https://deathnotification.gov.au/participating-organisations

https://deathnotification.gov.au/support

https://deathnotification.gov.au/help-centre

 

As always, if you would like to discuss the contents of this newsletter please give us a call 07 5559 5760.