TREAT YOURSELF: Order Extra Death Certificates
Sometimes the only good thing to come from a person’s death is the money they leave to others. So why do so many families get gun shy spending a few extra dollars for what is arguably the most important document of that person’s post-mortem affairs? It’s totally normal, and always to your benefit, to order many more Death Certificates of your departed loved one than you think you will need, preferably sooner rather than later.
Death Certificates Transfer Everything
Aside from joint accounts, you cannot transfer any property from a deceased person’s assets without a valid (and usually original) Death Certificate. Times you will likely need a Death Certificate to receive property include:
- Claiming Retirement Plans
- Claiming Life Insurance payments
- Claiming “Transfer on Death” bank and brokerage accounts
- Starting the Probate process for the deceased person’s Will with a Court
- Being named as a Successor Trustee of a Living Trust
- If Real Estate was owned jointly and the last owner dies, you will need an original Death Certificate of the first person who died to sell the real estate
- Even if your Real Estate transfers by your Will through Probate, the County where the Real Estate is located shall need its own original Death Certificate
- Commencing a Guardianship Proceeding for a minor child
- Proving familial lineage of a Kinship Proceeding
But Why Order So Many Death Certificates?
As alluded to, while some financial institutions may return an original Death Certificate after transferring funds to you (such as a TOD account at a bank), many brokerage institutions and life insurance companies do not return Death Certificates (and each wants an original copy). Courts do not return Death Certificates submitted for Probate, Guardianship or Kinship Proceedings, and many counties do not return the original Death Certificate used to transfer real estate when the owner dies.
Also, unlike a Driver’s License or Passport or even…us…, a Death Certificate never expires. In addition, a Death Certificate from one state is valid in all other U.S. states and in many foreign countries, meaning it is possible to transfer accounts here in the United States with an original Death Certificate from Italy or Japan or Kenya, etc. (though the Estate Attorney will need to submit additional paperwork and translator affidavits to prove the foreign Death Certificate’s validity).
Why Should I Order Sooner Rather than Later
Death Certificates are much easier to order from the funeral home soon after your family member dies than several months later from your local Department of Health.
Often, ordering original Death Certificates from a funeral home is as easy as calling the director and paying for them. Some funeral homes in New York often stop providing Death Certificates after 60 days and are no longer permitted to produce Death Certificates one year after the deceased individual dies.
Your other option is ordering Death Certificates by mail or in person from the Department of Health. If you physically appear at the Department of Health, you will likely have to schedule an appointment time beforehand and then wait in line you should be able to receive originals within an hour or two of showing up. However, if you cannot physically go to pick these up (or, if you are a glutton for insanity, and consciously decide not to go in person), you can wait as long as 3 – 6 months to receive original Death Certificates from the Department of Health. Mailed requests are thoroughly scrutinized and are often rejected for including an umlaut over the wrong letter, meaning you have to re-submit the request and wait ANOTHER 3 – 6 months.
So go out into the world and TREAT YO SELF! Order at least as many original Death Certificates for every account your deceased loved one had, then order 6 – 8 more. You will save yourself time and frustration after having to deal with the hardship of losing a loved one who wanted to make your life easier.
