What to do after a death

Plain steps, with sources · Texas, plus federal steps for every state

This is a prototype under test. It is here so people can tell us whether it is useful — please don't rely on it to make a decision yet.

Someone died. What do I do now?

Answer 10 questions and we'll tell you what applies to you, what doesn't, and what we'd need to know to say more. It takes about two minutes.

You can stop at any point and come back. We'll show you where each answer comes from, so you can check it yourself.

Federal steps apply in all 50 states. State-specific rules are Texas only so far — we'll tell you plainly if we don't cover yours.