One free online form that tells banks, insurers, super funds, utilities and phone companies that someone has died.
Who usually does this
Anyone can send a notification. The person with a role in the estate, such as the executor, administrator or next of kin, is best placed to follow up, because the organisations will need to deal with them.
What they will ask for
- The full name, date of birth and date of death of the person, as recorded on the death certificate
- Your own name and contact details
- Your relationship to the person, such as executor or next of kin
- Account or customer numbers for each organisation if you have them; you can still send the notification without them
How to tell them
Go to deathnotification.gov.au. Enter the details of the person who died exactly as they appear on the death certificate. The service checks them against the death registrations held by every state and territory registry.
Enter your own name and contact details, then choose the participating organisations you want told. One submission goes to all of them.
What happens next
Each organisation you selected receives the notification and contacts you to explain what it needs to close or transfer the account. Participating organisations include banks and other financial institutions, insurers, superannuation funds, energy, water, phone and internet providers, and some government services.
The service can only be used once the death has been registered and a death certificate issued.
The official page
Things change, so check their own page before you start: Australian Death Notification Service.
This is one of many. The tracker holds all of them.
The notification tracker lists every organisation most families have to tell, with a place to mark each one off and keep the reference number they give you. The checklist for the weeks after a death is free, with no account needed.
Checked against the official sources on 13 September 2026. General information, not advice. 18December is not affiliated with any organisation named on this page.