Financial Checklist After Death Canada: 5 Steps For Grieving Families
This post is about a financial checklist after death in Canada and provides 5 critical steps for grieving families.
“Hey Ravi, did you apply for your son’s death certificate?” I immediately snapped, “WHAT? They make you apply for that.” Like rubbing salt in a wound, and then rubbing it in again. Typing up the application form, my mind wandered to others doing this, “If I’m struggling with this, then I bet everyone who has to do this is.”
I vowed that if I was ever in a better place, I would do my best to make this process simpler. This blog post is about the 10 critical steps to take for families who are grieving. At the end of this post, there is a checklist to download so you can follow along and have a guide for taking care of what you need to.
You Are Not Alone
You are not supposed to know what to do when someone dies in Canada. This comprehensive guide walks you through 5 critical financial steps every Canadian family must take, providing the clarity and direction you need during this overwhelming time.
Your brain isn’t functioning at full capacity right now—grief affects cognitive processing, memory, and decision-making. That’s completely normal. This checklist breaks down complex procedures into manageable steps with specific timelines, contact information, and resources designed for Canadian families navigating loss.
RELATED READ: What to Do About Money When Someone Dies In Canada: Financial Guide
Immediate Financial Steps After Death in Canada
Step 1: Secure essential documents and notify key institutions
This is a story from Lynn Krzywiecki that appeared in the Globe and Mail that I really resonated with:
“I had walked into a bank to inform the teller I needed a bank draft to pay for my recently deceased mother’s cremation. I handed over the death certificate and the contract with the funeral home. The transaction completed in silence, the papers returned. ‘Did I need any cash?’ I was asked. No mention of my mom, no ‘sorry for your loss.’ When this happened a third time at a government office, I finally said ‘This is not just a piece of paper: It is my mom.’ The clerk had asked ‘What is all this for?’ as if my mother’s death certificate was just another form to process.”
Even on a normal day, without dealing with grief, I don’t think calling your bank is one of the top things to do on your list. In this situation, what I would have done (had I read a blog like this) is enlist a friend or family member’s help to simply do the talking for you while you speaker call these places. They can help you find all the required numbers and information and be your support person. Find a friend who is highly organised themself and who has said to you (as many do during this time) “let me know if I can do anything.”
Timeline: Within 24-48 hours
- Your first priority is obtaining multiple certified copies of the death certificate—you’ll probably need at least 10 copies for various institutions. Contact the funeral home, which typically handles this process and provides initial copies within 2-3 days.
- Immediately notify Service Canada at 1-800-277-9914 to stop benefit payments and prevent overpayments that must later be repaid. This single call helps prevent complications with CPP, OAS, and Employment Insurance benefits.
- Contact all banks and financial institutions where the deceased held accounts. Major Canadian banks will freeze solely-owned accounts immediately upon death notification, protecting estate assets from unauthorized access. Joint accounts with right of survivorship typically allow the surviving account holder immediate continued access.
Step 2: Apply for CPP Death Benefit immediately
Timeline: Within 60 days of death
This is, in my opinion, the most cost effective and quick thing you can do to get some finances back in your pocket. It’s relatively a straight forward process, but as for all of these, enlist a second pair of eyes to help you out during the grief fog period.
Financial adviser John Krasevec from the CBC explains the harsh reality: ‘When you both have maximum CPP benefits and one partner dies, your income gets cut in half. But your property taxes don’t get cut in half, your bills don’t get cut in half.’ A senior couple getting maximum benefits has about $3,500 monthly. When one dies, the survivor might get only 60% of their spouse’s benefit – leaving them with significantly less to live on for potentially many years.
The CPP Death Benefit has increased to a maximum of $5,000 in 2025, representing a significant increase from the previous $2,500 standard amount. This enhancement provides additional support for funeral expenses and immediate family needs.
Who can apply (in order of priority):
Application process:
- Use Form ISP-1200 (available online through My Service Canada Account)
- Processing time: 6-12 weeks
- Required documents: Death certificate, Social Insurance Numbers
RELATED READ: Having an Emergency Fund Is Key – Here’s Why.
Canadian Death Benefits You Need to Claim
Step 3: Claim Canadian Pension Plan Survivor’s Pension and Old Age Security benefits
This is one of the most important financial foundations you will get going forward from now, and it’s important to get this part right as it could lead to an extensive monthly payout in perpetuity going forward.
CPP Survivor’s Pension:
- 60% of the deceased’s retirement pension if you’re not receiving other CPP benefits
- 37.5% plus flat-rate portion if receiving other benefits
- Available to legal spouses and common-law partners (1+ years cohabitation)
- Use Form ISP-1300 for applications
OAS Survivor’s Allowance (ages 60-64):
- Maximum monthly payment: $1,663.81 (as of July-September 2025)
- Income threshold: Less than $29,976 annually
- Cannot be remarried or in a new common-law relationship
- Must have lived in Canada for at least 10 years since age 18
Step 4: Explore provincial death benefits and support programs
A quick google of “provincial death benefits” might reveal an opportunity for you to have a funeral covered, extra payouts for work-related deaths, or other death related benefits.
British Columbia:
- BC Funeral Supplement covers necessary funeral costs when no other resources available.
- WorkSafe BC provides up to $7,500 for work-related deaths.
- ICBC Basic Autoplan covers up to $7,500 for motor vehicle deaths
Alberta:
- Alberta Funeral Benefits Program assists low-income families with funeral and burial costs
- Contact: 780-644-9992 for 24-72 hour application review
Quebec:
- Quebec Pension Plan (QPP) provides $2,500 death benefit
- Contact Retraite Québec directly at rrq.gouv.qc.ca
- Different procedures apply due to Quebec’s civil law system
Insurance Claims and Survivor Benefits
Step 5: Process life insurance claims and workplace benefits
Life insurance claims can actually be straightforward (who would have thought?) when a claim gets processed and this added financial support can mean the difference between being able to grieve for as long as you want vs. having to head back to work before you are ready. Alternatively, workplace survivor benefits offer continued pension befnrits and can offer supplemental death benefits through your loved ones workplace.
RELATED READ: What To Say When Someone Dies: Essential Scripts for Financial Crisis Communication During Grief
Life insurance claims:
- Most benefits issued within 30-60 days for straightforward claims
- Death benefits are generally tax-free to beneficiaries
- Required documentation: death certificate, claim forms, original policy, beneficiary identification
Workplace survivor benefits:
- Public Service Pension Plan: 50% of member’s pension benefit, plus Supplementary Death Benefit (2x annual salary, tax-free)
- Group life insurance through employers often provides additional death benefits
- Contact HR departments immediately for claim procedures
Financial Checklist After Death Canada – Downloadable
Navigating Canada’s financial checklist after death Canada feels overwhelming because it genuinely is complex. You’re not expected to know these procedures – most Canadians never learn them until they need them. The combination of grief and bureaucracy creates particular challenges, but taking one step at a time makes the process manageable.
Remember that most deadlines allow reasonable timeframes, and Canadian institutions generally provide extensions for bereaved families when contacted promptly. aYour primary goals in the first month are securing CPP death benefits, notifying financial institutions, and gathering required documentation.
You don’t have to navigate this alone. Service Canada representatives, bank estate specialists, and provincial support programs exist specifically to help Canadian families during this difficult time. When cognitive overload hits when reviewing, refer back to this financial checklist after death Canada and focus on one task at a time. Progress, not perfection, is what matters right now.
Your Free 5 Step Financial Emergency Checklist After Death Canada
Download our comprehensive “Financial Emergency Checklist for Canadian Families” – an easy to follow checklist with timelines, contact information, required forms, and checkboxes for each step.
This post was helping to create a financial checklist after death in Canada and provides 5 critical steps for grieving families.
