When a parent dies in California

Where do you get death certificates?

From the county where the death was registered, in person, or by mail from the California Department of Public Health’s vital records office, which charges $26 a copy. Banks, Social Security, the credit bureaus and the small estate affidavit each ask for one, and the affidavit needs a certified copy.

What happens to the will?

Whoever has the original will must deliver it to the clerk of the superior court in the county where your parent lived within 30 days of learning of the death, under Probate Code section 8200. That applies even when no probate case is planned.

How does Social Security find out?

Usually through the funeral home. The Social Security Administration says funeral homes generally report deaths, so families often don’t need to, and suggests giving the funeral director your parent’s Social Security number. If no funeral home reports it, SSA asks family to call 1-800-772-1213 with the name, Social Security number, date of birth and date of death.

Two things follow. A one-time $255 payment can go to a surviving spouse who lived with your parent, or in some cases lived apart, and otherwise to certain children; it must be applied for within two years of the death. And under SSA’s survivors guide, the benefit paid for the month of death and any later months must be returned: uncashed checks are sent back, and direct deposits are returned through the bank.

How do you tell the credit bureaus?

By mail or online, with a copy of the death certificate, sent to one bureau. Equifax, Experian and TransUnion each say that the bureau you contact notifies the other two. Only a spouse or a legally authorized person, such as an executor or administrator, can ask; Equifax asks anyone other than the spouse to include the court papers that authorize them. The bureaus call the result a deceased notice or deceased alert on the file.

What does the IRS need?

• Form 56. The executor, administrator or person holding the estate’s property tells the IRS they’re acting for your parent with Form 56, generally when that role begins: one form in your parent’s name and one in the estate’s. Publication 559 says to file it as soon as the information, including the estate’s EIN, is available.
• An EIN for the estate. Publication 559 calls this the first step for a personal representative. It’s applied for online at IRS.gov/EIN or with Form SS-4.
• The final Form 1040. It covers your parent’s income up to the date of death and is generally due April 15 of the year after the death.
• Form 1041, if needed. An estate files an income tax return for any year it has gross income of $600 or more, under the Form 1041 instructions.

How are the bank accounts collected?

For estates worth $208,850 or less (deaths since April 1, 2025), California lets the heirs or beneficiaries collect accounts and other personal property with a small estate affidavit under Probate Code section 13100, given straight to the bank 40 days after the death. Larger estates, and most real estate, go through probate.

What other California deadlines are there?

• Medi-Cal. If your parent received Medi-Cal, Probate Code section 215 requires notice to the Director of Health Care Services, with the death certificate, no later than 90 days after the death.
• If there’s a probate case. Under section 9202, the personal representative notifies Health Care Services and the Franchise Tax Board within 90 days after letters are issued. Under section 9100, creditors generally have until four months after letters, or 60 days after notice is mailed, whichever is later.

Is Kin Papers a law firm?

No. Kin Papers isn’t a law firm and doesn’t give legal advice. This page lists what California’s statutes and the federal agencies’ own pages say, with links to each, in the order families usually meet them. It doesn’t say which steps apply to your parent’s estate. The probate court clerk can explain filings, and a lawyer can advise on your situation.