How Do I Stop a Deceased Person's Mail and Cancel Their Government Benefits in British Columbia?
This answer covers the law of British Columbia.
Start with Service Canada, then work through the other federal and BC offices. Service Canada should be told of a death as soon as possible to cancel CPP and OAS, at 1-800-277-9914. Benefits are payable for the month of death, and all payments issued after that month must be returned.
For direct deposits, ask the bank to return them to the originator, or send a Canadian-funds cheque payable to the Receiver General for Canada; cashed cheques must be repaid. Also notify soon: the CRA, to avoid benefit repayment situations, cancel a valid passport, and tell IRCC if the person held citizenship or permanent resident documents. For a death in a province, the provincial vital statistics agency automatically notifies the SIN Program.
Redirecting mail is part of an executor's duties, and post office boxes or mail forwarding may need to be updated or cancelled; confirm forwarding details with Canada Post. In BC, Vital Statistics notifies Health Insurance BC of deaths in BC, but confirm MSP is cancelled if the person died outside B.C. or more than 60 days have passed without MSP records updating. Fair PharmaCare may remove the person from the family record as of the date of death where that benefits the family.
Key takeaways
- Service Canada should be told as soon as possible, and payments issued after the month of death must be returned.
- Direct deposits can be returned through the bank to the originator, or by Canadian-funds cheque payable to the Receiver General for Canada.
- When a death occurs in a province, the provincial vital statistics agency automatically notifies the SIN Program.
- Confirm MSP is cancelled if the person died outside B.C. or if more than 60 days have passed without MSP records updating.