What to Do When a Family Member Dies in Alberta: First Steps

When someone close to you dies, you are grieving and also facing a list of tasks you may never have done before. Most of it does not need to happen on the first day. A few things are urgent, and the rest can be taken in order.

This article walks through the first days and weeks in Alberta: the death registration, the paperwork you will need, who to notify, and when the legal work of the estate begins. It is general information, not advice for your situation.

This article covers the law of Alberta.

The first days: registration and the funeral home

A death certificate cannot be issued until the death is registered. The Registration of Death form is usually completed at the funeral home when arrangements are made, and the funeral home registers the death and sends the original documents to Vital Statistics.

Registering a death in Alberta is free within one year of the date of death. After one year a delayed registration process applies, which needs evidence and additional fees.

Funeral costs are paid by the estate. If the estate does not have enough funds, the funeral home can apply for Alberta government funeral benefits.

Get death certificates and gather paperwork

You will likely need an official death certificate for banks, insurers and government offices. The government fee is $20 per document, and registry agents charge additional service fees that vary. Applications go through a registry agent, not directly to Vital Statistics.

Not everyone can apply. Eligible applicants include an executor named in the will (with a copy of the will), next of kin such as a spouse or partner, child, parent or sibling (with proof of relationship), a funeral home representative making arrangements, and a lawyer for an eligible person. A former spouse or former adult interdependent partner can apply with proof of relationship, but former spouses and grandchildren are not part of the next-of-kin category. A more distant relative can apply only if there are no living next of kin.

Vital Statistics processes a complete and correct application within 3 business days of receipt, if the death is registered. Mailing or delivery time is not included, and missing or inconsistent information can cause delays.

A death certificate is a certified extract from the Registration of Death. A photocopy of the Medical Certificate of Death shows the medical cause of death and the attending physician or medical examiner.

• Look for the will and any list of accounts, insurance and pensions
• Find the person's Social Insurance Number and health card
• Collect your own ID and proof of your relationship
• Order several certified death certificates

Who to notify

Report the death of a CPP or OAS recipient to Service Canada as soon as possible, by phone at 1-800-277-9914 with the SIN ready. The estate keeps CPP and OAS payments for the month of death, but payments issued after that month must be returned.

Alberta Seniors Benefit stops the month after a recipient's death, and you can contact the Alberta Supports Contact Centre at 1-877-644-9992. Contact the CRA as soon as possible too, because money received after death may need to be returned. For an Alberta death the SIN is cancelled automatically as Alberta vital statistics reports the death.

• Equifax and TransUnion, the credit bureaus
• The Passport Program, by mailing a valid passport with a copy of the death certificate
• Employment Insurance at 1-800-206-7218, if the person received or may have been eligible for it
• AHCIP, for a death outside Alberta, in person at a registry agent or the AHCIP office

Benefits you may be able to claim

The CPP death benefit is a basic $2,500, with a possible $2,500 top-up for a $5,000 maximum, and the top-up has conditions. If an estate exists, the executor should apply within 60 days of the date of death. If there is no estate or the executor has not applied, the benefit is paid in priority order to the person or institution responsible for funeral expenses, then the surviving spouse or common-law partner, then next of kin.

A surviving spouse or common-law partner may also qualify for a CPP survivor's pension. Whether you qualify depends on your situation, so it is worth confirming with a lawyer or Service Canada.

When the estate steps begin

With a will, the named executor applies for a grant of probate. Without a will, or if the executor does not act, someone such as a family member may ask the court for a grant of administration. Property passing by beneficiary designation or joint ownership may fall outside the estate.

Alberta has no will registry, so a will may be in a locked cabinet, a safe, a bank safety deposit box, or with a lawyer. The Law Society of Alberta takes Lost Wills Inquiry Requests from a member of the public or a lawyer.

The personal representative's main tasks are to identify assets and liabilities, manage the estate, pay debts if there are funds, and distribute the estate and account for it. Before distributing, the CRA says to apply for a clearance certificate so the representative knows whether tax is still owing.

Timing matters before anything is distributed. An application for maintenance and support by a dependant must be commenced within 6 months after the grant of probate or administration is issued. The Court may allow an application after the 6 months for any part of the estate not yet distributed.

What to do next

• Confirm the funeral home has registered the death
• Order certified death certificates through a registry agent
• Report the death to Service Canada, the CRA and Alberta Supports
• Locate the will and decide who will act as executor or apply as administrator
• Consider asking a lawyer to help confirm the steps before distributing anything

Frequently asked questions