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You can customise the checklist by entering the date of death or selecting the topics that are relevant to you.
Showing the entire checklist
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Estate
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Inform people of the death
- Next of kin must be informed as soon as possible after the death
- Home help service
- Relatives, friends, employers, colleagues and neighbours
- Cleaning company
- Email contacts
- Associations
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Save and organise papers
- Collect bills, contracts and account statements in a folder or binder
- Open mail adressed to the deceased and the estate
- Forward mail to the person with primary responsibility for the estate
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Contact the bank
- Contact the deceased's bank about bills and cancel direct debits
- Draw up a power of attorney for the person or persons who will manage the estate's of finances
- Close the deceased's accounts after the inheritance has been distributed
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Income tax return
- File tax returns for the deceased's business
- Check that the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) has the correct address
- File an income tax return for the estate. The Swedish Tax Agency will send a form to the estate's address when it is time to file the return.
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Mail and change of address
- Arrange or extend mail forwarding if mail continues to be sent to the deceased
- Arrange or extend mail forwarding if mail continues to be sent to the deceased
- check that the Swedish Tax Agency has the correct address
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Estate inventory
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Before preparing the estate inventory
- Decide whether to prepare the estate inventory yourself or seek professional help
- Find out whether the deceased had any specific wishes about who should handle the estate inventory
- Find out whether the deceased left any instructions in Livsarkivet with an authorised funeral home
- Find out whether the deceased left any instructions in Vita Arkivet with Fonus
- Collect the information needed for the estate inventory
- Carry out a division of property if the deceased had a cohabiting partner and was not married
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After the estate inventory
- Carry out a division of property after the estate inventory if the deceased had a cohabiting partner and was not married
- Once the estate inventory has been completed, draw up an estate distribution document if there is more than one heir
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Submit the estate inventory to the Swedish Tax Agency
- Submit the estate inventory to the Swedish Tax Agency once it has been completed. It must be submitted no later than four months after the death.
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Certificates and benefits
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Certificates and powers of attorney
- Order a death certificate with a family record (dödsfallsintyg med släktutredning) from the Tax Information Centre (Skatteupplysningen) on 0771-567 567 or through a funeral home
- Obtain a certificate of authority (vårdnadsintyg) if you need help from someone who is not listed in the family record
- Draw up a power of attorney if one person is to manage the estate when there is more than one beneficiary of the estate
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Financial support and benefits
- Find out whether you are entitled to benefits from group life insurance through the deceased's employer
- Find out whether you are entitled to payments from insurance policies
- Find out whether you are entitled to housing allowance or housing supplement from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan). You need to apply for these yourself.
- If you are a pensioner, find out whether you are entitled to housing supplement from the Swedish Pensions Agency (Pensionsmyndigheten). You need to apply for it yourself.
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Funeral
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Before planning the funeral
- Find out whether the deceased had any specific wishes for the funeral
- Find out whether the deceased wanted a burial plot, an urn burial plot or for their ashes to be placed in a memorial grove
- Compare different funeral homes
- Find out whether the deceased had recorded their funeral wishes in Vita Arkivet with Fonus
- Find out whether the deceased had recorded their funeral wishes in Livsarkivet with an authorised funeral home
- Find out whether the deceased had planned their funeral with Fenix Begravning
- Find out whether there is any funeral insurance
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Prepare the funeral
- Arrange transport if the funeral is to take place in another location
- Prepare and place a death notice
- Choose and book an officiant or priest
- Choose a shroud
- Choose music for the funeral ceremony
- Choose decorations for the funeral ceremony
- Choose and book a venue for the funeral, such as a church, chapel or other location
- Book an organist or musician for the funeral ceremony
- Invite guests to the funeral and memorial gathering
- Arrange food and refreshments for the memorial gathering
- Order flowers for the funeral ceremony
- Keep receipts for funeral expenses as supporting documents for the estate inventory
- Apply to the County Administrative Board for permission if the ashes are to be scattered outside a burial ground
- Arrange a burial plot
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Inform people about the funeral
- Relatives
- Next of kin
- Friends and acquaintances
- Employers, colleagues, neighbours
- Members of associations
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After the funeral
- Send thank-you cards to those who attended the funeral or sent flowers
- Order a headstone
- The estate pays for the funeral, so keep receipts for all funeral-related expenses
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Cancel and terminate
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Contracts and subscriptions
- Cancel telephone subscriptions
- Cancel or transfer contracts for electricity, waste collection, internet and TV
- Cancel or transfer home insurance and other insurance policies
- Terminate or transfer any tenancy agreements
- If the deceased held burial rights, transfer them to another person
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Social media accounts (a selection)
- Blogs and personal websites
- Snapchat
- X
- Other social media
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Memberships
- Associations
- Membership in organisations
- Book clubs
- Loyalty programmes
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Loans and bank accounts
- Contact the bank to repay or transfer any mortgage
- Contact the bank to close the estate's bank accounts
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Ownership documents and registration of ownership
- If the deceased had property, change the name on the land registration to another person when you got the estate inventory back from the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket). Apply for a land registration from the Swedish Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registration Authority (Lantmäteriet).
- Change the certificate of ownership of the deceased's vehicle with the Swedish Transport Administration (Transportstyrelsen)
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Music and video streaming services (a selection)
- Disney+
- HBO Max
- Netflix
- Prime video
- SF Anytime
- Spotify
- TV4 Play
- Viaplay
- Youtube
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Home and household
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The home
- Take care of pets
- If the deceased lived alone, turn down the heating in the home
- If the deceased lived alone, empty the refrigerator and rubbish bins and clear the mailbox
- Collect spare keys
- If the deceased lived alone, take steps to deter burglary, for example by using timers for the lights
- Clean and empty out the deceased’s home
- If other people live at the deceased's address, contact the landlord about arranging a new tenancy agreement
- Clean and clear out the deceased's home before selling it or terminating the tenancy agreement
- Contact the insurance company to cancel or transfer the home insurance
- Contact an estate agent about selling the deceased's property before the inheritance is distributed
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Save and organise documents and mail
- Open mail addressed to the estate
- Collect the estate’s bills, contracts and account statements in a folder or binder
- Stop direct marketing mail sent as a result of the death
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Healthcare and assistive devices
- Collect the deceased's belongings from the hospital
- Return assistive devices and alarms
- Take any unused medicines to a pharmacy
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Other things to do
- Move any incorrectly parked vehicle
- Destroy the deceased's ID card, passport and driving licence
- Collect any laundry or items left for repair
- Take care of any boat, holiday home or allotment
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