What to Do When Someone Dies at Home

The first call depends on whether the death was expected. If the person was in hospice care, call the hospice. If the death was sudden, or you aren't sure what happened, call 911.

After that first call, most things can slow down. The National Institute on Aging puts it simply: when someone dies at home, there's no need to move the body right away. You can sit with the person, call family, and take a breath before you decide anything else. It's normal to feel unsure what to do first.

Who do I call first?

The person was in hospice and the death was expected
The hospice, on the number they gave you
Who usually confirms the death
A hospice nurse or doctor
The death was sudden or unexpected
911
Who usually confirms the death
Emergency responders, then the medical examiner or coroner
The death was expected, but there was no hospice
The person's doctor
Who usually confirms the death
Depends on local rules; the doctor, medical examiner or a funeral home can tell you

If the person was in hospice

Hospice is set up for this moment. Medicare's hospice booklet says a hospice nurse and doctor are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and the National Cancer Institute notes that hospices keep a 24-hour emergency line. The National Institute on Aging says that if the person was in hospice, a plan for what happens after death will likely already be in place.

So call the hospice and tell them the person has died. A nurse will usually come to the house, pronounce the death and talk you through the next calls.

Hospice support doesn't stop at the death, either. Medicare's hospice benefit includes grief and loss counseling for the family, and the National Cancer Institute says every hospice must offer bereavement services for up to a year afterward.

If the death was sudden or unexpected

Call 911.

According to the CDC's handbook for medical examiners, the medical examiner or coroner normally takes charge when a death happened without a doctor's care, when the cause isn't known, or when there was an accident or injury.

Minnesota's law is one example: it requires sudden or unexpected deaths to be reported promptly to the coroner or medical examiner, and that duty includes anyone who finds the person. The medical examiner's staff may then take charge of the body and arrange to move it.

So the funeral home comes later, once the medical examiner releases the person. Their office can tell you how long that's likely to take.

If the person was seriously ill but not in hospice, the National Institute on Aging suggests talking ahead of time with their doctor, the medical examiner, the health department or a funeral home about how a death at home would be handled.

Getting the death pronounced

Someone with authority has to pronounce the death. The National Institute on Aging describes this person as someone like a doctor in a hospital or nursing facility, or a hospice nurse. They also fill out the forms that record the cause, time and place of death, and that's what makes an official death certificate possible.

Who is allowed to pronounce a death at home depends on the state. The hospice or the person's doctor will know how it works where you live.

Taking some time before the funeral home comes

Once the death has been pronounced, you don't have to call a funeral home right away. A few practical things, all from the National Institute on Aging:

If family or friends would want to see the person before they're moved, this is the time to call them.
This is also the time for any religious or cultural customs that happen soon after a death.
You might ask someone to make sure the person is lying flat. Stiffening of the joints (rigor mortis) begins sometime in the first few hours.

Calling a funeral home

When the family is ready, the next step is to have the person picked up. The National Institute on Aging says this can be done by a funeral home or, in most states, by the family. It also notes that a home funeral is legal in most states.

If you're calling funeral homes, the FTC's Funeral Rule gives you some rights from the very first call:

Funeral directors must give you price information over the phone if you ask, and the FTC's business guidance says they can't make you give your name, address or phone number first.
Every funeral home must give you a General Price List to keep. The pickup itself appears on it as "transfer of remains to funeral home."
The FTC says no state law requires embalming for every death, and in most cases refrigeration is an acceptable alternative. A funeral home generally can't charge you for embalming you didn't approve.

You don't have to settle the whole funeral on this call. It's fine to ask them only to bring the person into their care for now. Our guide to comparing funeral home prices covers the next conversation.

Where the death certificate starts

The death certificate usually starts with the funeral home. The CDC's handbook for funeral directors says they are responsible for getting it completed: they get the cause of death from the doctor or medical examiner, collect the personal details from the family, and file it with the state or local office within the time limit set by state law.

Funeral homes also generally report the death to Social Security, Social Security says. Most agencies will want a certified copy, so ask the funeral home how to order copies. Our death certificate guide has more.

Frequently asked questions

Should I call 911 if the person was in hospice?

Usually not. A hospice nurse and doctor are on call around the clock for exactly this. The National Cancer Institute says families sometimes call 911 "out of instinct during a crisis." If you already have, that's alright; tell the responders the person was in hospice care.

How long can the person stay at home after they die?

There's no single national rule. The National Institute on Aging says there's no need to move the body right away and that pickup should happen when the family is ready and according to local laws. The hospice or a funeral home can tell you what applies in your state.

Do we have to use a funeral home?

Not always. In most states a family can care for the person and arrange the burial or cremation themselves, and home funerals are legal in most states. California, for example, still requires the family to file a death certificate signed by a doctor or coroner and get a disposition permit from the local registrar. Rules vary, so check with your state's funeral board or health department.