My dad passed away peacefully on Monday at 88 years old. He lived with us for 5 years and fortunately he was no problem at all. We'll miss him dearly.
I am getting conflicting answers about how many certified (as opposed to notarized) copies of his death certificates I will need. Help!
Most people who need the certificate make a copy and give it back to you. Only Charles Schwab kept the one I gave them.
Get three, and you'll be fine.
It depends on what you have to deal with. Does he have accounts that only he was on? Are there CDs or other investments that you will deal with? Are there any bills in his name?
Those are the situations that require a death certificate and determine how many you will need.
I have always been told that you should get a dozen if there are multiple accounts and such to be handled.
If he had no bills, no accounts, no investments than you probably would be fine with a half dozen.
Never can tell a year from now you might need a copy for some reason. Much easier to get them now than later.
I found a Savings Bond in my Husbands name and I will have to send in a death certificate to cash it..so ya just never know!
I got 10 or 12 and I still have several.
If you want to be more accurate, identify all who might need to be notified, including banks, charge account holders, stocks or other investments, any entity with which he had an account or an obligation, insurance companies, etc. I ordered 15, but haven't had to use them except for transfer of assets, trust establishment, and other similar issues.
Thus far, stock transfers, vacant house insurance and similar legal/financial issues are the assets requiring the Death Certificates, as well as a host of other documents.
If you send any originals, do it certified mail. Dads employer called me saying they never received it. I confirmed the address on the envelope, it was correct. Told them it was never returned to me as undeliverable so they had it somewhere. Probably on someone's desk. After about 3 calls to me I told the last person I was not sending another original and why. She agreed, it was probably laying on someone's desk or filed away without scanning it into the system. Never heard from them again. But if I had certified it, I would have had proof it was received.