How many death certificates do I need?

The short answer

More than you think. Banks, insurers, pension plans and government offices each want a certified copy, and many of them keep it. A few extra now is easier than ordering more later.

Nobody can give you one right number, because it depends on what he had and who held it. You can work out your own with a short list, and someone can make it with you.

You do not have to answer the funeral home on the spot. You can ask how long you have, go home, and make your list first.

If you order too many, you end up with a few spare papers in a folder. If you order too few, you have one more errand at a time when you already have plenty.

What to do

1. List every place that might need a certified copy.
2. Order that many, plus a few.
3. Check the first copy for mistakes before you send any.
4. Ask each place whether a photocopy will do.
5. Ask for certified copies back when a place has finished with them.
6. Write down where each one went.

What can wait

• Ordering more. You can order them later from the vital records office of the state where he died.
• Questions about the wording of the cause of death. They will still be there next month.
• Sending a certificate to anyone who has not asked for one.

Who can help

The funeral director, who can tell you who filed the certificate, how to correct it and how to order more.

The vital records office of the state where he died. cdc.gov/nchs/w2w links to every state's office.

The rules, phone numbers and web addresses in this book were checked against the agencies’ own pages in October 2026. They change, so check anything you rely on with the office itself.

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Five or six short emails a year at most, and a note when a new book is out. Each one is about something that tends to come up in the first two years. You can unsubscribe whenever you like.