What to do when someone has died

Coping with the death of a loved one is difficult. We at the CRA recognize that you are going through a very difficult time. With this in mind, we hope the following information will help you by answering some questions you may have.

What's new

Note
If the deceased person was paying tax by instalments, see Instalments for more information.

You should provide us with the deceased's date of death as soon as possible. You can contact us or complete the applicable information and send it to your tax services office or tax centre.

Arrangements must be made to stop payments and, if applicable, transfer them to a survivor if any of the following situations apply:

• The deceased was receiving the goods and services tax/harmonized sales tax (GST/HST) credit.
• The deceased was receiving the working income tax benefit (WITB) advance payments.
• The deceased was receiving Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB) payments and/or Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB) payments for a child.
• The deceased was a child for whom CCTB and/or UCCB and/or GST/HST credit payments are paid.

Service Canada should also be advised of the deceased's date of death.

Questions and Answers

Read some of our more frequently asked questions and answers.

Forms and publications

Forms and publications you may need when some one has died.

Related topics

• T3 - Trust information
• Cancelling benefits following the death of a pensioner/beneficiary
  How to cancel Old Age Security (OAS) and/or Canada Pension Plan (CPP) benefits when an pensioner/beneficiary dies.
• CanadaBenefits.gc.ca - A list of federal, provincial and territorial government contacts listed by province and territory to help you determine who to contact.
• International Benefits - If you are the surviving spouse or common-law partner of someone who has lived or worked in another country, you may be eligible for benefits from Canada or abroad.
• National Defence Guide to Death and Disability Benefits - Information for serving and former Canadian Forces personnel and their families.
• Death outside of Canada - Please contact the Canadian Consulate Office for assistance.
• Social Insurance Number card - Prevent SIN fraud by informing Service Canada of a death.