Compiling a checklist of items that must be tackled can also help you clear your mind and your plate.

But if youre wondering how to move forward, the following tips are a good place to start.

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Many experience grief as a rollercoaster of emotions, especially in the first few weeks.

Let close family members or friends you trust handle as many arrangements as possible.

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The following is a list of documentation youll need in the coming weeks.

If its easier for you to save this list for later,heres aprintable PDFyou can download.

Is your spouse anorgan donor?

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If youre unsure, check their drivers license, which usually notes organ donor status.

If they want their organs donated, have your spouse or partner transported to a local hospital immediately.

Some organ transplants must happen within a few hours after receiving the dead persons body.

If making phone calls feels overwhelming, hand this task off to a family member.

Sort through contacts and notify immediate friends and close family.

you’re able to make a social media post to alert casual friends and acquaintances later.

Its also crucial to notify your spouses employer and your own.

Dont contact a funeral home and start planning the memorial service just yet.

If theres a conflict, the funeral director may have suggestions about how to resolve it.

The claim process for life insurance policies can take days or even weeks.

Contact theinsurance companyimmediately if youre relying on a payout to cover funeral expenses.

It may also be worthwhile to contact former employers if you believe your spouse had other insurance policies.

Reporting your spouses death to the Social Security Administration is important because it ends their government benefits.

Its a hassle if you receive their Social Security checks after death because youll have to return them.

However, you may be eligible to receiveother benefits.

Once youve made arrangements with a mortuary or crematorium, start planning services to memorialize your loved one.

A will often specifies these details, or there might be a prepaid burial plan.

If your spouse or partner was a veteran, contact Veteran Affairs to determine if theyll provideburial benefitsorfuneral services.

You dont have to write one yourself, but consider publishing an obituary in a local newspaper or online.

Make as many as 10 or more copies of the death certificate.

If you havent located the will or trust documents yet, venture to do so now.

When you and your spouse have joint accounts, this process is pretty simple.

Once the bank is presented with a death certificate, theyll remove the deceased from the account.

When an estate goes before a probate court judge, there will usually be an inventory of all assets.

This includes not just bank accounts but real property like cars, houses, furniture, jewelry and more.

you could hire an appraiser to take this off your plate.

Without an established trust that details beneficiaries, youll have to go to probate court to execute a will.

Any outstanding balances will have to be squared away with funds from the estate.

Be sure to cut up or shred the cards.

Make a note to contact those companies and transfer or wrap up the account to avoid fees.

Contacting the Department of Motor Vehicles in your state is another critical step to prevent identity theft.

Unfortunately, youll often have to do this in person.

Fair warning that the license will be confiscated and destroyed.

The securities offered by certain policies your spouse held may not be as valuable or relevant to you.

Deciding how to handle social media accounts for your deceased spouse can be difficult.

They can walk you through the process and specify what documentation will be required.

Youll have to provide proof of death and that you are the beneficiary.

Fill out an updated FAFSA to confirm your financial situation has changed.

Its not just your spouses will youll have to contend with.

Youll need to revamp your own estate plans and any insurance policies listing your deceased spouse as a beneficiary.

But it’s possible for you to ease the stress of handling practical financial matters by being proactive.

you’re free to communicate with the Social Security Administration to ensure this happens.

If you receive checks in their name after death, you must return them.

reach out to the SSA formore information.

Your spouse is certainly not alone.

Two-thirds of adults living in the United States have no will.

Without a will, probate courts get involved in deciding who should settle the estate and who benefits.

Its recommended that you contact a probate court within two weeks of death to start the process.

Kaz Weida is a senior staff writer at The Penny Hoarder covering saving money and budgeting.

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