Accounts You'll Need To Update When Your Partner Dies

Accounts You'll Need To Update When Your Partner Dies

It can be impossible to keep a clear head when a loved one passes. If your partner dies, it can be even more difficult to cope with. After the initial shock, there are funeral plans to take care of and preparations for your own future. With that in mind, it's normal to feel a little lost, confused or entirely overwhelmed.

When a partner dies, many aspects of your life may change - such as living arrangements, financial position and even your job. Through the grief, these are the last things you'll want to think about — let alone getting stuck into paperwork. But in order to minimise stress and safeguard your future, it's important that you take care of these practicalities as soon as possible.

To help you through the fog, here's a straightforward checklist of things to update if your partner passes away.

 

Accounts you need to update when your partner dies

 

Insurance

If your partner had life insurance, contact their insurance company as soon as possible. They will guide you through the next steps and claim on the policy - which may also cover the costs of a funeral.

This is also a good time to cancel other personal insurance policies which do not apply to you or to shared assets. You should also check whether refunds are available for any pre-paid policies.

 

Deliveries

If your partner subscribed to regular deliveries of something you no longer wish to receive, now is the time to cancel or modify your membership. This might include anything from magazine subscriptions to wine clubs and grocery deliveries.

 

Memberships

Are there any memberships to gyms, sports clubs, online services or other organisations that your partner had, which were paid for through direct debit from a joint account? Check your account details online to see if there’s anything you’ve missed — it’s possible that your partner even forgot about these memberships themselves.

 

Tax

Contact the ATO to arrange a final tax assessment for your deceased partner, if applicable. This statement may be required by lawyers during the execution of the will, in order to correctly distribute remaining assets and wealth amongst beneficiaries.

 

Social media

It is up to you as to whether or not you keep your partner's social media accounts active online (many people do this for a period to honour and commemorate the deceased). For more information, visit this post we wrote on how to shut down a loved one’s social media account or the help section of each social media platform. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn will all have their own processes.

 

Marketing lists

Remove your partner's name from marketing lists to avoid any unnecessary mail (or upset). You can do this by registering their details on the Association for Data-driven Marketing and Advertising’s website.

If you're getting unwanted phone calls from marketers asking to speak to your deceased partner, you can also request to be put on the 'no call list' to ensure telemarketers do not make any future contact. Or simply register here.

 

Superannuation

If your partner had superannuation you may be entitled to payments. Contact their superannuation fund to find out whether or not you are eligible.

If you are under severe financial distress due to the passing of a loved one, it's possible to apply for the early release of your own superannuation under compassionate grounds. To find out more, contact your own individual fund.

 

Government payments

If you receive financial assistance from the government (such as pensions and other Centrelink payments), you must notify them of any changes to your income and assets immediately — otherwise you could be forced to pay money back.

Log into your MyGov account to change your details, or contact the Australian Department of Human Services.

 

Will

Following the death of your partner, it's likely that your own financial circumstances will change. This may need to be reflected by updating your will. Alternatively, if you have not prepared a will before, this is the time to start thinking about one.
Investment in stocks and bonds

Like any other asset, you may inherit investments - including stocks, bonds and tangible assets such as property. This is usually distributed during the execution of the will. However, if your partner did not update his or her will before they died, there may be items you'll need to chase up.

 

Debts

Just as you may inherit wealth, you may also be responsible for any debts left behind by your deceased partner. Typically, any outstanding debts are paid off using the individual's assets (their estate), before the remainder of their belongings are distributed amongst the beneficiaries of the will. But you may be financially responsible for paying off debts if you have been named as a joint signatory to the liability (for example, if you had a shared mortgage).

 

It’s fair to say that life administration is the last thing on your mind when your partner passes away. Nobody is a robot; grieving takes time, and sometimes we need help along the way. That’s why our ladies at Lady Anne Funerals make it their priority to help you through this process. We’ve created a comprehensive checklist of the accounts you may need to close or transfer, which you can download by clicking the image below.


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Our compassionate all-female team are dedicated to supporting families in their times of need. We arrange beautiful personalised funeral services in the Ryde area.

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Lady Anne Funerals is here to support and assist your family through what can be a difficult time, with a ladies touch. 

We are available to discuss a range of services to support your family, including: 

  • Personalised memorial services
  • Cremation and burial services
  • Religious services catering to all faith's
  • No service, no attendance 

Please get in touch - night or day - via the form or you can call us on the number below.

Phone: 1300 74 00 74

206 Victoria Road, Gladesville 2111

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Some of the families we've helped

My family and friends were very happy with every aspect of the preparation and celebration of the end of my wife. When I knew the end was near I spoke to Yvonne who explained to me what would happen and this was done with delicacy and tact. When the end came Yvonne came to our house and explained every aspect of what would happen. We explained what we wanted for Margaret's farewell and nothing was too much trouble for Yvonne to explain or discuss. On the day of the funeral everything went like clockwork and all my relatives and friends told me how impressed they were. So thank you to Yvonne for being celebrant and MC at the farewell and thank you to all the Lady Anne team. If I were asked to score the service my family received  it would be ten out of ten.
Dick Hodge
I would like to thank you and the whole team at Lady Anne Funerals for making mums funeral the perfect goodbye. The funeral was everything and so much more than mum wanted. Nothing seemed to be too hard and that made my time far simpler than i had expected. 
The whole day was perfect and we noticed with love all the special touches from the bookmarks to the candle to the display screen with Iris's. Thank you so much. Your team felt like part of the family rather than people doing a job.
That i believe is what sets Lady Anne apart.
I cant thank you enough.
Pete

I want to send a heartfelt 'thank you’ to you both, and your team, for your compassion and your assistance in taking meticulous care of Dad and arranging such a beautiful end of life service for him. Within a matter of only a few days, which included a weekend, you were able to organise the perfect service tailored to our requests.

Not only did you organise the attendance of the RSL representative, you also went to considerable trouble to download the music and videos we had chosen, in a format that could be utilised in the service.We greatly appreciated your guidance too with organising the order of service and arranging a printed copy of the tributes for one of our friends who was deaf.

Thank you Yvonne for doing a magnificent job as the celebrant. We greatly appreciated you reading our tributes to Maurie on the family’s behalf. Thank you too for reading the poem, 'The Dash’ so beautifully.

It was comforting for our family and friends to come together in a more intimate setting, which your chapel provides. The light refreshments, which followed the service, were ideal, allowing the family to stay on and share their memories.

Dad quite often had high expectations of the way things should be done, bless him, so I was particularly mindful of doing him proud with this last expression of our love for him and a tribute to his long and meaningful life. We achieved this, with your help, and I know he would have been deeply touched and honoured. Thank you for you for all you did.

Annie

"I just wanted to say a big thank you to you and your amazing team. I couldn’t have asked for things to go any better. Everything was perfect. And your ladies were beautiful. Your Yvonne is amazing. She is patient, compassionate, caring and delivers perfection in all the elements of the proceedings. She has been an absolute Gem.

Once again thank you so very much. I would highly recommend anyone to use your company if they want a perfect funeral service. 5 star service. 5 star outcome.

There were multiple compliments on the service, on your ladies and on the care from the attendees. I’m more than happy for you to post this on any media platform as a compliment and tribute to your company.

Thank you."

Anne Leslie
“I just wanted to send you our sincerest thanks for everything you and your incredible team did for us in making the most perfect day, celebration and farewell of our beautiful Harper.

I have given a lot of thought to your business and the industry and I think it is perhaps the most important business for families to get it right when it comes to planning a funeral which may be sudden or may be a long time in the making. Either way, when one is faced with the unfortunate situation of needing to arrange a funeral, only then do you realise the importance of getting it right.

We experienced first hand the polar opposites the industry offers. It is not just about the cars, the booklets, the music and all the things that make up the day - its about the service, the care and most importantly it’s about the people.

From our very first conversation we could sense your genuine care to our situation and your attention to detail was obvious - this was very different to the previous conversations we had with others we had been referred to. Those other companies wanted to commence meetings with the paperwork side of things upfront which is a very confronting thing to do just days after losing your loved one - and when one of the others that I am referencing couldn’t even refernece our daughters name as our meeting started - we were horrified of how poor the service of care could be.

This is where you and your team shine. After feeling very lost in our search to secure the perfect funeral director to create the perfect day, my wife all of a sudden recalled you standing out the front of your office each morning watering the surrounding gardens to ensure a beautiful front of house. Well, I can assure you, it is not just the front of house that is beautiful - its the entire package that is beautiful.

Your manner, your direction and your expertise is evident from the get go. Nothing is too hard for you or your amazing team. The personal care made us feel like we were the only funeral you were working with at the time, and that’s exactly how it should be.

The finer detail, such as driving past our house so our daughter could go past our house one last time, then leaving the most beautiful flowers on our doorstep, to bumping into us at the Church because you were just doing your own research to make sure the day was seamless. This combined with your recommendations from every aspect as everything was very foreign to us, you were able to guide us to achieve the most beautiful farewell.

The day itself was simply perfect. Not once did we have a concern. The car was shining, your team dressed beautifully, cold water provided for us, directions for our guests, directions for us. Everyone commented on how amazing the day was and how incredibly your team were. Seamless is the only word I can use. It doesn’t stop here.

Your personal care and guidance then allowed us a more intimate farewell the following day (we are so grateful for for this recommendation and possibly would have missed this special day if you had suggested it was the best idea). Again, you and your team made us feel like you had nowhere else to be, and no one else to help. Just us. The setting was beautiful, the celebrant (that you arrange and recommend) is a delightful, your team make this day even more special than the last.

This is something we never want to go through again but there will be so many others, that like us, have no idea where to start to look for the right funeral director for their own special day. All I can say is that I hope that they appoint Lady Anne Funerals. We learnt a lot quickly and it is again a business many do not ever consider needing but without question one of the most important businesses to select the right person and the right team.

I welcome any of your future potential clients to contact me if they wish to discuss our experience with the amazing Lady Anne team. We thank you for giving our beautiful baby the most incredible farewell that was exactly how we imagined it, you just made it happen.”

Lee Dowdall

“We wish to thank you for having helped us put together a beautiful farewell for our mother, one which she would have been delighted with.

It was a difficult day and it would have been worse without your synchronised, seamless and consistent presence as well as attention to detail.

We value your candour as the people you are and the very sensitive manner in which you conducted the service.

Thanking you from the bottom of our hearts,

The Pastore Family
Karen has supported my Mum and me through the most difficult week of our lives as we not only planned a funeral, but interred my Dad to his new home. I will be forever grateful to Karen for her ongoing support, guidance, kindness, empathy and friendship over the last week. Karen has now become part of our extended circle of close family friends.
Daughter of the late Sveta Dordevich
Lady Anne Funerals has the compassion, understanding and empathy that many of the larger funeral homes do not possess. My aunts funeral was dignified and classy everything she deserved. I would highly recommend Lady Anne (and have) as they go above and beyond.
Joanne Marks
I am overwhelmed with the feedback on how beautiful it all was from all who attended. You and the other ladies were wonderful, looked so elegant, and made the day so very special for all who loved Paul.
Barbara Sommerville Enright
Karen and her staff treated us with the utmost respect we could not have been in better hands during this difficult time. My mum had organised her funeral with a prepaid funeral plan which she had purchased from Karen almost ten years ago this also made this upsetting time much easier to deal with and she got all the things that she wished for.
Malcolm Ellis
On behalf of my family, I would like to thank Lady Anne Funerals for a beautiful service yesterday for my aunt Dot. All who attended commented on how lovely the service was & the professionalism of all the staff. Thanks again very much for helping making a sad day one of celebration of Dot’s life.
Judith Neville

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