Bills and Services to Cancel—or Keep—When a Loved One Dies
A loved one’s passing is challenging on many different levels. In addition to the emotional difficulty of processing someone’s death, there are many practical matters to address. These include reviewing the person’s accounts and deciding which bills and services should be canceled, transferred, or temporarily kept active.
Most people have multiple digital subscriptions in addition to utilities, insurance policies, memberships, medical prescriptions, and other recurring expenses. Settling these accounts can help avoid unnecessary charges and reduce the risk of identity theft or fraud.
If the responsibility for handling these accounts falls to you, begin by identifying the accounts your loved one held. You can then determine what should happen to each one.
How Do You Find a Deceased Person’s Accounts?
One of the first things to do when a loved one dies is determine which accounts were in the person’s name.
Look through the person’s:
- Phone notifications
- Bank statements
- Credit card statements
- Automatic payments
- Password manager
- Estate planning records
You may get lucky and find that your loved one compiled a list of accounts as part of their estate plan.
Once you identify the accounts, create a working list showing the provider, payment amount, renewal date, payment method, and whether the account should be canceled, transferred, or kept temporarily.
Do not assume that every payment should be stopped immediately. Some services may be needed while the estate is being administered, and some obligations remain debts of the estate. The Federal Trade Commission explains that an executor is generally responsible for settling the deceased person’s debts from estate assets. Read the FTC’s guidance on debts and deceased relatives.
Which Subscription Services Should Be Canceled?
Subscription services are often the easiest accounts to address. Unless a service is part of a shared family plan or provides something the household still needs, it can most likely be canceled.
Digital media subscriptions may include:
- Netflix
- Hulu
- Disney+
- YouTube TV
- Apple TV+
- Other television or streaming services
Do not forget shopping and delivery memberships such as Amazon Prime, Walmart+, grocery delivery programs, and subscription-box services.
Amazon Prime, Walmart+, and similar accounts may also include recurring deliveries. Review scheduled orders before closing an account so that unneeded products are not shipped and necessary items are not interrupted without warning.
Digital subscriptions to newspapers, magazines, and e-books may be connected to an Amazon, Apple, Google, or Kindle account. Review those accounts for recurring charges before deciding whether to cancel or transfer them.
Should a Shared Subscription Be Canceled?
If the account is used by other family members, find out whether the company allows ownership or billing information to be transferred.
Before closing a shared account:
- Identify who still uses it
- Check which payment method is on file
- Save any records or content the family is permitted to retain
- Ask the provider whether the account can be transferred
- Update the payment information if the account will remain open
Access to digital content and the ability to transfer an account depend on the provider’s terms and the authority of the person handling the estate.
Should Patronage Accounts Be Canceled?
Independent content creators are a significant part of the digital media ecosystem. Many platforms allow users to provide direct, recurring financial support to creators.
Platforms that offer this type of digital patronage include:
- Patreon
- Twitch
- Substack
- YouTube
Some creators also offer paid, subscriber-only content through their own websites.
Review bank and credit card statements to determine whether your loved one regularly supported any online creators. Like other personal subscription services, these recurring payments are usually appropriate to cancel unless another authorized user intends and is permitted to continue them.
Should Utilities Be Canceled or Kept Active?
Utilities require more careful consideration. Depending on the circumstances, an account may need to be temporarily maintained, transferred to another person, or canceled.
Contact each utility provider and explain that the account holder has died. Ask what documents the company requires and whether the service can remain active during estate administration.
When Should Utilities Remain Active?
Utilities may need to stay on temporarily if the deceased person owned or rented a home that is still being maintained.
Electricity, gas, water, heating, and internet service may be needed to:
- Protect the property
- Prevent frozen pipes or other damage
- Support an alarm or security system
- Prepare the home for sale
- Allow family members or estate representatives to work in the home
If the property will be sold, utilities are commonly kept on through inspections, repairs, showings, and closing. Confirm the proper timing with the utility companies, real estate professionals, and the person responsible for the estate.
The accounts should not simply remain in the deceased person’s name indefinitely. Ask the providers whether the accounts should be transferred to the estate, a surviving resident, or another responsible party.
When Should Utilities Be Transferred?
If the utilities were in the deceased person’s name and another person continues to live in the home, the accounts will usually need to be transferred.
The same may be true when:
- A surviving spouse remains in the home
- A beneficiary inherits and occupies the property
- A family member assumes ownership
- Multiple family members become joint owners
- The estate must maintain the property for an extended period
Each utility company has its own transfer process and may request a death certificate, proof of residence, or documentation showing the caller’s authority.
When Can Utilities Be Canceled?
Utility accounts may be canceled after the property has been transferred, sold, vacated, or otherwise resolved through estate administration.
Consider the timing carefully. Canceling services too soon could damage the property, interfere with a sale, or leave the home without necessary security.
Should a Home Security System Remain Active?
Although a home security system is not technically a utility, it deserves similar consideration.
Security can be especially important when a house is vacant for an extended period while the estate is being settled. Before canceling the system, determine:
- Whether the home will remain vacant
- Whether monitoring is needed
- Whether cameras contain information the estate must preserve
- Whether another person will take ownership
- Whether the alarm depends on active internet or cellular service
The account may need to be transferred rather than immediately canceled.
When Should You Cancel a Deceased Person’s Cell Phone?
Do not deactivate your loved one’s cell phone service until you have retrieved the information you are legally authorized to access and need for estate administration.
The phone may contain:
- Notifications about bills and subscriptions
- Contact information
- Authentication codes
- Voicemail messages
- Email access
- Account-management apps
- Information about automatic payments
Canceling the number too soon could also make it more difficult to identify accounts or receive necessary verification messages.
At the same time, do not access private accounts unless you have the legal authority to do so. Digital platforms, service providers, and applicable laws may limit access even when a family member knows the person’s password.
What Other Accounts May Need to Be Canceled or Transferred?
Many accounts do not fit neatly into the main categories above. It may take careful review to uncover every account connected to your loved one.
Other accounts may include:
- Gym, sports club, and cultural institution memberships
- Union or professional association dues
- Homeowners association accounts
- Costco and other fee-based memberships
- Printed newspapers, newsletters, and magazines
- Social media accounts
- Dating profiles
- Financial advisor or accountant services
- Personal trainer or life coach services
- Pet-related subscriptions and dues
- Meal delivery services
- Music subscriptions such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Pandora, or SiriusXM
Some accounts should be closed. Others may need to be transferred, memorialized, or retained until the estate’s records and property have been secured.
Should Social Security Be Notified?
In most cases, the funeral home reports the death to the Social Security Administration. The family should provide the funeral director with the deceased person’s Social Security number for that purpose.
If no funeral home is involved or the death was not reported, contact Social Security. The agency provides instructions for what to do when someone dies.
Prompt notification helps prevent benefit overpayments that may later need to be returned.
Who Has Authority to Cancel a Deceased Person’s Accounts?
The person who has authority to close or transfer an account depends on the type of account, how it was owned, and whether an estate has been opened.
A surviving joint account holder may be able to update certain household services. Other companies may require documentation from the court-appointed personal representative.
In Maryland, the duties and powers of a personal representative begin when the Register of Wills issues Letters of Administration. The personal representative is responsible for gathering estate assets, paying appropriate debts and expenses, and distributing the remaining property. The Maryland Register of Wills explains the estate-administration process.
Before canceling an account that contains money, valuable property, important records, or transferable benefits, confirm that you have the necessary authority and that closing it will not harm the estate.
When Can an Estate Administration Attorney Help?
As you manage the emotional challenges of a death in the family, you may also be navigating unfamiliar legal responsibilities.
Being named an estate administrator or personal representative means you have many duties. Canceling or transferring services is only one part of identifying assets, paying valid obligations, protecting property, and properly distributing an estate.
At McDonald Law Firm, we provide estate administration and probate services designed to help personal representatives fulfill their responsibilities to their loved one and the law.
For answers to your estate administration questions, contact Andre O. McDonald, a Howard County, Montgomery County, and District of Columbia estate planning, special needs planning, and Medicaid planning attorney.
Call 443-741-1088, 301-941-7809, or 202-640-2133 to schedule an appointment.
