The Australian Death Notification Service: One Notice to Many Organisations

The Australian Death Notification Service is a free government website, at deathnotification.gov.au, that lets you tell a number of organisations about a death with one online notification. It can be used once the death has been registered with the state or territory Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, and it is meant for a person with legal authority to administer the estate, such as the executor or administrator. The organisations you select should then contact you within 10 business days. (Source: deathnotification.gov.au, checked 6 Nov 2026)

What is the Australian Death Notification Service?

It is a collaboration of the Births, Deaths and Marriages registries across Australia, and its stated aim is to let people notify government and non-government organisations that someone has died, just the once. (Source: deathnotification.gov.au, checked 6 Nov 2026) The help centre describes it as a New South Wales government initiative and says it is a free, national service. (Source: deathnotification.gov.au, checked 6 Nov 2026) The home page says it is supported by all states and territories. (Source: deathnotification.gov.au, checked 6 Nov 2026)

Services Australia points people to it as well, describing it as a free government service to help you contact multiple organisations at once. (Source: servicesaustralia.gov.au, checked 6 Nov 2026)

Who can use it?

The service says anyone can use it if they have legal authority to administer the estate of the person who has died. Generally that means an official role in the estate, and the examples it gives are executor, administrator or solicitor. You will be asked to confirm that you have that authority, and you need to be able to provide documents showing it if asked. (Source: deathnotification.gov.au, checked 6 Nov 2026)

General information only, not legal advice. Whether you have legal authority to act for an estate depends on the will and on the law in your state or territory. If there is no will, or you are unsure of your role, please speak with a lawyer in your state before you notify organisations on the estate's behalf.

What do you need before you start?

A death certificate must have been issued, although you do not need to have it in your hands. The service strongly recommends consulting it for the most accurate details. What you enter is matched against death records, and a common reason for a failed match is a name not spelt exactly as it appears on the certificate. (Source: deathnotification.gov.au, checked 6 Nov 2026)

For the person who has died, the help centre asks for their full name, date of death, date of birth, address and the state or territory where they died, along with whether they owned a property and any business information. For you, it asks for your name, contact details and details of your legal authority. A standard notification can take between 5 and 15 minutes. (Source: deathnotification.gov.au, checked 6 Nov 2026)

Account and membership numbers help. If you do not have them, you can still send a notification. (Source: deathnotification.gov.au, checked 6 Nov 2026)

Which organisations can you notify?

Organisations choose whether to join, and the service says it cannot make them participate. (Source: deathnotification.gov.au, checked 6 Nov 2026) The list is grouped into banks, superannuation, utilities, councils, government, insurance, services and education. When we checked on 6 Nov 2026, the banks included ANZ, Commonwealth Bank, nab and Westpac, and the super funds included AMP, Australian Retirement Trust and HESTA. The government section listed NSW agencies and My Aged Care. Services Australia was not on it. (Source: deathnotification.gov.au, checked 6 Nov 2026)

Services Australia asks to be told within 28 days when someone dies, by phone, with the Advice of death form, or at a service centre, so plan to do that separately. (Source: servicesaustralia.gov.au, checked 6 Nov 2026)

For organisations that are not on the list, the service suggests forwarding the confirmation email you receive, since it already holds the details you entered. You can also nominate an organisation for its partnerships team to approach. (Source: deathnotification.gov.au, checked 6 Nov 2026)

What happens after you send the notification?

You receive a confirmation email, and the organisations you chose should contact you within 10 business days to start closing or transferring accounts. Most will likely ask for more information to confirm your role, typically the death certificate, identification, the will and documents showing your authority. (Source: deathnotification.gov.au, checked 6 Nov 2026)

A notification cannot be changed once it has been sent, so to add organisations you submit a new one or forward the confirmation email. If more than one person sends a notification about the same death, organisations deal with each of them separately. The service does not currently handle deaths that happened overseas. (Source: deathnotification.gov.au, checked 6 Nov 2026)

If something goes wrong, you can phone Service NSW about the service on 13 77 88, Monday to Friday, 7:00am to 7:00pm AEST. (Source: deathnotification.gov.au, checked 6 Nov 2026)

Does it replace the rest of the notifying?

It covers the organisations that have joined. Everyone else still needs a letter, an email or a phone call. Services Australia publishes a Who to notify checklist, and it reminds families to close online accounts, apps and social media as well. (Source: servicesaustralia.gov.au, checked 6 Nov 2026) The service itself notes that starting sooner can help save on account fees and reduce unwanted mail and emails. (Source: deathnotification.gov.au, checked 6 Nov 2026)

For the organisations that are not on the service, the free Executor Toolkit has notification letters, and it lays out the first twelve months step by step.

Related guides

Keep reading: what to do when someone dies, the executor's first steps, online accounts and passwords when you die, and what does an executor do?

Educational content only. Not legal, financial or tax advice. Estate laws vary across Australian states and territories. Always consult a qualified professional about your specific situation.

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