The Estate Organiser

How to Get Your Affairs in Order in Australia: A Practical Checklist

Published 25 September 2026 by Will Kimak.

Getting your affairs in order in Australia comes down to six jobs: make a valid will, appoint someone to make decisions if you cannot, record your health wishes, check the beneficiary nomination on every super account, write down where everything is kept, and tell the person who will have to act on it. Only the first two usually involve paying anybody.

The wrinkle is that the documents have different names in different states, and using the wrong name is how people end up with the wrong form. The checklist below names them state by state, with the government page for each.

1. Make a will, and make sure it is valid

Moneysmart, ASIC's consumer site, describes a will as a legal document that says what you want to happen to your assets when you die. (Source: moneysmart.gov.au, checked 25 Sep 2026) Its warning about going without one is equally short: if you die without a will, called dying intestate, the government decides who gets your assets. (Source: moneysmart.gov.au, checked 25 Sep 2026)

A solicitor is genuinely worth the money on this one, and in several states the public trustee will prepare a will as well, sometimes at no cost. What happens if you die without a will covers the intestacy side.

2. Appoint someone to make decisions while you are alive

This is the document people skip, and the one most likely to be needed before a will ever is. Moneysmart explains that an enduring power of attorney lets someone make financial and legal decisions for you, and that it continues to operate if you lose the ability to make decisions. (Source: moneysmart.gov.au, checked 25 Sep 2026)

Now the part that catches everyone. Australia does not have one national document here. The money one and the medical one are often separate, and the names change at the border:

If you have moved interstate since you signed yours, that is worth a conversation with a solicitor. Power of attorney vs a will explains why the two documents are not interchangeable.

3. Write down your health wishes

Advance care planning is the name for recording what treatment you would and would not want. Advance Care Planning Australia, the national programme, confirms what the list above already shows: advance care planning varies across Australia, and document names differ by state and territory. (Source: advancecareplanning.org.au, checked 25 Sep 2026)

Because the name differs, the reliable move is to search your own state's health department rather than download the first form that appears.

4. Check the nomination on every super account

This is the highest-value hour on the whole list, because super is often one of the larger amounts a person leaves and your will may not control it. Moneysmart says the money in your super account does not automatically form part of your estate, and that if you do not make a nomination, your super fund may decide who gets your money. (Source: moneysmart.gov.au, checked 25 Sep 2026)

The ATO describes the same mechanism from the fund's side, saying the fund pays the remaining super and any insurance benefits as a super death benefit to the nominated beneficiary, and that without a valid nomination the trustee may use their discretion to decide which dependant to pay. (Source: ato.gov.au, checked 25 Sep 2026)

The type of nomination matters. Moneysmart says a binding nomination means the super fund must pay your super benefit to your nominated eligible beneficiary, while a non-binding one guides the trustee without binding the fund. (Source: moneysmart.gov.au, checked 25 Sep 2026) And the detail that quietly expires on people: binding lapsing nominations need to be renewed or changed every 3 years, otherwise they expire. (Source: moneysmart.gov.au, checked 25 Sep 2026)

Check the insurance line while you are logged in. Moneysmart notes that a super death benefit can include the super account balance and any insurance held inside super. (Source: moneysmart.gov.au, checked 25 Sep 2026) Your fund can tell you how the cover in your account is paid out. More in what a death benefit nomination is.

5. Track down the accounts you have lost

Moneysmart runs a free unclaimed money search and puts the figure at around $2.7 billion in lost shares, bank accounts and life insurance. (Source: moneysmart.gov.au, checked 25 Sep 2026) Lost super sits in a different place again, and the ATO's instruction is to use ATO online services through myGov to check your super account. (Source: ato.gov.au, checked 25 Sep 2026)

Both searches are free and neither needs an appointment.

6. Decide about organ donation, if you want to

DonateLife says anyone in Australia aged 16 and over can register on the Australian Organ Donor Register, and that it takes about a minute. (Source: donatelife.gov.au, checked 25 Sep 2026)

Registering is not the end of it, which is the reason to mention it here rather than leave it to the form. DonateLife states that specialist donation teams will never proceed with organ donation if your family object. (Source: donatelife.gov.au, checked 25 Sep 2026) So the conversation at the kitchen table does more work than the registration does.

7. Write your funeral wishes somewhere findable

Put them where your family will see them in the first day or two, not only in the will. The Public Trustee in Tasmania states that funeral wishes under a will are not legally binding on your family or your executor. (Source: publictrustee.tas.gov.au, checked 25 Sep 2026) Wills are often read after the funeral has already been arranged, which makes a separate note the practical option. Funeral wishes has the conversation starters.

8. Write down where everything is kept

Every document above is only useful if somebody can find it. Moneysmart's instruction for the will covers the principle: store it in a safe place and tell someone you trust where to find it. (Source: moneysmart.gov.au, checked 25 Sep 2026)

The same applies to the accounts, the funds, the policies, the professionals you deal with and the bills that keep arriving. Where to keep your will goes through the storage options, and what to leave your family covers the record itself.

9. Tell the person who will have to do the work

Your executor should know they have been named, and should know where to look. It is also worth them knowing what happens on the day, because the deadlines start immediately. Services Australia says you need to tell them within 28 days when someone dies. (Source: servicesaustralia.gov.au, checked 25 Sep 2026)

If that conversation feels difficult, how to talk to your parents about their estate plans works just as well in reverse.

The short version

  1. Make a will with a solicitor or your state's public trustee.
  2. Appoint an attorney for money, and a guardian or decision maker for health, using your own state's document.
  3. Record your health wishes on your state's advance care form.
  4. Log in to every super fund and check the nomination, its type, and its date.
  5. Check the insurance held inside each super account.
  6. Search Moneysmart's unclaimed money and the ATO's lost super.
  7. Register for organ donation if you want to, then tell your family.
  8. Write your funeral wishes on a separate page.
  9. Write down where all of it is kept.
  10. Tell your executor where to find that page.

Where does this leave your family?

Items 1 and 2 are worth paying a solicitor for, and they are the smaller part of the job. Everything from item 4 down is a kitchen table job you can do yourself, in an afternoon, for a fraction of what guided help costs. It is also the part a family is left guessing at when it never gets done.

If you are handling someone else's estate right now, the free Executor Toolkit walks through the first twelve months. If it is your own affairs, The Estate Organiser is a workbook that takes this checklist in order. You fill it in on your own computer or by hand, so the account numbers and policy details stay in your house rather than on somebody's website.

Common questions about getting your affairs in order

How do I get my affairs in order in Australia?

Make a valid will, appoint someone to make financial and medical decisions if you lose capacity, record your health wishes, check the beneficiary nomination on every super account, search for lost super and unclaimed money, decide about organ donation, write your funeral wishes separately, write down where everything is kept, and tell your executor where to find it.

What is the document that lets someone manage my money if I lose capacity?

Moneysmart says an enduring power of attorney lets someone make financial and legal decisions for you and continues to operate if you lose the ability to make decisions. The exact name varies. New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, Queensland, Victoria and the ACT each use a power of attorney or enduring power of attorney, while the Northern Territory has replaced it with the Advance Personal Plan.

Is the medical decision document the same as a power of attorney?

Often not. New South Wales uses an Appointment of Enduring Guardian, Victoria appoints a medical treatment decision maker, Queensland uses an advance health directive, South Australia uses an advance care directive, Western Australia uses an Enduring Power of Guardianship, and Tasmania appoints an enduring guardian. Queensland's enduring power of attorney and the ACT's can cover health decisions as well.

Does my will control my superannuation?

Generally not. Moneysmart says the money in your super account does not automatically form part of your estate, and that if you do not make a nomination your super fund may decide who gets your money. The ATO says the fund pays the remaining super and any insurance benefits as a death benefit to the nominated beneficiary, and that without a valid nomination the trustee may use their discretion.

Is registering as an organ donor enough?

Registering is the first step and the conversation matters too. DonateLife says anyone in Australia aged 16 and over can register on the Australian Organ Donor Register and that it takes about a minute. It also says specialist donation teams will never proceed with organ donation if your family object, so telling your family what you have decided is what makes the registration count.

Related guides

Keep reading: power of attorney vs a will, does a will cover everything?, what happens to your super?, and what is probate?.

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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