1. Take a breath — there is no rush in the first moments

There is no immediate urgency to make calls or arrange anything in the first few minutes. Take a moment to be with your loved one and the people around you. That time matters.

2. Verify the death and contact the appropriate person

Before a funeral director can take your loved one into their care, the death needs to be verified. Who you contact depends on your situation:

• If your loved one had a treating doctor who was expecting their passing, contact that doctor directly.

• If your loved one was receiving home care, the attending registered nurse or doctor can provide a verification of death.

• If neither of those apply, call NSW Ambulance — they can attend and verify the death at home.

• If the death was unexpected, unattended, or the cause is unknown, call 000. The police will attend, liaise with the NSW State Coroner if required, and guide you through what happens next.

• If your loved one passed away in a hospital or aged care facility, the staff there will manage this process entirely.

3. Call a funeral director

Once the death has been verified, you can call a funeral director. You don't need any decisions made at this point — a good funeral director will walk you through everything at your own pace.

At Funeral Management Services, we answer calls 24 hours a day, every day of the year. When you call, you'll speak directly with us — not an answering service. We'll come to you anywhere across the Sydney metro area.

4. Notify close family and friends

There's no perfect way to do this. A phone call to the closest family members first, then broader notifications when you're ready. It's okay to ask someone you trust to help make some of those calls on your behalf.

5. Gather a few key details

To begin, all we need is your loved one's full legal name, date of birth, last place of residence (which may be a nursing home or aged care facility) and where they passed away, along with the name and contact details of their senior next of kin. If you can, it also helps to find any pre-paid funeral plan details.

6. Begin making funeral arrangements

When you're ready, you'll sit down with your funeral director to plan the service — the type of service, coffin or casket, flowers, music, and personal touches that reflect who your loved one was.

At Funeral Management Services, we offer options to suit every family and every budget — from our all-inclusive private cremation at $2,995 through to fully personalised burial and memorial services.

7. Register the death

In New South Wales, a death must be registered with the NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages within 7 days of the burial or cremation. Your funeral director will manage this on your behalf, so you don't need to do anything.

To prepare in advance, we will ask for a few more details, such as place of birth, occupation and family details. The sooner you can share what you have before the service, the sooner we can submit the registration afterwards. When we register the death, we also order one death certificate for you, and it is included in our fees.

8. Notify relevant organisations

Once the death has been registered, the Australian Death Notification Service (ADNS) may help with some of these notifications. It is a free online service that can notify a number of participating organisations at once, including some banks, insurers, superannuation funds, phone, internet and utility providers, and councils. Many organisations are not included, so it is worth checking the list of participating organisations on its website before you begin.

Anyone not covered will need to be contacted directly. Depending on your loved one's circumstances, this may include Centrelink and Medicare, the Australian Taxation Office, the Australian Electoral Commission, Transport for NSW for licences, the Department of Veterans' Affairs if relevant, and the Australian Passport Office.

9. Look after yourself

Grief doesn't follow a schedule. Be gentle with yourself and lean on the people around you. GriefLine (1300 845 745) and Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636) offer free support for people navigating loss.

You don't have to navigate this alone

At Funeral Management Services, we're available 24 hours a day, every day, and we'll guide you through every step — with honesty, compassion, and no pressure.

When you're ready, we're here. Call us anytime on 1800 367 000.