The Australian Death Notification Service: tell many organisations at once

After someone dies, a surprising number of organisations need to be told: banks, phone and internet providers, energy and water companies, and more. Each call means explaining what has happened again. The Australian Death Notification Service was set up so you can tell many of them at once, online, for free.

What it is

The Australian Death Notification Service is a free government service, supported nationally by the Births, Deaths and Marriages registries. It lets you advise multiple organisations about a death using a single online notification, at deathnotification.gov.au. It is free, and it can be completed any time, from anywhere.

Before you start

The death must be registered with Births, Deaths and Marriages before you can use the service. Your funeral director usually registers the death for you; see how to register a death. The service checks the details you enter against the Australian Death Check, which holds death registration data from across Australia, so the details need to match the registration.

How it works

1. Enter the details of the person who has died.
2. The details are checked to confirm the death has been registered.
3. Enter your own details as the person giving the notification.
4. Choose which organisations to notify.

Each organisation compares the notification with its own records and then lets you know what happens next, using the contact method you chose.

Which organisations can you notify?

Participating organisations include major banks, telcos and utility providers, and government services such as My Aged Care. The list changes as more organisations join, so check it on the site. For any organisation that isn't listed, you will still need to contact it yourself. Our who to notify checklist covers the rest, and notifying government agencies explains how to tell Services Australia.

When to use it

There is no rush. It can only be used once the death is registered, so many families use it after the funeral, once the death certificate has arrived. First Steps shows where it fits among everything else. If the executor is managing the estate, it can help to agree who will send the notification, so organisations aren't told twice.

Sources

• Service NSW: Australian Death Notification Service (checked November 2026)
• Service Tasmania: Australian Death Notification Service (checked November 2026)
• My Aged Care: Letting My Aged Care know when someone passes away (checked November 2026)

This guide is general information only. Check the Australian Death Notification Service website for the current list of organisations and steps.