What to do after a death, in order, with the words and the files ready
A gentle, practical kit for the first days, weeks and months after someone dies: the admin in a clear order, the letters already drafted, and room for the grief underneath.
- A 9,500-word e-book that walks through the first 48 hours to the first anniversary, one calm step at a time
- The After-a-Death Workbook: steps, a 34-organisation notification master list, certificates, bills, home, people, self-care log, important dates and a dashboard
- 47 letters, emails and exact words, 12 announcements, 12 thank-you messages and 16 work messages, ready to adapt
- Four fillable forms, four cheat sheets, a 26-prompt AI pack, a 12-week calendar and an importable task board
Grief and After-a-Death Admin Kit · Bodhih Pro Kits · 130 by Bodhih Training, trainers to 2,000+ companies since 2008.
What should you do when someone dies?
First, have the death confirmed by a doctor, nurse, paramedic or the relevant official, tell the closest people and keep things safe. Then register the death, order certificate copies, arrange the funeral and notify organisations in priority order. The Grief and After-a-Death Admin Kit from Bodhih Training puts every step, letter and record in one place.
Want the full free guide first? Read What to do when someone dies: a calm, step-by-step checklist.
You already feel the problem. Here is what it is costing you.
Your mind will not hold one more thing
Grief takes up room in the head, and the admin arrives anyway. Calls, forms and decisions pile up at the moment you can least remember them.
Everyone gives you different advice
A neighbour, a relative and a website all tell you something different about registration, certificates and banks. You do not know whose order to follow.
The list never seems to end
A letter arrives for the person from an organisation you had never heard of. Then another. Without a master list, notifications drag on for months.
You are worried about the children, and yourself
You want to find the right words for a child and you are not sure what normal grief looks like. Nobody has given you a plan for that part.
Picture the next few weeks with the kit open beside you.
Imagine the second week. You open the workbook, and the First Steps sheet shows you which three things matter this week and who has agreed to do them. You make one call, using the opening script, write the name and reference on the call record, and close the laptop. That is enough for today.
As you build the notification list from the bank statements, notice how each organisation goes into its place: first week, first month, later. The letters are already written. You change the names, send them, and the sheet starts counting the days until you need to chase.
When your child asks the question you were dreading, you already have the words, because you read the page for their age last night. And when the first birthday comes round, the Important Dates sheet will have reminded you three weeks earlier, so you and the family have already decided together how you want to spend it.
Whether you start with the First-48-Hours form tonight or the workbook tomorrow morning, the order is there when you need it, and so is the permission to put it all down for a day.
19 files that do the work for you
The e-book shows you how. The tools make it happen. Here is exactly what you download.
Grief and After-a-Death Admin Kit (e-book, PDF)
The guide: methods, worked examples, scripts and exercises
Start here: the after-a-death map
The whole job on one page, the file for each step, your first hour and a 30/60/90 day plan
After-a-Death Workbook
Steps, notification master list, certificates, bills, home, people, self-care log, important dates and a live dashboard in one workbook
First 48 hours
Three questions, the people who must know, and the small practical things, on two calm pages
Information you will be asked for, and call record
Gather the details every registrar, bank and insurer asks for once, then log every call with names and references
Supporting a grieving child
One for each child: what they know, what they asked, who at school knows, the hard dates and when to get more help
My grief check-in
A ten-minute weekly check-in: sleep, eating, mood, support and one small thing, with clear signs for when to ask for help
Notification letters and messages library
47 letters, emails, messages and exact words: family, schools, employers, banks, utilities, digital accounts and hard moments
Death announcements and thank-you messages
12 announcement templates, from formal to very simple, and 12 thank-you messages for after the funeral
Bereavement leave and return-to-work messages
16 messages for asking for leave, more time and a phased return, telling colleagues, and for managers, plus a return-to-work plan
Household agreement for the months after a death
A one-page family agreement: who does what, how decisions are made, children, social media, looking after each other and hard dates
Worked example pack: the Mensah family
The main forms and a letter filled in for one illustrative family, so you can see what good enough looks like
AI prompt pack for after a death
26 tool-agnostic prompts grouped by step, each with what to paste in and what to check, plus privacy rules
The order of things: decision card
If this happens, do that: 19 situations from the first hours to the hard dates, with the file to open
Country notes (correct at October 2026)
Registration, benefits, leave and crisis lines for the UK, US, Canada, Australia, India, UAE, Singapore and South Africa
Talking to children about death
Clear words, what to expect by age, honest answers to common questions and when to get help
Admin mistakes to avoid
16 common after-a-death admin mistakes, why they hurt and what to do instead
12-week after-a-death plan
38 calendar events over 12 weeks, including a weekly ten-minute check-in. Move them to fit your dates
After-a-death task board (CSV)
39 steps ready to import into Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira, with stage and file to open
Chapter by chapter
Each chapter opens with a real situation, gives you a method and ends with something to do today, using the tools in your kit.
- Format
- PDF e-book + XLSX + fillable PDF + DOCX + PDF cheat sheets + ICS + CSV
- Files
- 19 files plus a one-click ZIP
- E-book
- 59 pages
- Works with
- Excel, Google Sheets, Word, Google Docs, Acrobat Reader, Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, Outlook, Trello, Asana, Notion
- Countries
- Written for any country, with dated notes for the UK, US, Canada, Australia, India, UAE, Singapore and South Africa
- Best for
- Families handling the first three months after a death
When Someone Has Died
How the kit works, the three things that matter this week, and how to use it in any country.
The First 48 Hours
What happens first at home, in hospital or abroad, and the three questions that keep you steady.
Registering the Death and Getting Certificates
What registration is, how many certificate copies to order, and the details you will be asked for again and again.
Telling People
Telling people in circles, one message with many messengers, social media and safe public notices.
The Funeral, Without Regrets
Wishes, itemised quotes, paying from the person's account, and family disagreements handled safely.
The Notification Master List
Finding every organisation first, then telling them in priority order with one five-part method.
Money in the Short Term
Frozen and joint accounts, the stop, transfer, keep or check rule for bills, and time-limited bereavement help.
The Home and Belongings
Securing the home quickly, the no-rush rule and a gentle four-box method for belongings.
Supporting Children Through Grief
Clear words, what to expect by age, and the tell, include, routine, return method.
Understanding Your Own Grief
Why grief has no fixed stages, the dual process model, a weekly check-in and when to get more support.
Work, Firsts and the Months Ahead
Bereavement leave, going back to work, and planning the first birthdays and anniversaries.
The Last Box on the List
What finishing the admin can feel like, and what to keep.
The 12-Week Plan at a Glance
The week-by-week shape of the calendar and task board.
Country Notes in Brief
Dated notes on registration, benefits and leave for eight countries.
Not just reading. Tools you will actually open again.
Start here
- 00-Start-Here-After-a-Death-Map.pdf: the whole job on one page, the file for each step, your first hour and a 30/60/90 day plan
- The e-book (PDF): 10 chapters, conclusion and 2 appendices
Spreadsheet
- After-a-Death-Workbook.xlsx: Start here, Settings, First Steps (39 steps), Notifications (34-organisation master list with chase flags), Documents (certificate shortfall), Bills (stop, transfer, keep or check, annual cost), Household, People Informed, Support Log, Important Dates (countdown to hard days) and a Dashboard with a chart
Fillable PDF forms
- First-48-Hours.pdf
- Information-and-Call-Record.pdf: the details you will be asked for, plus call records
- Supporting-a-Grieving-Child.pdf
- My-Grief-Check-In.pdf
Word templates
- Notification-Letters-and-Messages-Library.docx: 47 letters, emails, messages and exact words
- Announcements-and-Thank-You-Messages.docx: 12 announcements and 12 thank-you messages
- Bereavement-Leave-and-Return-to-Work-Messages.docx: 16 messages and a return-to-work plan
- Household-Agreement-for-the-Months-After-a-Death.docx: a one-page family agreement
- Worked-Example-Pack-The-Mensah-Family.docx: the main forms filled in for one illustrative family
- AI-Prompt-Pack-After-a-Death.docx: 26 prompts with what to paste in and what to check
Cheat sheets
- The-Order-of-Things.pdf: 19 'if this, then that' situations
- Country-Notes-Correct-at-October-2026.pdf: UK, US, Canada, Australia, India, UAE, Singapore and South Africa, with crisis lines
- Talking-to-Children-About-Death.pdf
- Admin-Mistakes-to-Avoid.pdf: 16 mistakes and what to do instead
Plan and import
- 12-Week-After-a-Death-Plan.ics: 38 calendar events including a weekly ten-minute check-in
- After-a-Death-Task-Board.csv: 39 steps for Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira
When you have worked through it, you will be able to…
Every outcome is practised with a worked example and a tool, not just described.
- Know what to do in the first 48 hours, wherever the death happened
- Register the death and order the right number of certificate copies
- Tell family, friends, school and work with words that are already written
- Find and notify every organisation in priority order, with a record of each call
- Give every bill a clear decision and protect yourself from paying debts that are not yours
- Talk to children about death in clear, age-appropriate words
- Recognise normal grief, check in with yourself weekly and know when to ask for more support
- Plan the first birthday, anniversary and festivals instead of being ambushed by them
Know your starting point. Prove your progress.
People who measure before and after improve faster and can show it. AssessAll, our sister assessment platform, has AI-graded assessments that pair with this kit. Take one now, work through the kit, then re-take it.
Family & Elder Caregiving Judgment
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentResilience & Stress Management
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentAttention to Detail & Error Checking
Take the assessment →JobularyIf-then plans that make habits stick (Jobulary)
Make it a growth plan →A taste of the Introduction
Someone has died. You may have been expecting it for months, or it may have arrived in a phone call at 2am. Either way, you are now being asked to make decisions, sign things, ring people and remember details at the exact moment your mind least wants to cooperate. That is not a personal failing. Grief takes up room in the head. Lists, kind words and a clear order of things give some of that room back. This kit is built for that. It does not ask you to become an expert. It tells you what usually needs doing, roughly when, and which file to open. It gives you the words for calls and letters you do not want to write. And it makes space, all the way through, for the grief that sits underneath the admin.
The honest comparison
| Free templates and typical advice | This kit | |
|---|---|---|
| Order of steps | A long list with no sense of what matters this week | Five stages, from the first 48 hours to the first year, with three things for this week |
| Notifications | A short list of 'who to tell' | A 34-organisation master list with priorities, references, chase flags and 47 ready-to-adapt letters |
| Countries | One country's rules presented as universal | Concepts that travel, plus dated notes for eight countries and crisis lines |
| Grief | Left out, or reduced to five stages | The dual process model, a weekly check-in and clear signs for when to get more support |
| Children | A paragraph of general reassurance | Words by age, honest answers to common questions and a planning form for each child |
| Seeing it done | Blank templates | A worked example pack following one illustrative family for 12 weeks |
Made for you if…
- Partners, married or not, handling the admin after a death
- Adult children sorting things out for a parent
- Parents and carers supporting grieving children
- Siblings and friends who have become 'the one who sorts things out'
- Families living across countries, or dealing with a death abroad
- Managers and HR teams who want to support a bereaved colleague well
Probably not for you if…
- Anyone looking for legal, tax, financial or therapy advice for their own case
- Executors who need the full estate administration method (see The Executor's Kit)
- People in immediate crisis: please contact local emergency services or a crisis line now
Built by trainers, tested in real rooms.
Bodhih Training has designed and delivered corporate programmes since 2008. Bodhih Pro Kits package what works in those workshops into a guide plus the exact tools we use, so you can apply it the same day without a facilitator in the room.
From here to using it in three steps
- STEP 1
Tap Get the kit
Name, email and country. UPI, card or netbanking in India; international cards everywhere else. No account to create.
- STEP 2
Download instantly
Your download page opens at once, with every file and a one-click ZIP. A permanent link lands in your inbox too.
- STEP 3
Open the first tool
Start with the quick-start chapter, then the main spreadsheet or planner. Most buyers use something from the kit the same day.
Take the next small step
Open the start-here map and choose three things for this week, nothing more. Whether you begin with the First-48-Hours form tonight or the workbook tomorrow, the order and the words are ready when you are.
Personal licence for the buyer's own use (and use with your own team or clients where the kit says so). Please don't share or resell the files. Team and company licences: solutions@bodhih.com.
The Bodhih family, when you are ready for more
The Household Money Hub
The household budget system.
Hard Talks, Good Outcomes
Scripts for hard conversations.
AssessAll
250+ AI-graded assessments to measure skills and earn verified credentials.
Jobulary
Individual development plans that start from evidence and stay yours.
Bodhih Training
Run this topic as a live workshop for your team, in person or online.
Pewple
Book a vetted coach for career, leadership or communication. Pay per session.
Bodhih.org pathways
Certification pathways in Applied AI, Workplace English and management.
Grief and After-a-Death Admin Kit: FAQs
Read the free guideAlready bought? Resend my linkWhat should I do first when someone dies?
Get the death confirmed by the right person: hospital staff, the person's doctor or hospice team for an expected death at home, or the emergency services for a sudden death. Then tell the few people who must know today and keep things safe. The First-48-Hours form in the kit holds the names, numbers and next steps.
How many death certificates do I need?
Count the organisations likely to want an original or certified copy, such as banks, pension providers, insurers and the estate's legal process, then order that number plus two. Many organisations accept a scan or will return an original if you ask. The Documents sheet in the workbook works out the shortfall for you.
Who do I need to notify when someone dies?
Usually the employer, banks, government offices, pension providers, insurers, the mortgage lender or landlord, utilities, phone and internet providers, local tax offices, subscriptions and online accounts. The kit's notification master list sorts 34 common types into first week, first month and later.
Am I responsible for the dead person's debts?
In many countries family members are not personally responsible unless they were joint borrowers or guarantors; debts are paid from the estate. Rules vary, so check your local law and speak to the executor or an adviser before paying anything from your own money.
How do I tell a child that someone has died?
Use clear words such as 'died' and 'dead', explain simply that the body stopped working and cannot come back, and reassure them it is not their fault. The kit includes a cheat sheet with words for each age and a planning form for each child.
Is this kit legal, financial or therapy advice?
No. It is educational content for bereaved families. Rules on registration, inheritance, benefits and leave differ by country, so check with the registrar, the official government source, a lawyer, an adviser or your doctor for your situation. If you are struggling to cope or thinking about suicide, contact local emergency services or a crisis line now.
Does it work outside the UK or US?
Yes. The chapters teach concepts that apply everywhere, and the tools work in any currency. Country specifics live in a dated cheat sheet covering eight countries, so you can check what applies where you live.
Can I measure my starting point?
If you would like to understand your own strengths for this kind of work, three AssessAll assessments fit it well: Family & Elder Caregiving Judgment, Resilience & Stress Management, and Attention to Detail & Error Checking. They are optional and separate from the kit.
How can I turn what I learn into a plan that sticks?
Jobulary has a clear guide to if-then plans, a simple way to turn intentions into habits, such as 'If it is Sunday evening, then I do my ten-minute check-in.' Use it to make the kit's weekly routines automatic.
What if I am also the executor?
This kit covers the first three months of family admin. For the full estate process, from authority to the final account, see The Executor's Kit from Bodhih. The two use matching records, so you can hand over the workbook.
How much does Grief and After-a-Death Admin Kit cost?
₹799 including 18% GST for buyers in India, or $24 for buyers outside India. One-time payment, no subscription, with an automatic invoice.
How do I get the files after paying?
Instantly. Your download page opens the moment payment succeeds, and a permanent download link is emailed to you. Download each file separately or everything in one ZIP.
What software do I need?
Any of the usual tools: Excel or Google Sheets for spreadsheets, Word or Google Docs for templates, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Preview, Xodo or GoodNotes for the fillable PDFs, and Google, Outlook or Apple Calendar for the calendar plan.
Can I get a refund?
Because it is a digital download, kits are not refundable once downloaded. We always refund a duplicate charge or a failed delivery, and if a file is corrupted and we cannot fix it within 3 working days. Full terms: bodhih.org/refunds.
Can my company buy this for a team?
Yes. Team and company licences, and workshops on this topic run by Bodhih Training, are available. Write to solutions@bodhih.com or call +91 99000 11601.
