Why Do You Need to Obtain Death Certificates?

cremation services in Clearwater, FL

When you’re planning cremation services in Clearwater, FL for a loved one, a cremation provider is going to help you obtain death certificates. They should be able to help you get your hands on as many death certificates as you need. But because you’ll be so busy planning a loved one’s cremation, you might not even know what you’ll need to use these death certificates for. We’re going to break down some of the instances in which you’ll need to utilize death certificates for a loved one. Find out about them below.

To file a life insurance claim

If your loved one had life insurance at the time of their death, you might be able to file a claim that will help your family secure money that can be used to pay for their funeral services and other things. It’s the first reason why you’ll want to work on getting a copy of a loved one’s death certificate ASAP, even while you’re busy planning their Clearwater, FL cremation. You’ll want to start filing a claim as soon as you can if your loved one had life insurance so that you can get the money your family deserves.

To access pension benefits

If your loved one was receiving pension benefits when they died, your family might be able to continue to collect these benefits. But in order to do it, you’ll need to present the company that is in charge of their pension with their death certificate. You aren’t going to want to put off doing this for too long since it could lead to a delay in your family being able to secure the pension benefits that they’re entitled to.

To settle an estate

If your loved one left a will behind, settling their estate quickly will be of the utmost importance. But it isn’t going to be possible for you to do this if you don’t have a copy of your loved one’s death certificate on hand. You aren’t going to be able to begin to settle your loved one’s estate until you’ve locked down a copy of their death certificate. That will get the ball rolling when it comes to handling their estate.

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To close down bank accounts, credit cards, etc.

Unless your loved one took the time to close down their own bank accounts, credit cards, etc. prior to their death, which is highly unlikely, it might fall on your family to do it. You will be able to close them down by sending copies of your loved one’s death certificate to each of the financial institutions that they did business with. If you don’t take this step, it might not be long before creditors are trying to track your loved one down to settle any debts they still had with them.

Outside of helping families to plan Clearwater, FL cremations, we also specialize in assisting families in obtaining death certificates for their loved ones. If your family needs help with this, please don’t hesitate to let us know. Call us today for all your family’s cremation needs.

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