There are certain steps that need to be taken following the death of a person. These are outlined below along with a range of benefits and services available.
All deaths must be registered with the General Register Office (GRO) within three months. A death can be registered at any Civil Registration Office and is usually registered by a family member. Alternatively, it may be registered by a person who was present at the death such as a hospital representative, a near neighbour or, failing that, the undertaker.
To register a death you must go to a Civil Registration Office and bring a medical certificate stating the cause of death with you. A list of civil registration offices is available on the HSE website.
You can get the medical certificate from the doctor who attended the deceased during their last illness. You must then sign the Register in the presence of the Registrar. This registration is free, and you will then be able to request a Death Certificate. This record of the death is a very important legal document and should be kept in a safe place.
Note: this is not a requirement at present and the death can be registered without having to attend at a registration office – see How to register a death during the COVID-19 pandemic for more information.
Where an Irish citizen dies abroad and they were ordinarily resident in Ireland within 5 years of their death, it is possible to have the death recorded in the record of deaths abroad.
If a person dies while in receipt of a social welfare payment, their death should be notified as soon as possible to the section of the department dealing with their payment.
If the payment was made by book or by a Social Services Card, you should return the book or card with the notice of death. Keep a note of the Personal Public Service (PPS) Number or claim number.
In certain circumstances, the payment will continue to be paid to a Qualified Adult, such as a spouse, partner or carer for 6 weeks after death. This is normally paid by cheque when the book is returned or card payment stopped.
Whether a payment will continue to be paid after death will depend on whether or not the claimant meets the qualifying criteria. These are explained in the supporting Guidelines here.
Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s (Contributory) Pension is a payment for widows and widowers who satisfy certain social insurance conditions based on their own PRSI contributions or that of their late spouse. It is not means-tested and so is not affected by other income you might have such as earnings, an occupational pension or a pension from your late spouse's employment.
If you are widowed and do not qualify for a Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Contributory) Pension based on either your own or your late spouse's PRSI record, you may qualify for a Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s (Non-contributory) Pension. This is a means-tested payment and any income and capital you have, such as savings, investments, cash-in-hand and the value of property you own, except your own home, is taken into account when working out your means.
If a person dies because of an accident at work or occupational disease, Death Benefit may be paid to their dependants. It may also be paid to dependants if at the time of their death the person was getting Disablement Pension.
If you are widowed and have dependent children under age 18 (or under age 22 if in full time education) you may be entitled to a Widowed or Surviving Civil Partner Grant. The grant applies to those who were widowed on or after 1 December 1999 with at least one qualified child.
In certain circumstances where a family are unable to cover the cost of funeral expenses they can make an application for an Exceptional Needs Payment under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme by using the SWA1 and SWA5 application forms. An Exceptional Needs Payment is a single payment to help meet essential, once-off, exceptional expenditure, which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. A staff member in your local Community Welfare Service office will make a decision on your application based on your circumstances.
Application Form: Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA1)
Claim Form for Supplementary Welfare Allowance/ Exceptional Needs Payment.
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Application form for: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Assistance towards Funeral Expenses (SWA5)
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