What to arrange after someone dies

This chapter focuses on money and practical procedures: what to do immediately after a death, which fees can be checked against published lists, how to recover money held in different accounts, and which matters close relatives may handle. The first five entries follow the sequence of events: the scene, the death certificate, care of the body and cremation, disputes about the cause of death, and cancellation of household registration. The remaining entries are ordered by practical value. For arrangements to make while an older relative is alive—advance guardianship, wills, and accounts—see chapter 17. For the three occupational death benefits, see chapter 19.

The funeral provisions discussed here are China's revised Regulations on Funeral and Interment Administration, effective March 30, 2026. Funeral subsidies and survivors' benefits under pension insurance are governed separately by human resources and social security rules. The original research did not obtain text that could be checked word for word, so this chapter does not give specific amounts for those benefits.