By Andrew Hoffman
We have all heard the famous quote by Benjamin Franklin “In this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.” That kind of ties into needing a death certificate. In most cases, one final year of tax returns will need to be filed after a person dies. Along with the deceased’s final federal, state, and local tax returns, you’ll want to submit a certified copy of the death certificate for their records. The certificate verifies there will be no further tax returns for the individual.
Death certificates are definitely needed in regards to transferring titles between owners. If the ownership of an asset like a house or car is changing hands after a death, you will need to transfer the title, which shows ownership.
If the individual who passed away was retired, they may have had numerous retirement income resources. The most common is social security. In many cases, (but not all, in New Jersey social security is automatically notified electronically when the death certificate is filed) the funeral director will fill out a form to report the death to the Social Security Administration. I would like to mention that there is a $255.00 death benefit for a surviving spouse from social security. This is a one-time pay out to the surviving spouse only, meaning that when the other spouse passes there is no payment to the next of kin unless the widowed spouse remarries. The $255.00 is actually a hold-over from the new deal started by President Roosevelt to help people suffering during the great depression. Back in the 1930’s, that $255.00 was enough to bury you. The government has never increased the benefit nor do law makers want to take an entitlement away from their constituents, so it stayed on the books and continues to be paid out.
Andrew B. Hoffman is a funeral director at Jeffries and Keates and Keates-Plum Funeral Homes. He is a twenty-two year veteran of the funeral industry.
