Kathy, I'm so sorry to be reading this and I want to extend my sympathies for your loss. I know you were trying to get your mother settled someplace safer and comfortable and my heart just goes out to you.

I wish I had something helpful to add over the certificate, I know upon family deaths in the past we were provided with multiple copies to cover various needs by the funeral service/home. I haven't been in a position to need one for a deadline. I hope someone has your answer either here or buying/selling, and of course under the circumstances my guess is an extension of a few days should not be unreasonable or complicated.....

Again, I am so sorry for your loss and deeply regret the timing of her fall if complications from that led to you losing her.

I'm very sorry for your loss too. It's been a long while since I've had to deal with this, but when my mom passed away, we got copies of the death certificate from the funeral home. Can you check with them and see if they can't give you what you need?

First, my condolences.....never good news.

Your mother's death should be recorded in the county where the death occurred. Before you leave the house, call the county office and explain your situation. Check to see if they have the death certificate, if it has been registered and if they can prepare copies for you to pick up that afternoon (you have to pay for them). They may be able to do that in advance if you call and explain your circumstances. They may not. If they don't have the certificate filed, you may have to postpone closing until you can obtain the certificate.

When my father passed, it took the county more than a week to get the death record in order after they received the paperwork. Every county/state is different but you may have a wait.

Thank you to all for the condolences. I haven't said anything up to now as I've been overwhelmed with things to do. Funeral was on the 22nd. My younger sister came into town 3 days before Mom passed, my brother and I agreed that she was waiting to see Lynn. I'm so happy they got to say their good byes. The last night we sat with her and prayed with her. I am happy/sad that she is gone. No more pain.

I am pretty sure the death certificate will be from the county next to me (25 miles) and the closing is 3 hours away in the afternoon. All I can do is pray that the county has received the paperwork and can do this for me. I went on the county website and printed out the forms and filled them out. Now to wait for Monday.

Yes, the funeral home is handling this, but because of the timing of the death and the closing that was all ready set, I now need the Death Certificate ASAP!

I'm sure the buyers are worried too, this could cause issues for them with the lender.

The house is in a Trust.

I am sorry for your loss.

My FIL passed away a year ago, and had a trust as well. We are learning quite a bit about trusts from the "back side." Have you filed for your EIN #? That was one of the 1st things we had to do before we could do anything financially.

Would have been nice if there'd been instructions provided by the attorney for all the things the trustee has to do.

What is an EIN?

EIN stands for Employer Identification Number. Also known as TIN, Tax Identification Number. If there is a trust, as in this case, there will need to be a final tax return filed and the EIN/TIN will be necessary. I'm going through this right now. Mom passed in March, all her annuities have paid to the trust. They won't issue 1099s until early next year and then I can have the return done and final distribution to my brothers and me.

We had to have the death certif and the EIN before the bank would even talk to us about anything. kathyg- I strongly suggest you contact an attorney -- specifically one that deals with estates. Maybe the one that created the trust for your Mom. It's a not an easy navigation alone.

Do You Need an EIN

How to Apply for an EIN

Kathy, as small business owners, we have one. It's been enough years I don't remember how I acquired it, through what part of the licensing and process ;0)

In reading the above, it appears you can apply online and receive your number immediately during that application, but if you are treading in unknown waters here I hope you'll get some trust/estate advice. It seems like the atty who created the trust would be a good starting point.

I hope all goes smoothly for you tomorrow.

So sorry for your loss. As did others, I got death certificates from the funeral home.

Hope all goes well with the closing.

In the case of my mother's passing, her death certificate was issued by the county in which she died, not the one she lived in. Mother fell on her church's steps and broke 2 back vertebra. She lived in one state but was air lifted to another state where she passed 5 days after the accident. Dying out of state did delay things a bit. Getting copies of her death certificate was handled through the funeral home.

So sorry to hear about your loss. As for the death certificate,get on the phone with the funeral home and then the county. Be polite but persistent and insist that you need it by a certain date. Good luck.

Must depend on the State you are in. I've been PR on three different Wills and I never had to obtain an EIN! I think the funeral homes gave us 3 or 5 copies of "certified/authenticated" death certificates. My deepest condolences on your loss. {{{{{Hugs}}}}}

Individuals' social security numbers are used for ID and processing for income tax purposes. An EIN serves as the equivalent of an SSN for federal tax purposes for "entities" - partnerships, corporations, estates, trusts, etc. etc. The page morz8 linked concerns small businesses only and when one needs an EIN - the answer is Yes if it a proprietorship that has employees or in all cases if it is an entity separate from the owner for income tax purposes.

It's a federal thing, they're issued by the IRS. Some states use an entity's EIN for ID purposes, others have their own numbers for entity and/or payroll tax purposes.

In the case of decedents, when financial assets (like bank accounts) change ownership from the individual to an estate or trust (which are entities distinct and separate from the individual), when new accounts are opened, when Estate Tax returns are filed, etc, etc. an EIN is required. The individual is gone and unless and until asset ownership is passed to an heir, the assets are owned by an estate or trust, they file income tax returns, and a number is needed.

I stopped in the county clerks office and was able to get 3 copies of the DC, so we did have the closing yesterday. So happy to get that done. Today I stopped at Amerprise and they got me the EIN #, and I also stopped into her Life insurance company and got that started too.

now I need to open an account for the trust showing me as trustee.

thank goodness for all the help and advice one can get thru these forums!

The funeral home STILL does not have the Death Certificates.

Kathy G in MI

The house closing must be a huge relief, one less thing to deal with. I'm so happy that worked out, I know several of us were concerned for you.

While you are tying up all loose ends and details, please take a little time for yourself....

Wow Kathy, that must be a lot to handle while grieving the loss of your mother!! I am glad to see that you're getting things taken care of....wishing you peace of mind while you sort through all you have to do!

I'm very sorry to read about your mom, Kathy. In a way, I'll bet it's kind of nice to be so busy....I'm glad you were able to get the house closed on time.

I'm glad to read that the closing took place as scheduled. funeral arrangements and all the legal stuff distracts from the loss...for a while. I hope it doesn't all hit you like a ton of bricks once you clear these hurdles.

I believe my late mother's trust received a new EIN once it ceased to be a revocable trust upon her death. I know that it was a lot easier to have all assets within the trust.

I'm sorry for your loss, Kathy. It's very sad to lose your Mom.