After a Death in Aged Care — What Happens Next
There is nothing that needs deciding today. When you’re ready — and only then — here is what actually happens with the paperwork, the refund, and the practical steps, laid out plainly so nothing catches you by surprise.
In the first few days
There’s no need to deal with anything below until you’re ready. Most of these steps have no strict deadline in the first days — the exceptions are noted.
The facility will contact you if it happens in residential care, and will usually help guide you through their own process — ask them directly what they need from you and by when.
A doctor needs to confirm the death and issue a medical certificate, which the funeral director will need. If death occurs in residential care, the facility typically arranges this with the treating GP.
Choose a funeral director when you’re ready — they will guide you through registering the death and obtaining the official death certificate from Births, Deaths and Marriages in your state.
The RAD or bond refund
If a lump sum Refundable Accommodation Deposit (RAD) was paid, it belongs to the estate and must be refunded — it is not kept by the facility.
Legislation sets a timeframe for this refund (historically within 14 days of the room being vacated, with interest accruing on the provider if they’re late). Confirm the exact current timeframe directly with the facility or with Services Australia, as exact provisions can change with policy updates.
If a Daily Accommodation Payment (DAP) was being paid instead of a lump sum, these payments generally stop from the date the room is vacated — there’s no refund to arrange because nothing was pre-paid.
💡 Put the refund request in writing. Ask the facility, in writing, for a written statement confirming the RAD amount, the date it will be refunded, and to whom (usually the estate’s executor or administrator). This becomes important for probate and simply gives you something concrete to follow up against.
Daily fees and unspent care funds
Residential care daily fees (the basic daily fee and any means-tested care fee) generally stop from the date of death or when the room is vacated — ask the facility for a final statement showing exactly what’s owed or refundable.
Unspent Support at Home or Home Care Package funds do not go to the estate. This surprises many families. Any unused funding in a home care account returns to the government, not to the family — it was never the person’s money to begin with, just an allocated budget for services.
Ask the provider for a final statement of any unspent funds for your records, even though there’s nothing to claim back from them.
Who to notify, and roughly in what order
None of this needs to happen today, or this week. There is no penalty for taking the time you need before working through this list.
Support for you, right now
Grief arrives on its own timeline, and it’s common to feel it more sharply once the practical tasks are done — not before. That’s a normal pattern, not a sign anything is wrong.
If you need to talk to someone: Lifeline (13 11 14) is available 24/7 for anyone doing it tough, not only in crisis. Your GP can also refer you for bereavement counselling, often at low or no cost through a Medicare mental health care plan.
If caregiving was a large part of your life for a long time, its sudden absence can feel disorienting in its own right, separate from the grief itself. That reaction is common and doesn’t need to be justified to anyone.
No rush on any of this. Come back to this page whenever you’re ready for the next step. If you’re looking for OPAN’s free advocacy support with any part of this process, they’re on 1800 700 600.