• Application For Death Extract
• Banks
• Insurance Companies
• Bills & Miscellaneous Items
• Lawyers/Solicitors
• Estate Duty
• Public Trustee
• Central Provident Fund (CPF) Withdrawal
• Social Assistance
• The Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA)
• Child Adoption
• Counselling
• Support Groups

Banks

Please notify the deceased person’s bank, especially for receipts and cheques deposited automatically, or if mortgage payments and other transactions (e.g. GIRO deductions) are carried out directly from the account.

Insurance Companies

Inform the deceased person’s insurance companies. Beneficiaries may receive payouts from insurance policies, credit and trade unions or fraternal organisations, etc.

Bills & Miscellaneous Item

Check for any outstanding debts, such as credit-card bills. For bills where payment is made automatically via GIRO, inform the companies to cancel the GIRO.

Where appropriate, contact the deceased person's landlord, cancel utilities such as electricity and telephone connections, and other items such as safety deposit boxes etc. Give the post office a forwarding address for the deceased person's mail.

Lawyers/Solicitors

Obtain the deceased person's will and inform his lawyer and/or executor.

Estate Duty

An estate duty is payable on the value of a deceased person's net assets above a specified threshold amount. More information on estate duties is available here.

You can also contact:

Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore
Ruling and Compliance Branch
Tel: 6351 3169
Email: ed@iras.gov.sg

Public Trustee

The Public Trustee administers the estates of deceased persons if the value does not exceed $50,000.

The Public Trustee will:

1. Administer the assets of the deceased (for example bank and other financial institutions deposits, undrawn salaries, CPF savings and New Singapore Shares).
2. Sell or transfer shares held by the deceased person in Singapore-listed companies.
3. Transfer any vehicle belonging to the deceased to the beneficiary.
4. Ascertain the validity of claimants' entitlement as beneficiaries and the relationship between the claimants and the deceased person.
5. Hold the minor's share in trust until the beneficiary reaches age of maturity and may make monthly payments for the minor's maintenance and education.

More information can be found at:

• Insolvency & Public Trustee's Office
• Administration of Small Estates of Deceased Persons
• Administration of CPF Monies of Deceased Persons
• Administration of Monies Held in Trust for Minor Beneficiaries
• Distribution of the Estate of Deceased Persons Administered by the Public TrusteeIf the deceased is a Muslim, the Public Trustee will distribute the estate of the deceased to the beneficiaries in accordance with the Inheritance Certificate obtained from the Syariah Court by the applicant.

Applications can be made online. You may also download the application forms.

Central Provident Fund (CPF) Withdrawal

If your loved one is a Singapore citizen / permanent resident, there is no need to report the death to CPF Board, as the Board will be notified by the relevant public agency. If he is a foreigner with a CPF account, please report at any CPF Service Centre with the member’s original death certificate, your identity card / passport and proof of relationship.

If your loved one had made a valid CPF nomination, his CPF savings will be distributed to his nominee(s) in the proportion as listed in the nomination. Otherwise, his CPF savings will be forwarded to the Public Trustee for distribution in accordance with the intestacy laws or inheritance certificate (for Muslims) in Singapore.

Please visit www.cpf.gov.sg for more information.

Social Assistance

There are various government social assistance schemes available if help is needed. These schemes are administered by the Community Development Councils.

The schemes are:

1. Public Assistance (PA) Scheme/Special Grant (SG)
2. Home Ownership Plus Education Scheme (HOPE)
3. Rent and Utilities Assistance Scheme (RUAS)
4. Interim Financial Assistance Scheme (IFAS)
5. Student Care Fee Assistance (SCFA)
6. Centre-based Financial Assistance Scheme for Child Care (CFAC)
7. Work Assistance Programme (WAP)
8. Kindergarten Financial Assistance Scheme (KiFAS)

More details on these social assistance schemes can be found at:

1. Community Development Councils
2. Central Singapore CDC
3. North East CDC
4. North West CDC
5. South East CDC
6. South West CDC

The Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA)

The Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA) allows employees who have sustained injuries in a work-related accident or contracted an occupational disease to claim work injury compensation. Dependants of employees who died in a work-related accident are also eligible for compensation.Claimable compensation includes medical leave wages, medical expenses and permanent incapacity or death.

Unlike civil claims, compensation is generally payable under the Act regardless of whether the employer is at fault, as long as the employee had suffered an injury by accident arising out of and in the course of his employment or had contracted an occupational disease as defined under the Act. The compensation benefits are computed based on fixed formulae and capped under the Act.

Once an employee decides to pursue his claim under the Act, he will generally no longer be able to lodge a civil claim against his employer for damages.

More information on Work Injury Compensation Act can be found here.

Child Adoption

If the deceased person leaves behind a child below the age of 21, family and friends may wish to adopt the child and give him or her a new home. Adopting a child is not just a legal process. It involves much thought and emotion as well.

More information and resources on the process of adoption, issues and challenges post-adoption are available here.

Counselling

Coping with the death of a loved one or close friend is painful and may be difficult. You can seek the professional advice and support from your nearest Family Service Centres (FSCs). The FSCs are your neighbourhood-based focal points of family resource which everyone can turn to on any family-related matters. They are around to promote the well-being of families and individuals.

More information on Family Service Centres are available at:

• Directory of Family Services
• National FSC Helpline: 1800-838 0100 (toll free line)
  Please call the Helpline, which operates in English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil, to contact your nearest FSC.

You may also wish to seek professional counselling from the following voluntary welfare organizations.

Samaritans of Singapore (SOS)
Helpline: 1800 221 4444 (24-hr toll-free line)
SOS provides a 24-hour crisis line service, which gives emotional support to people who are troubled. All calls to SOS are kept in strict confidentiality.

Care Corner Mandarin Counselling Centre
Hotline: 1800 353 5800 (10am to 10pm daily)
Care Corner Mandarin Counselling Centre provides counselling services to the Mandarin-speaking population, allowing them to share their problems in total anonymity and strict confidentiality.

Support Groups

The death of a child can be a particularly difficult loss.Child Bereavement Support (Singapore) is a support group for bereaved parents set up by bereaved parents, providing support groups, befriending and information.