Someone died in Florida. Start here.
The first 24 hours, in order, then the first week and the first month, with Florida's actual rules for death certificates, cremation, and probate. This page is free. No account required.
Sources: official Florida statutes and agencies, linked below. Last updated: October 2026.
Start with safety, the required local response, and the people who can help. The exact process depends on where and how the death occurred.
These figures come from the same data as our full Florida guide, built from state statutes and official agencies.
Death certificate
Filed within 5 days
The window runs from the death. The funeral provider or another authorized filer usually handles it. Ask each institution whether it needs a certified copy, then order an initial quantity based on those actual needs. Confirm the current fee with the issuing office; the guide's last-reviewed first-copy or search fee starts at $5. Additional-copy, vendor, and expedited fees may differ.
Source: Florida Statutes §§ 382.008, 382.0255; Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics (opens in a new tab)Cremation
No fixed statutory wait
Florida doesn’t set a fixed minimum wait in the source reviewed. Release, authorization, permit, death-record, or investigation requirements may still delay cremation. The person legally authorized under state law completes any required authorization; the provider handles its filing process.
Source: Florida Statutes §§ 497.005, 497.607, 406.11 (cremation and disposition) (opens in a new tab)Probate
$150,000 listed amount
The amount alone doesn’t establish eligibility. Confirm which property counts, how it’s valued, the waiting period, ownership, any pending court case, and every other state condition.
Source: Florida Statutes Chapter 735 (Summary Administration); Chapter 733 (Probate) (opens in a new tab)Estate tax
None in this state
Florida has no state estate or inheritance tax. The federal basic exclusion amount is $15 million for deaths in 2026; other Form 706 filing reasons can still apply.
Source 1: Florida Department of Revenue (No State Estate Tax); IRS Publication 559 (opens in a new tab)Source 2: IRS: 2026 estate tax basic exclusion amount (opens in a new tab)Days 2 to 7 · 1 to 7 days
These tasks often begin during the first week, but local requirements and the family's circumstances may change the order.
Weeks 2 to 4 · 1 to 4 weeks
The immediate calls may slow down. Estate, account, benefit, property, and tax work often continues for months.
The Long Game · 1 month+
Estate administration may take months or longer. The timing depends on the assets, claims, disputes, tax work, court schedule, and state procedure.
Have the death officially pronounced. For an expected hospice death, call the hospice nurse and follow the hospice instructions. For an unexpected death, call 911 and don’t move the body until you’re told you can. Then notify the closest people and, after the body is released, contact the funeral, cremation, burial, or donation provider the person chose.
In Florida, the death certificate must be filed within 5 days of the death. The funeral provider or another authorized filer usually handles it. Ask each institution whether it needs a certified copy, then order an initial quantity based on those actual needs.
Anyone 18 or older can get a certified copy without the cause of death. For a death less than 50 years ago, the copy with the cause of death and full Social Security number goes only to the spouse or parent, an adult child, grandchild or sibling, someone who shows a will, insurance policy or other document proving an interest in the estate, someone acting for one of those people, or a court order, with photo ID. Certified copies come from Florida's Bureau of Vital Statistics, Florida Department of Health, in Jacksonville; county health departments issue copies for deaths from 2009 on.
$5 for a certified copy from the state office, per the fee page linked on this page. Additional copies are $4. Mail and walk-in orders add $1 shipping. Ordering through the state’s online vendor costs $15 plus a $7 processing fee.
From Florida's Bureau of Vital Statistics, Florida Department of Health, in Jacksonville; county health departments issue copies for deaths from 2009 on, online or by phone through VitalChek, the only contracted vendor, walk-in or by mail at the Bureau, or at a county health department. The official order page is linked on this page. The funeral home usually orders the first copies for you.
Florida doesn’t set a fixed minimum wait in the source reviewed. Release, authorization, permit, death-record, or investigation requirements may still delay cremation. The person legally authorized under state law completes any required authorization; the provider handles its filing process.
Florida's stated small-estate threshold is $150,000. Value alone doesn’t establish eligibility. Ownership, asset type, timing, beneficiaries, debts, and other state requirements can affect whether a simplified procedure is available.
No. Florida has no state estate or inheritance tax. The federal basic exclusion amount is $15 million for deaths in 2026, and Form 706 may also be relevant for certain elections.
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