Someone died in Iowa. Start here.
The first 24 hours, in order, then the first week and the first month, with Iowa's actual rules for death certificates, cremation, and probate. This page is free. No account required.
Sources: official Iowa 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 Iowa guide, built from state statutes and official agencies.
Death certificate
Filed within 3 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 $20. Additional-copy, vendor, and expedited fees may differ.
Source: Iowa Code § 144.26; Iowa HHS Vital Records (opens in a new tab)Cremation
No fixed statutory wait
Iowa 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: Iowa Admin. Code r. 645-100.10; Iowa Code §§ 144.32, 144C.5 (opens in a new tab)Probate
$200,000 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: Iowa Code §§ 633.356, 633.473; Iowa Code ch. 635 (opens in a new tab)Estate tax
None in this state
Iowa 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: Iowa Department of Revenue (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 Iowa, the death certificate must be filed within 3 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.
Entitled persons are the person named on the record, the spouse, children, legal parents, grandparents, grandchildren, siblings, or a legal representative or guardian. Guardians, legal representatives and siblings show extra proof of entitlement. Mail applications must be notarized. Certified copies come from Iowa's Bureau of Health Statistics, Iowa Department of Health and Human Services; county recorders issue copies of deaths from 1954 on.
$20 for a certified copy from the state office, per the fee page linked on this page. $20 per copy with no discount for extras, retained for the search if no record is found. Mail applications have to be notarized.
From Iowa's Bureau of Health Statistics, Iowa Department of Health and Human Services; county recorders issue copies of deaths from 1954 on, online or by phone through VitalChek, by notarized mail application, in person at the state office in Des Moines, or at a county recorder. The official order page is linked on this page. The funeral home usually orders the first copies for you.
Iowa 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.
Iowa's stated small-estate threshold is $200,000. 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. Iowa 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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