Someone died in Pennsylvania. Start here.
The first 24 hours, in order, then the first week and the first month, with Pennsylvania's actual rules for death certificates, cremation, and probate. This page is free. No account required.
Sources: official Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania guide, built from state statutes and official agencies.
Death certificate
Filed within 4 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: 35 P.S. 450.501 to 450.503 (Vital Statistics Law of 1953); 28 Pa. Code § … (opens in a new tab)Cremation
24-hour standard wait
Pennsylvania's standard statutory wait is 24 hours. Check the linked official source for any state-authorized exception or written-waiver process. A permit is also required. The person legally authorized under state law completes any required authorization; the provider handles its filing process.
Source: 49 Pa. Code § 13.212 (cremation); 20 Pa. C.S. § 305 (right to dispose of … (opens in a new tab)Probate
$50,000 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: 20 Pa. C.S. 3102 (settlement of small estates); 20 Pa. C.S. 2102 (share o… (opens in a new tab)Inheritance tax
Yes, this state has one
Inheritance-tax treatment can depend on the beneficiary's relationship to the person who died and other state rules. Check the linked state tax authority.
Source 1: 72 P.S. 9101 et seq. (Inheritance and Estate Tax Act); PA Dept. 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 Pennsylvania, the death certificate must be filed within 4 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.
Eligible applicants are 18 or older and are the spouse, a parent or stepparent, a sibling, a child or stepchild, a grandparent or great-grandparent, a grandchild or great-grandchild, the attorney, executor or administrator of the estate, or someone with a direct financial interest, each with the documents the page lists. Certified copies come from Pennsylvania's Division of Vital Records, Pennsylvania Department of Health, with six branch offices.
$20 for a certified copy from the state office, per the fee page linked on this page. $20 each at any quantity, with no volume discount. Ordering online adds $10. Under Act 137 of 2024 Pennsylvania waives the fee for up to ten copies a year for certain applicants, including an estate representative.
From Pennsylvania's Division of Vital Records, Pennsylvania Department of Health, with six branch offices, online through the state's authorized vendor with a $10 service fee, by mail, or in person at a branch office. The official order page is linked on this page. The funeral home usually orders the first copies for you.
Pennsylvania's standard statutory wait is 24 hours. Check the linked official source for any state-authorized exception or written-waiver process. A permit is also required. The person legally authorized under state law completes any required authorization; the provider handles its filing process.
Pennsylvania's stated small-estate threshold is $50,000. Value alone doesn’t establish eligibility. Ownership, asset type, timing, beneficiaries, debts, and other state requirements can affect whether a simplified procedure is available.
Yes. Pennsylvania has a state inheritance tax. Whether tax is due can depend on the beneficiary's relationship to the person who died and other state rules. Check the linked state tax authority. 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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