Subscriptions and Administration
after a death.

• Name of the deceased, supply address and date of death.
• Customer number, contract number and a recent invoice.
• Your name, contact details and capacity: partner, heir or authorised representative.
• A death certificate and proof of authority, when the service provider requests it.
• The desired change and date; for takeovers the details of the new contract holder.
• An address or e-mail for the final invoice and confirmation.

Provide only what the relevant service needs, via its official channel. Use your own identity. Do not log in with the eID, itsme or bank codes of the deceased. An old mandate does not automatically grant authority to act after death.

Practical tip. Ask at first contact: “Which documents do you need, who must sign and from which date will the change take effect?” Note the answer and the file reference.

Check the latest invoice for which water company serves the address. Request an adjustment or takeover if someone continues living there. If use ends, discuss closing the contract and the final bill. Turning off a tap does not arrange the administration.

Photograph the meter with a readable reading and note the date. State whether the home is occupied, vacant or transferred. For a takeover, ask which signatures are needed; do not sign on behalf of the deceased yourself.

Have ready: Customer number, address, meter number, meter reading with date, contact details of the new customer and the billing address.

Practical tip. Explicitly ask if you are only changing the billing name or becoming a new customer. Afterwards check the first invoice for name, start date and meter reading.

An energy transfer document records the meter readings and the transfer date. It is not an energy contract and does not itself transfer the existing contract. Therefore, contact the supplier to arrange who will be the customer going forward.

If a partner remains living in the home, ask how to keep the supply in the correct name without interruption. If the property is empty, discuss which contract suits that temporary use. Do not just stop the supply if heating or security is still needed.

Have ready: Last invoice, customer number, EAN codes for gas and electricity, address, meter readings, date and details of the competent involved persons.

Practical tip. Ask which advances are still charged, when the final bill will follow and from when a new contract holder pays. Also take a photo of the meter at the actual transfer.

Review the entire package: internet, television, fixed phone, mobile numbers and any equipment. Ask which services someone wants to keep. Fully cancelling a bundle can also terminate a service that the surviving partner still uses.

Telenet states that a takeover includes all active services and may also entail outstanding balances. Therefore, before signing, have explained which amounts and obligations are assumed. For unclear debts, first refer this to the notaire's office.

Proximus has a separate help page for termination or takeover after death. Follow the procedure of the particular operator; the same documents or conditions do not necessarily apply everywhere.

Have ready: Customer number, invoice, involved telephone numbers, address and list of services and equipment.

• Does someone want to keep the number? Ask this before cancelling.
• Ask what happens with a linked email address, invoice access and stored data.
• Ask which modem, decoder or other rented equipment must be returned and within what timeframe.
• Keep the return receipt and check the final invoice.

Practical tip. Do you only want to terminate one component? Request in writing what that changes regarding the price and operation of the remaining bundle. Do not only have "cancellation received" confirmed, but also which services and date are meant.

Use the last invoice or subscription number to contact the publisher. Report that it concerns a death and ask if the subscription can be taken over, delivered to another address or ended. Ask what happens to any prepaid period; a reimbursement depends on the applicable regulation.

Also go through associations, sports clubs, streaming services, software, meal boxes, lotteries and other recurring deliveries. See where the payment actually runs: with the provider itself or via an intermediary. Deleting an app does not stop the payment.

Have ready: Name, subscription number, delivery address, last invoice and desired change.

Practical tip. Request the stop date and any reimbursement in writing. Later check if any further debit or delivery follows. A debit alone does not prove which contractual arrangement applies.

The links to newspapers lead to their customer service or general cancellation information. Specifically ask there about the procedure upon death. If the assistance does not display properly, use the contact details on the invoice.

The health insurance fund concerns more than just taking out one membership. Ask whether the partner and children are still correctly registered, what happens with reimbursements, and which supplementary insurances require attention.

CM is automatically informed after registration of the death at the civil registry. CM will request prompt contact when the deceased received a sickness or disability benefit. An appointment may also be necessary to arrange the surviving relatives’ file and reimbursements.

Are you with another health insurance fund, such as Helan, Solidaris, a liberal health insurance fund or the HZIV? Use the contact details on the membership documents and ask which notification and follow-up are needed. Do not assume every procedure is the same.

Have ready: Membership number, contact details, medical documents still to be processed, and data about supplementary or hospitalisation insurances.

• Must the partner now be registered in their own name?
• What must be done with sickness or disability benefits?
• Which costs or reimbursements still need to be processed?
• Can the social work service assist with social rights and administration?

For a deceased who was domiciled in Belgium, the Federal Pensions Service is automatically informed after registration at the civil registry. If domiciled abroad, a copy of the death certificate must be delivered to the service.

Then ask what changes occur in the income of the surviving partner. A survivor’s pension or transitional allowance has conditions and is not an automatic continuation of the deceased’s pension. Explicitly ask whether an investigation has been started or an application is required and what the deadline is.

A final pension payment may also need to be checked. Do not immediately spend an amount just because it has been deposited. Ask the Pensions Service what happens with the payment. Foreign pensions and supplementary pension or insurance schemes must be reviewed separately.

Have ready: Identity data via the official channel, pension details, information about foreign benefits and your own file data.

Practical tip. Ask: "Has my right as a surviving relative been examined, do I need to apply for anything, and when do you expect a decision?" A confirmation that the death is known does not answer these three questions.

Make a list alongside subscriptions of income and allowances. Think of wages, unemployment, sickness or disability, a care budget, family allowances and supplementary insurances. Note for each payment which institution or employer makes it.

Report the changed family situation to the relevant paying service and ask if the file needs adjustment. Also have investigated which rights the partner or children may have. Do not wait for the complete administration of the estate before making an application.

• Employee: ask the personnel department about wages, expenses, and any group insurance yet to be processed.
• Self-employed: contact the social insurance fund and accountant about the personal and business follow-up.
• Children: ask the payer of the Growth Package about the consequences of the death and which data are required.
• Benefits or care support: contact the paying service and ask what stops, changes, or needs to be investigated.

Practical tip. An unexpected payment may be a back payment but also an amount requested back. Request a written statement before you distribute it.

Check with bpost whether the forwarding service for surviving relatives is appropriate. Ask which proof documents and consent are required. Forwarding post does not automatically change the address in every contract: communicate the correspondence address directly to important services as well.

Have insurances assessed before terminating them. For an empty house, a vehicle or a joint policy, coverage may need to remain. Ask the broker or insurer what changes are needed and who must sign.

Also think of landlord, property manager, cleaning or home care service, personal alarm and rented care equipment. Agree upon return who collects, when and what receipt you will receive.

Practical tip. Keep a photo or list of returned devices and materials. A return receipt helps if rent or compensation is later charged.

A phone call is a start. A task is only followed up when you know what changes and from which date. Keep the details below together, on paper or in your own overview.

Practical tip. Plan one quiet moment to go through the open items. Start with necessary deliveries and income. Divide concrete tasks, for example “contact the water company”, rather than “arrange the administration”.

Bring an unclear letter or takeover form. We examine the legal question: who may act, which obligation is undertaken and what this means for the estate? This is especially important with debts, multiple heirs or a disputed decision.

The service provider processes the contract change. The competent benefits institution decides on social rights. The usual assignment for the declaration does not automatically include all these notifications and terminations. We agree with you on what guidance you need and who makes the contacts.

If organising does not succeed alone, ask a trusted person to go through the list together. The social work service of your health insurance fund can also assist with social questions and refer you to appropriate support.