Scope: money. This section only covers how to get the procedures done and how to collect the money. That includes what to do first right after the person dies, and which fees have a list you can check. It also covers which money sitting in which accounts can be taken back, and which matters close relatives have the right to handle in person. The first 5 items follow the order in which things happen: the scene, the death certificate, the body and cremation, what to do if you disagree with the cause of death, and canceling the hukou (户口 — household registration). Arrangements an older person should make while still alive, such as intended guardianship (意定监护 — a guardian named by agreement in advance), a will, and accounts, are in Section 17. The 3 benefits for a work-related death are in Section 19. The funeral part follows the new Funeral Management Regulations, in force from March (3) 30, 2026. How the funeral allowance and the survivor allowance under the pension are calculated is in item 9 (housing provident fund balance and social insurance benefits).
English, Russian and Spanish use dlgrv’s unofficial translations. Newly revised entries appear in the Chinese original until a checked translation is available. The author’s latest Chinese text is authoritative. Translation revision: dlgrv/HowToLiveBetter · b25fa8a
For an accidental or unexplained death handled by police where no hospital treatment occurred, police issue the death certificate. Disturbing the scene makes the circumstances and certification harder. Without it, cremation, household deregistration and insurance claims stall. If someone living alone is found much later and the type of death is unclear, call 110 first; certification follows the police inquiry.
Cost
No expense at all — just one phone call is needed.
Benefit
Article 8, paragraph 2 of the Regulations on Household Registration: "Where a citizen dies in an accident or t…
If the person died in a hospital, get the death certificate from the place that handled the treatment. For a natural death at home, get it from the community health service for that area, or from the township health center. When the death is natural and the cause is clear, it is issued within one day. Canceling the hukou (户口 — household registration), cremation, withdrawing the housing provident fund, collecting social insurance benefits, an insurance claim, and handling the inheritance all use it. As soon as you have it, make several copies.
Cost
No cost at all.
Benefit
According to the “Interim Regulations on Registration and Management of Population Death Information,” death c…
Transport, storage, embalming, cosmetic preparation, and cremation can only be done by a funeral home. A hospital morgue does not handle the funeral. At most, it lets the body stay there for a short while. A funeral home generally keeps the body for no more than 3 days. If you need more days, you have to apply for an extension. Cremation takes a death certificate and a cremation confirmation document. The cremation certificate they give you afterward is still needed for the inheritance and for an insurance claim.
Cost
No cost involved.
Benefit
Article 25 of the Funeral Management Regulations states: “Services such as transport, storage, embalming, body…
If you doubt the cause of death, the autopsy has to be done within 48 hours after the person dies. If the hospital can freeze the body, that can be extended to 7 days. The autopsy needs a close relative's signed consent. If they do not consent, or the time is missed, the responsibility for a cause of death that cannot be sorted out falls on that side. When you ask for the autopsy, also ask to have the medical records sealed. Once the body is cremated, an autopsy can no longer be done.
Cost
No cost involved. The hard part is remembering to make thi…
Benefit
The time limit for autopsies is stipulated in Article 26 of the Regulations on Prevention and Handling of Medi…
In cities, you must cancel hukou registration before burial; in rural areas, you must do it within one month. Bring the death certificate and household register to the police station to complete the process. Failing to do so will block any inheritance transfers, benefit claims, or insurance cancellations due to the unresolved hukou status.
Cost
No expense involved. Just bring the death certificate and…
Benefit
Article 8, Paragraph 1 of the Hukou Registration Regulations states: “When a citizen dies, in cities the house…
Transport and storage of remains, farewell ceremonies, cremation, ash storage and ecological burial are on the national basic-service list, as is placement of ashes in niches provided by public institutions. Prices for these services are set under the rules. Other services must also be listed; providers may not invent extra chargeable items. Before going, ask which are basic services and the local rates, then discuss anything else.
Cost
There is no cost involved. Just spend a few minutes before…
Benefit
All essential funeral services — including body transport, storage, cremation, memorial services, and eco-frie…
The price violations the regulations name are: not posting a price list, adding money on top of the marked price, bundling funeral goods and forcing you to buy them, and forcing you to accept another provider's paid service. Splitting one item into several charges also counts as a disguised price rise. On the spot, ask for the price list first, and keep the proof of the charges and the chat records. Complaining afterward is still in time. For the price, go to the market supervision administration. For funeral services, go to the civil affairs bureau.
Cost
No cost involved. The real challenge is staying diligent i…
Benefit
Regulations identify five categories of price violations. Four of them are: not displaying prices clearly or a…
Intermediaries offering services like funeral planning, procurement of funeral products, event coordination, and information consultation must register with the county-level civil affairs bureau. Those that fail to register are excluded from the official funeral service information system managed by the bureau. Availability of online lookup tools varies by region; the safest approach is to call the local civil affairs bureau directly. Any operators found to be charging excessive fees through deceptive practices or selling information related to deceased individuals will be held legally accountable.
Cost
There is no cost involved. All you need to do is ask wheth…
Benefit
An intermediary that is not registered is not in the funeral-service information system run by the civil affai…
Heirs can withdraw both the housing provident fund balance and the remaining personal pension account balance; the provident fund is outside bank accounts and easy to overlook. If a participant in enterprise employee pension insurance dies from illness or a non-work cause, family also receive funeral and survivor benefits. Survivor benefits cover 3–24 months, at least 9 for retirees. Work-related death has three separate work-injury payments.
Cost
No monetary cost, but you must visit several offices. Befo…
Benefit
The balance of the housing provident fund account (the money still left in his provident-fund account) can be…
After a person passes away, their close relatives may, for their own lawful and legitimate interests, ask the platform to access, copy, correct, or delete that person’s personal information. If the platform denies such requests, it must provide a valid reason. Legal action in court is also an option. One exception applies: if the deceased made prior arrangements—such as designating a successor to their account or expressing clear intentions—those instructions must be followed.
Cost
No cost involved. Only if the platform refuses cooperation…
Benefit
The law states it in so many words: when a natural person has died, close relatives, for their own lawful and…
Death does not erase debts, but heirs such as children and spouses repay only up to the value inherited, without covering any shortfall themselves. Jointly signed spousal borrowing or borrowing for daily family needs is joint marital debt, so the spouse also owes it personally. To decline inheritance debt, renounce in writing before the estate is handled and forgo the assets too. Silence counts as acceptance.
Cost
Writing 1 written statement costs nothing. The real price…
Benefit
Article 1161 of the Civil Code: "An heir clears the taxes and debts the decedent legally owed, limited to the…
If the deceased's deposits at 1 bank add up to no more than 50000 yuan, the spouse, the children, and the parents can withdraw them with the documents, and they do not need a notary. A house does not have to go through a notary either. All the heirs go together to the real-estate registration office and can get it done there. A notary costs money. In Fuzhou and Xiamen, for example, a house is charged by floor area, and 1 unit is in principle charged at most 10000 yuan. Withdraw the whole eligible balance in one go, then close the account.
Cost
It costs nothing. Go to each bank that holds a deposit, on…
Benefit
On the deposit side, Document No. 18 of 2021 from the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission and th…
