Death Admin Planner: The Ultimate South African Guide
If you were to leave your house today and never come back, how long would your household continue to run smoothly?
It is a chilling question, isn’t it?
Would your spouse know how to pay the municipal electricity bill to keep the lights on? Would your parents know where your life insurance policy is filed or who your broker is? Would your business partner know how to log into your email to cancel your meetings, or would your clients simply think you are ghosting them?
For most South Africans, the honest answer is a terrifying “No.”
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We spend our lives accumulating assets, building businesses, and making memories. We buy insurance for our cars, medical aid for our health, and alarms for our houses. Yet, we rarely organise the access to our lives. We assume that having a Last Will and Testament is enough.
But as I recently discussed in my feature on Cape Talk and Eyewitness News, a Will is just the tip of the iceberg. A Will handles your wealth; it does not handle your life.
This guide is the ultimate resource for closing the gap between “Legal Planning” and “Life Planning.” It compiles everything we have learned about Legacy & Life Admin into one comprehensive roadmap.
Below, you will find practical steps, detailed checklists, comparison tables, and links to detailed guides to help you organise your life, protect your family, and find peace of mind.
Part 1: The Reality Check (Why a Will is Not Enough)
We need to start by dispelling a dangerous myth: The idea that a Will sorts everything out.
A Will is a legal instruction. It tells the Master of the High Court who gets your car, your house, and your savings. But a Will is a slow, public, and static document. It is not an instruction manual for your daily life.
The “Life Admin Gap”
In South Africa, winding up an estate can take anywhere from 8 months to several years. During that time, life does not pause.
The Family’s Burden: Your family deals with the groceries, the school runs, the pet care, and the subscriptions.
Your executor (the lawyer or person appointed to wrap up your estate) cannot help your family with the immediate, practical crisis of your absence on Day 1.
They don’t know the PIN to unlock your phone to find the funeral policy.
They don’t know that the dog needs heart medication every morning.
They don’t know which cloud storage account holds the baby photos.
Your executor cannot help your family with the immediate, practical crisis of your absence because they don’t know the PIN to unlock your phone. They don’t know that the alarm goes off if the back door isn’t jiggled just right. They don’t know which cloud storage account holds the baby photos.
“The alarm code is 1234 and the gardener comes on Fridays.”
What Your Lawyer Won’t Ask You
When you draft a Will, your lawyer focuses on assets. They rarely ask for the “soft” details that actually keep a family functioning.
We compiled a list of 5 things your Will definitely won’t cover, including subscription services (which can drain bank accounts dry) and domestic staff payroll details. If you rely on your Will alone, you are leaving your family with a legal document but no map.
A Will transfers ownership. A Life Planner transfers capability. You need both.
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Part 2: The Digital Minefield (Passwords & Tech)
In 2026, our lives are digital. This is the biggest blind spot in traditional estate planning. If you pass away, your digital life effectively “locks down” instantly.
The “Digital Lockout” Nightmare
As highlighted in the EWN article about our new tool, modern security measures are designed to keep intruders out. Unfortunately, after death, your grieving spouse looks like an intruder to Google, Apple, or your bank.
Imagine your spouse has your laptop password. They try to log in to find a policy document. The laptop says: “We have sent a code to the registered mobile number.“
If they cannot unlock your phone to get that code, they are stuck. They are locked out of everything.
Action Step: You must organise your PINs, patterns, and passwords in a secure, offline format. This includes the PIN to unlock your screen, your SIM card PIN, and your AppleID/Google passwords.
Managing Your Digital Legacy
What happens to your Facebook profile? Your Instagram photos? Your Gmail archive?
Companies like Meta (Facebook) and Google have specific policies called “Legacy Contacts” or “Inactive Account Managers.” You need to set these up now, while you are alive.
If you don’t, your social media profiles could either disappear forever or sit inactive, causing pain to family members who see “It’s Karin’s Birthday!” notifications years after you are gone.
Google: Set up your Inactive Account Manager. You can tell Google to delete your data or send it to a partner after 3 months of inactivity.
Facebook: Nominate a Legacy Contact. This person can pin a post (like funeral details) but cannot read your messages.
Apple: Set up a Legacy Contact for your Apple ID. This is the only way they can access your iCloud photos without a court order.
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Part 3: The Financial Logistics (Freezing & Flow)
In South Africa, when a person dies and the death is reported to the Master of the High Court, their bank accounts are frozen. This is a legal requirement to protect the estate’s creditors.
The “Frozen Account” Crisis
This freeze includes:
Personal savings accounts.
Credit cards.
Sole Proprietor business accounts.
Joint accounts (in some cases, depending on the bank’s policy).
This happens even if you are married in community of property (joint estates often see both parties’ accounts frozen temporarily).
The Question is: How does your family buy bread and milk next week? How do they pay the funeral parlour deposit?
Your “Life Admin” planning must include a strategy for immediate liquidity. Does your spouse have their own separate account? Is there an emergency cash fund?
The “Silent Drainers” (Subscriptions)
While the bank freezes the account for payments out, sometimes debit orders bounce, racking up fees, or subscriptions continue to accrue debt against the estate.
Your family needs a “Kill List”—a list of every subscription you have (Netflix, Spotify, Gym, Adobe, Cloud Storage) so they can cancel them immediately.
How to Prepare for the Freeze
Your family needs immediate liquidity. Your “Death Admin” plan must address how they will buy groceries and pay for the funeral before the estate pays out.
Separate Accounts: Ensure your spouse has a bank account in their own name with emergency funds.
Life Insurance Payouts: Ensure your beneficiaries are correctly nominated so policies pay directly to them, bypassing the estate. You can read more about beneficiary nominations on the Old Mutual Education Blog.
SARS Compliance: Your executor will need to deal with SARS. Ensure your eFiling login details are accessible. You can learn about “Deceased Estates” tax implications on the SARS website.
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Part 4: The Physical “Go-Bag” (Just In Case Folder)
While digital is important, South Africa is still a country of bureaucracy. You need a physical “Go-Bag” for your admin—a folder that contains everything your family needs to navigate the Department of Home Affairs, the banks, and the insurance companies.
Original Marriage Certificate (and ANC contract if applicable).
Proof of relationship for claims.
The Will
The original signed copy (or a note stating exactly where the lawyer holds it).
The Master of the High Court requires the original.
Policies
Funeral policies, Life Insurance, and Medical Aid membership certificates.
To claim immediate funds for the funeral.
Property
Title deeds or lease agreements.
To prove residence or ownership.
Vehicles
NaTIS documents (registration papers).
You cannot sell a deceased person’s car without these.
If you are unsure how to structure this, our In Case of Death Planner acts as a template, guiding you through every category so you don’t miss a single page.
Part 5: Specialised Guides for Moms & Entrepreneurs
“Death Admin” looks different depending on who you are. The gap left by a mother is different from the gap left by a business owner.
For Moms: The “Mothering Manual”
Mothers carry an immense “mental load.” You know the doctor’s names, the school routines, the allergies, and the comfort items. If you are a mom, your planning needs to focus on logistics and routine preservation.
You need to document:
Medical: Pediatrician details, allergies, vaccination records.
If you run a small business or a “side hustle,” you are likely the single point of failure (The “Bus Factor”). If you pass away, does the business die with you?
Ghosting Clients: Without an auto-responder or a handover plan, your clients will think you are ignoring them.
Frozen Accounts: Sole proprietorship bank accounts are frozen upon death. How will staff be paid?
Compliance: Is your CIPC Annual Return up to date? You can check your status on the CIPC Website.
Deep Dive: Read about creating a solopreneur’s exit strategy to protect your professional reputation even after you are gone.
For Employers of Domestic Staff
If you employ a domestic worker or gardener, you have legal responsibilities.
Are they registered for UIF?
If you pass away, they may be retrenched.
Your planner should include their UIF reference numbers so they can claim benefits. You can find more info at the Department of Employment and Labour.
Part 6: Household & Staff Logistics
One of the most uniquely South African aspects of life admin involves the people who help us run our homes.
Domestic Staff & Gardeners
Often, our relationships with domestic staff are informal. If you pass away, they are incredibly vulnerable.
The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF): Does your spouse know your domestic worker’s UI-19 reference number?
Payment Details: How much are they paid? On which day? Is it cash or EFT?
Retrenchment vs. Inheritance: There is often confusion here. If you pass away, your domestic worker is effectively retrenched. Do you have a provision to pay them a severance package?
The “Fur Kids”
For many of us, pets are family. Yet, a Will treats them as “property.”
Your planner needs to include a Pet Profile:
Vet Details: Who has their file?
Diet: What brand of food? How much?
Medication: Dosages and schedules.
Fears: Are they scared of thunder? Do they hate other dogs?
Part 7: Medical & End-of-Life Wishes
Admin isn’t just for after you die; it is for if you are incapacitated. If you are in a coma or unable to speak for yourself, your family needs to know your medical wishes. This section is not about what happens after you die, but what happens immediately before.
The Living Will
Do not confuse these two.
Last Will: Deals with assets after death.
Living Will (Advance Directive): Tells doctors your wishes regarding life support and medical intervention while you are still alive.
Have you had the conversation? In South Africa, even if you are a registered organ donor, your family still has the final say at the bedside. If they don’t know your wishes, they might say no.
Action: Register as a donor with the Organ Donor Foundation and, more importantly, tell your family.
Part 8: The Emotional Hurdles (And How to Jump Them)
Let’s be honest: this is uncomfortable. Nobody wants to spend their Saturday morning planning for their own funeral. We call this the “Ostrich Effect”—burying your head in the sand.
Mental Health and Grief
If the thought of death planning is causing you severe anxiety, or if you are currently navigating grief and feel overwhelmed by the admin, please reach out for support.
Tip: Use the “Chunking” method. Do not try to do it all in one day. Do “Passwords” in Week 1, “House” in Week 2, and “Finances” in Week 3.
Part 9: How to Have “The Talk”
The only thing harder than doing the planning is telling your family about it.
Scenario A: Your parents are ageing, and you are worried their affairs are a mess.
Scenario B: Your spouse refuses to talk about “death stuff” because it upsets them.
You need a script. You need a way to bring it up that doesn’t sound greedy (with parents) or pessimistic (with partners).
Top Tip: Blame the media! Say, “I was reading this article on Dear Diary…” or “I heard Karin on the radio…” It makes the topic a “current event” rather than a personal attack.
Task: Fill in the “Digital Vault” section. List your phone PIN, email password, and laptop code.
Time: 45 Minutes.
Week 2: The Physical Hunt
Task: Find your Will, your ID, and your Marriage Certificate. Put them in one plastic sleeve or folder.
Task: Note the location of spare keys (cars, safes, back doors).
Time: 1 Hour.
Week 3: The Money & Bills
Task: List all your bank accounts (Account number and Bank name only).
Task: List your debit orders and subscriptions.
Time: 1 Hour.
Week 4: The Heart
Task: Write your funeral wishes (Songs? Flowers? Cremation vs Burial?).
Task: Write a letter to your loved ones. This is the hardest part, but the most valuable.
Time: As long as you need.
Final Thoughts
We cannot control when we leave this world. But we can control the mess we leave behind.
By sorting out your Legacy & Life Admin today, you are giving your family the greatest gift possible: the space to grieve without the panic of paperwork.
As seen on Cape Talk & EWN:
“It covers practical details often overlooked in traditional estate planning… ensuring your family has access to all the information they need.”
