Notify us of the death
You can use myTrove to notify us of the death of a person. It's a free service funded by the organisations you are notifying, and can be used to finalise the tax obligations of a person who has died. There is no need to provide us with a New Zealand death certificate.
If you choose, myTrove can also notify the Department of Internal Affairs (for passports), some banks and insurers, and other organisations.
Get proof you can act on behalf of the person who has died
We need proof you can act for the person who has died. This means you can send us information about them and receive information from us.
This proof must be written confirmation, such as a:
- letter of administration
- copy of the will
- copy of the probate.
There’s more information we need if you’re sending us a letter from a solicitor.
If no will, probate or letter of administration exist, you may also complete a Declaration in support of application for refund (deceased person) - IR625 form.
The IR625 form only lets you provide a bank account number for a refund of less than $40,000. The form does not authorise you to speak for or action any changes for the person who has died.
Send us the documents
You can upload a PDF of the required documents in myTrove when you complete your notification, or send them to us by post.
If you send the original, please include a return address so we can send it back to you.
Inland Revenue
PO Box 39010
Wellington Mail Centre
Lower Hutt 5045
What happens next
Once we receive proof of death and confirmation you can act for the person who has died, we will process this. This can take 10 weeks.
You should contact the KiwiSaver scheme provider directly to claim KiwiSaver funds that we do not hold.
If they had a student loan, we will write this off.
Contact us on 0800 227 774 if you have any questions.
Your responsibilities
Contact us to tidy up the person’s tax and other financial affairs.
- If the person who has died was a paying parent for child support, you need to let us know the payments will stop.
- If the person who has died was a receiving carer for child support, you need to let us know they will no longer receive payments. Any child support owing will go to their estate.
- You must arrange for the estate of the person to pay any outstanding debt, including child support.
- You must let us know if the estate of the paying parent has no funds available. We may write off any outstanding debts, including child support.
- Notify us about any changes to your Working for Families situation, especially if the principal caregiver has changed.
You might want to search the unclaimed monies list in case there is money in the name of the person who died.
Contact us on 0800 227 774 if you have any questions.