Heck, I needed a death certificate to drop off the cable box and get the account terminated! Any provider can ask for a death certificate- it was cheaper and faster to order a stack and run through them to argue with a customer service rep!
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Unlike others here we were able to use the same death certificate for multiple uses - places just made a copy of it. I’m not sure we used a single original in the end, maybe one. But then this was just when one parent died & the other inherited everything - but for accounts and things like that many places just took our word for it, while others asked for a copy of the death certificate. We could have done with 2 or 3 death certificates (we ordered five).
I ordered 5 because that’s what was recommended. I think everyone took copies so still have the 5 from my father. My mother just died, the bank took a copy, and I have all 5 still. I’m still changing things, but the electric company started yelling at me over the phone that they couldn’t leave it in her name…yes, that’s why I’m calling, to switch it. I’ll gladly take on the cable company.
For my father, there were several places that argued about things, about my not being authorized. I’d just say “Well, I’m your best hope in getting this account closed and anything you need. It’s me or no one.” Most took my offer.
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We got about 25 death certificates when SisIL died. I believe we may have a very few left — yet others were required by financial and insurers and others. She lived and died in SF. we are in HNL.
We are working on whether it is better to sellthe household objects (which gives $$ for various expenses related to the estate-- bills, lawyer fees, etc) or to wait. With a sale, a true market value is determined and that tax is figured accordingly (state of PA). DiL chose to sell some things so there was $$ for bills but that’s paid, now
Without a sale, the market value is just guesstimated and so is the tax. In PA, you have 9 months to submit the last tax form, thereby establishing the estate value. That only gives us 2.5 months, and the real estate (a house) has not been sold yet.
Can’t you just get an estate person to liquidate all of the remaining household stuff?
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What are the tax implications if you just donate the entire home contents? Now that you got enough cash to cover the bills, isn’t it easier to donate so the value of the estate is just the house plus whatever easily valued accounts you find?
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Not really, although everyone suggests it (an estateliquidator) There was no money to hire one.
We spent five figures just emptying the home of debris and unwanted accumulated broken stuff, getting it empty for as-is auction. It took twoUHauls of saved things and 6 full size dumpsters and 6 days of help. A liquidator would have been even more, even if we could get one to take it all on. We had an auction firm essentially refuse to take on the property (which is in bad shape, but not structurally compromised or anything like a knock down)
Donating is definitely on the table. First, DiL has to determine what, if anything, she would like to keep.
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The liquidators I have dealt with don’t ask for money up front. They take whatever they think they can sell first, sometimes have an estate or tag sale, and then guarantee the house will be empty by a certain date.
At this point…have your DIL take what she wants…and donate the rest. Then sell the house.
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if we had a normal situation, that would have worked, but unfortunately there has been nothing usual or typical in this case.
We have tried, without much success, to impress upon my own in laws the simple fact that estate liquidators can and do reject jobs; can and do request payment up front for super time consuming ones. Our current predicament has not been the cautionary tale for them that I would have hoped.
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I picked the Homeless Vets (because they come with a truck AND a dumpster, issue a tax receipt on the spot) and all I needed to do afterwards was to sweep and vacuum (literally “broom clean” per the sales contract).
Could I have sold off a bookcase, end table, lamp piece by piece and gotten cash? of course. But as executor, I gave each heir the option of doing the cleanout themselves-- taking what they want, selling the rest. Everyone declined (I get it- taking off a week of work to make $15 selling a nightstand?) so the Vets came with the truck and dumpster.
I kept copies of the emails where the heirs declined to do the sell-off “just in case” and everyone moved on.
See if you’ve got a nonprofit willing to do the cleanout in exchange for keeping everything they find?
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FWIW Wells Fargo was fine with the attorneys POA for my uncle. Credit card companies on the other hand keep saying it’s not valid 
its possible that the credit card companies are headquartered in different states and under different laws wrt POA’s.
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Likely more potential for fraud with a credit card…
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Does PA require an appraiser needed for fair market value on the date of death? Such as for jewelry or collectibles?
Some items, you may be able to use local or standard sources, like a Kelley Blue Book for a car, or
Or, Is the federal estate tax form being filed? That form required values on date of death, if I recall.
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PA does require an appraisal of any major assets, and the house and car have had that happen. The law is pretty fuzzy on possession that aren’t clearly investments – so, a bunch of maybe gold jewelry is okay but a stack of gold bars needs appraised. We are in the home stretch, with an auction date, at least.
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A bunch of “maybe gold jewelry” will take 20 minutes from a coin/gold exchange to appraise (and if it is gold, they’ll buy it on the spot. And if it’s not- its value is $10 a bucket which is what you’d get at a flea market. And the bars just need to be weighed- five minutes tops. No need to make this harder than it has to be.
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I almost lost a good friend when I refused to be her executor. She has one grown child who lives near her. I live out of state and have been an executrix for my parents and my sister. I am done with it. My friend was certain that her grown daughter (very competent) wouldn’t be able to handle it. NO, NO, NO. Thankfully, we have gotten past that.
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Gee, that is crazy. It sounds like perhaps she should consider some estate planning efforts to simplify things so that she is confident that her daughter (or anybody local) can handle it.
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In PA, if you pay the tax within 3 months, there is a 5% discount. You true up at the end, so are not at risk of being out funds. It sounds like you are outside the 3 months, but for others this is something to check out in your state.