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Clear Path After
We're here with you.
The light is still rising.
Someone you love has died. You don't have to figure this out alone. We'll walk with you through each step, one at a time, at your pace.
- Written by a nurse administratorMore than 20 years at the bedside.
- Licensed providers onlyEach one is on record with the California Cemetery and Funeral Bureau.
- Never paid by a providerListings are not ads.
- PrivateYour checklist stays on your phone. Nothing is sent until you press Send.
Start here
Where are you right now?
Pick the moment you're in, and we'll show you what matters now.
Your photo notice
Three short steps. Nothing is sent until you press Send.
Share the same notice by text or WhatsApp from your own phone, so family overseas gets it too.
One letter you can reuse for every bank, insurer, employer and agency. Fill it in once, then copy or print it for each place. Send it with a certified copy of the death certificate.
Who to send it to
- Banks and credit unions, and each credit card company
- Life insurance, pension, 401(k) and annuity companies
- Their employer's human resources office
- Medicare or their health plan, and Medi-Cal if they had it
- Mortgage lender or landlord, car lender and DMV
- Phone, utilities, streaming and other subscriptions
- One credit bureau (Equifax, Experian or TransUnion), which tells the other two
The funeral home reports the death to Social Security. If they received benefits, call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 to confirm and ask about survivor benefits. Keep a list of where you sent each letter and the date.
Your checklist
From the first hour through the first two weeks. Tick things off as you go; your progress stays on this device.
The death certificate needs these details. Missing details are the most common reason paperwork, and the cremation or burial, gets held up. Gather what you can and give it to the funeral home.
- Full legal name
- Date of birth, and birth city and state
- Marital status and spouse's name
- Father's name, with his birth city and state
- Mother's maiden name, with her birth city and state
- Usual occupation and how many years in it
- Employer and type of business
- Home address, with the date they started living there, city and county
- Highest level of education
- Social Security number
- DD-214 (military discharge papers), if they were a veteran
Choose a funeral home or crematory
Call two or three before you choose. In Los Angeles County, the price of a direct cremation can differ by thousands of dollars between providers.
Your rights: every funeral home must give you prices over the phone. You can buy only what you want, not a package. In California, funeral homes with websites must post their price list online or say it is available on request.
These places come from a Los Angeles hospital's family resource list. Every funeral home, crematory and cemetery shown has a California Cemetery and Funeral Bureau license number on record. Prices are taken from each provider's own published price list on the date shown, so always confirm the total when you call.
Listing a provider is not an endorsement. Clear Path After is not paid by any provider. License details can be checked any time at search.dca.ca.gov.
- "My loved one passed away at [hospital] in [city]. I'm comparing prices."
- "What is your total price for direct cremation, including pickup, the cremation, the county permit and one death certificate?"
- "Are there extra charges for hospital pickup, after hours, or weight?"
- "How many days until it's done, and how do I receive the ashes?"
- "Can you email me your General Price List?"
- California has no set waiting time. Cremation or burial can happen once the county issues the permit, often within a few days.
- Paperwork causes most delays: the death certificate details and the doctor's signed cause of death. A busy crematory can add a day or two.
- If the medical examiner is involved, most releases take 2 to 3 days. Investigations can take longer. Your funeral home coordinates the release for you.
| Provider | Total price ($) | Pickup time |
|---|
Certified death certificates in LA County cost $26 each. Most families need 5 to 10. Picking them up in person is often faster than waiting for the mail.
Tell family and friends
Fill in what you know. Leave the rest blank and send an update later.
Paste it into a group text or email. This option is always free.
We make a tasteful notice card with their photo and email it to up to 100 family and friends. Then one tap shares the same notice by text or WhatsApp, here and overseas. You see a preview before anything goes out. Prices are the full price, with nothing added later.
See a finished example: the photo notice email, memorial page and paperwork letter, before you pay.
Helping a family who lost someone? Give them the Family Pass ($49).
Write the obituary
Answer in a few words each. We'll put it together, and you can change anything.
Example answers, replace with your ownSee how it works
A two-minute walkthrough
How the guide helps a family through the first days. Captions are on screen, so it works with the sound off.
Optional · one payment
The Family Pass
- A photo notice emailed to up to 100 people
- A lasting memorial page where loved ones share memories
- A paperwork letter for banks, insurers and agencies
For hospices and organizations
Give every family a clear path.
Hospices, home health, employers, life insurers and funeral homes can give this guide to families under their own name and logo. No sales call.
See plans and start today