Whom do you consult after a funeral? The division of roles between the funeral company, the ward office and the administrative scrivener, and the 7-day, 14-day and 2-year deadlines

In short: the procedures that follow a funeral are handled at different counters. Funeral arrangements and the booking of the hall and crematorium belong to the funeral company; acceptance of the death notification, issue of the cremation permit, the household change notification and funeral benefits belong to the municipal counter; preparation of inheritance documents belongs to an administrative scrivener. The statutory deadlines immediately after a funeral are the death notification (within seven days of the day the death became known), the household change notification (within fourteen days of the day of the change) and health insurance benefits (two years). By contrast, no statutory deadline is set for preparing an estate division agreement or for changing the title of deposits. Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office collects family registers, investigates heirs, investigates the estate, prepares an inventory of assets and prepares an estate division agreement based on agreed content. Inheritance registration is the domain of a judicial scrivener or an attorney, tax of a tax accountant, and individual legal judgement and disputes of an attorney.

Where do you go first after the funeral?

Immediately after a funeral, the person in front of the chief mourner is the funeral director. That is why inheritance questions are often put to the funeral company. In practice the counters differ by situation.

Situation	Main counter
Wake and funeral arrangements, booking of the hall and crematorium, quotation	Funeral company
Acceptance of the death notification, issue of the cremation permit, household change notification	Municipal counter
Funeral benefit under National Health Insurance or the medical care system for the latter-stage elderly	Municipal counter
Burial fee under employees' health insurance	The insurer the deceased belonged to
Pension notifications and unpaid pension	Japan Pension Service and others
Family register collection, heir investigation, inventory of assets, estate division agreement	The heir personally or an administrative scrivener
Inheritance registration	The heir personally, or a judicial scrivener or attorney
Final income tax return for the deceased and inheritance tax	The heir personally or a tax accountant
Whether to renounce, statutory reserved portion, disputes	Attorney

For the whole picture and the order of the procedures, see A checklist of what to do when an inheritance occurs; for the deadlines of inheritance procedures, see A guide to inheritance procedure deadlines. This article is limited to separating whom to consult.

How much can you ask the funeral company?

A funeral company arranges the funeral, books the hall and the crematorium, and explains the quotation and the costs. The death notification form is often handed over by the hospital or the funeral company, and municipalities advise that a completed form may be brought to the counter by an agent (Chuo City, "Death notification", accessed 25 August 2026). Practice differs between municipalities, so confirm with the counter where the form is to be filed.

By contrast, preparing, as a business and for remuneration upon the request of another person, documents to be submitted to public agencies and other documents relating to rights and duties or certifying facts is the work of an administrative scrivener (Administrative Scrivener Act, Article 1-3, paragraph 1). A person who is not an administrative scrivener or an administrative scrivener corporation may not carry on that work as a business, except where another Act provides otherwise (same Act, Article 19, paragraph 1; both as amended with effect from January 2026). Individual legal advice, representation and dispute handling raise the issue of Article 72 of the Attorney Act.

In other words, consulting a funeral company about a funeral and instructing someone to prepare inheritance documents are separate contracts. A funeral company informing bereaved families of possible advisers is consistent with this distinction, provided the client contracts directly with each professional.

By when and by whom must the death notification and cremation permit be filed?

The death notification must be made by a person under a duty to notify within seven days of the day on which the death became known (three months where the death occurred outside Japan) (Family Register Act, Article 86, paragraph 1).

The persons under a duty are, in order, (1) a relative living with the deceased, (2) another person living with the deceased, and (3) the landlord, landowner or manager of the house or land; notification may nevertheless be made regardless of that order (same Act, Article 87, paragraph 1). A relative not living with the deceased, a guardian, a curator, an assistant, a voluntary guardian and a person appointed as a voluntary guardian may also make the notification (same Article, paragraph 2).

A person who intends to carry out a cremation must obtain the permission of the mayor of the municipality, including the head of a special ward (Act on Graveyards and Burial, Article 5, paragraph 1). The manager of a crematorium must not carry out a cremation before receiving the cremation permit or the reburial permit (same Act, Article 14, paragraph 1). In practice the cremation permit is issued when the death notification is filed.

Is a household change notification needed when the head of household dies?

A person whose household or head of household has changed (excluding persons specified by Cabinet Order) must notify the mayor of the municipality of the name, the matter changed and the date of the change within fourteen days of the day of the change (Basic Resident Registration Act, Article 25).

Whether a new head of household must be notified when the head of household dies depends on who remains in the household. Nakano City, for example, advises that a new head of household must be notified where two or more persons aged fifteen or over remain in the household (accessed 25 August 2026). The handling and the required documents differ between municipalities, so confirm with your own counter.

How much are funeral benefits and burial fees, and by when must they be claimed?

The name, amount and counter differ according to the medical insurance the deceased belonged to.

Insurance the deceased belonged to	Name	Amount	Claim period
National Health Insurance (Bunkyo City)	Funeral benefit	70,000 yen	Two years from the day after the funeral was held
Medical care for the latter-stage elderly (Bunkyo City)	Funeral benefit	70,000 yen (50,000 from the wide-area union and 20,000 from Bunkyo City)	Two years from the day after the funeral was held
Employees' health insurance (JHIA)	Burial fee and family burial fee	50,000 yen	Two years from the day after the date of death
Employees' health insurance (JHIA)	Burial expenses	Expenses actually incurred, up to 50,000 yen	Two years from the day after the date of burial

The right to collect or obtain a refund of premiums and the right to receive insurance benefits are extinguished by prescription two years after they may be exercised (Health Insurance Act, Article 193, paragraph 1). The amounts above are as published by Bunkyo City and the Japan Health Insurance Association (accessed 25 August 2026). Amounts and counters differ between municipalities and insurers; if the deceased belonged to a health insurance society, confirm with that society.

What is the difference between procedures with a deadline and those without?

The procedures after a funeral are often summarised as "procedures with fixed deadlines". More precisely, procedures with a statutory deadline and procedures without one are mixed together.

With a statutory deadline	Without a statutory deadline
Death notification (7 days), household change notification (14 days), funeral benefit and burial fee (2 years), renunciation or qualified acceptance (in principle 3 months), final income tax return for the deceased (4 months), inheritance tax return and payment (10 months), inheritance registration (in principle 3 years)	The estate division discussion itself, preparation of the estate division agreement, the change of title or withdrawal of deposits, succession to household goods and other movables

No statutory deadline is set for preparing an estate division agreement or for changing the title of deposits. However, taking those steps first may create a problem in relation to renunciation. Disposal of all or part of the inherited assets may raise the issue of statutory unconditional acceptance, so if renunciation or qualified acceptance is being considered, first see What to know before considering renunciation or qualified acceptance. For frozen accounts, see When can the deposits of a deceased person be withdrawn?.

How should you choose whom to consult?

Work backwards from what you want to instruct.

What you want to consult about	Whom to consult
Funeral arrangements, costs, the hall	Funeral company
Death notification, cremation permit, household change notification, funeral benefit	Municipal counter
Family register collection, heir investigation, inventory of assets, estate division agreement	Administrative scrivener
Registration agency and preparation of a registration application	Judicial scrivener or attorney
Preparation of documents to be filed with the Family Court	Judicial scrivener or attorney
Final income tax return for the deceased and inheritance tax return	Tax accountant
Whether to renounce, statutory reserved portion, estate division disputes	Attorney
Appraisal, sale or letting of inherited real estate	Licensed real estate broker

In every case the client contracts directly with each professional. For the sale and management of inherited real estate, see A complete guide to inherited real estate (Yotsuba Real Estate). Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. is a separate business entity from Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office and works under a separate contract. Our office receives no referral fee.

What can Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office do?

Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office (Kohinata, Bunkyo City, about five minutes on foot from Myogadani Station) guides family register collection and heir investigation, investigation of the estate and preparation of an inventory of assets, preparation of an estate division agreement based on agreed content, and organisation of will-related material, step by step and within the scope of administrative-scrivener work. For heir investigation, see Where do you start with an inheritance?; for the agreement, see Can you prepare an estate division agreement yourself?.

For how instructions are accepted, see How we accept instructions; for fees, see Schedule of fees; for the whole picture of inheritance work, see Inheritance, wills and trusts. The first consultation is free.

Who do you consult about the funeral itself?

Funeral arrangements, costs and the choice of hall or crematorium are the domain of the funeral company and are not administrative-scrivener work. Our office does not prepare funeral quotations or make funeral arrangements.

"Kansha no Ososhiki", which conducts funerals in Ota City and Suginami City, Tokyo, has published an article on the flow of the procedures required after a funeral and how to choose whom to consult, and introduced our office in it. Please read it together with this article.

• Kansha no Ososhiki (Ota City)
• Kansha no Ososhiki (Suginami City)

The funeral company and our office are each an independent business entity. No referral fee or other money passes between us in either direction. Instructions are given by contracting directly with each business.

FAQ

Q. May I consult a funeral company about an inheritance?
A. Consultation about funeral arrangements and costs is the domain of the funeral company. Preparing inheritance documents as a business and for remuneration upon the request of another person falls under Article 1-3, paragraph 1 and Article 19, paragraph 1 of the Administrative Scrivener Act. Being told by a funeral company whom you might consult, and then contracting directly with each professional, is consistent with that distinction.

Q. Which is the earliest deadline after a funeral?
A. The death notification, within seven days of the day the person under a duty to notify became aware of the death (Family Register Act, Article 86, paragraph 1). The household change notification, within fourteen days, follows (Basic Resident Registration Act, Article 25).

Q. Is there a deadline for preparing an estate division agreement or changing the title of deposits?
A. No statutory deadline is set for those procedures themselves. However, if renunciation or qualified acceptance is being considered, disposal of assets may create a problem in relation to statutory unconditional acceptance. Consult an attorney for individual judgement.

Q. By when can a funeral benefit or burial fee be claimed?
A. In Bunkyo City the funeral benefit under National Health Insurance and under the medical care system for the latter-stage elderly is claimed within two years from the day after the funeral was held. The right to receive health insurance benefits is extinguished by prescription two years after it may be exercised (Health Insurance Act, Article 193, paragraph 1). Amounts and counters differ by system and insurer.

Sources (Primary Information)

• Family Register Act, Article 86, paragraph 1 (period for the death notification)
• Family Register Act, Article 87, paragraphs 1 and 2 (persons who must give the death notification)
• Act on Graveyards and Burial, Article 5, paragraph 1 (permission for burial, cremation or reburial)
• Act on Graveyards and Burial, Article 14, paragraph 1 (duty of the manager of a crematorium)
• Basic Resident Registration Act, Article 25 (household change notification)
• Health Insurance Act, Article 193, paragraph 1 (prescription)
• Administrative Scrivener Act, Article 1-3, paragraph 1 (work) and Article 19, paragraph 1 (restriction on work), as amended with effect from January 2026
• Attorney Act, Article 72 (prohibition of the handling of legal affairs by non-attorneys)
• Chuo City, "Death notification"
• Nakano City, "Household change notification"
• Bunkyo City, "Payment of the funeral benefit" (National Health Insurance)
• Bunkyo City, "Funeral benefit" (medical care system for the latter-stage elderly)
• Japan Health Insurance Association, "Burial fee and burial expenses" and "Application form for health insurance burial fee (expenses)"
• Statutes and public materials were confirmed on 25 August 2026

This article is general information and does not guarantee the persons under a duty to notify, the starting point of a deadline, the requirements for a benefit, or whether renunciation or qualified acceptance applies in an individual case. Individual legal judgement and dispute handling are handled by an attorney; preparation of documents to be filed with the Family Court by a judicial scrivener or attorney; inheritance registration agency and preparation of a registration application by a judicial scrivener or attorney; tax by a tax accountant; and real estate appraisal and brokerage by Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd., each as an independent business under a separate contract. Our office receives no referral fee. Individual judgements are made by a qualified professional after a meeting. Written by Joji Uramatsu, administrative scrivener and licensed real estate broker.