Cancelling contracts after a death
Subscriptions, insurance and mobile contracts of the deceased: what you may cancel, what you need and which deadlines apply.
6 min read
The most important tip: all contracts in one place
A central overview of all contracts and subscriptions is worth its weight in gold after a death – whether foreign accounts, streaming subscriptions or decades-old insurance: anyone who immediately sees which contracts are running finds hidden costs and can cancel everything in time. That is exactly what Fristen-Tracker gives you: an overview of all subscriptions and contracts in one place.
Get informed first, then act
After a death: don't cancel in a hurry, but don't wait too long either. Some contracts end by themselves, others continue and incur unnecessary costs until cancelled. First get an overview of the running contracts – via bank statements, emails and letters of the deceased.
As a relative you are not automatically entitled to cancel. Heirs step into the contracts; for cancellation a certificate of inheritance or a death certificate is usually enough – depending on the contract type, sometimes both.
These contracts usually end automatically
Many contracts are designed for death and lapse on their own once the death certificate is available:
- Car insurance: ends; the vehicle can be re-registered or deregistered.
- Person-bound subscriptions (e.g. gym with a personal tariff): often end automatically.
- Household contents and liability insurance: they are only cancelled in writing if no heir takes over the household.
- Mobile and internet contracts: do not end automatically, but are usually extraordinarily cancellable with one month's notice.
- Streaming subscriptions, magazines and memberships: cancel as soon as you have taken over the access.
The special right of termination in the event of death
After the death of the contract holder, relatives or heirs have a special right of termination for contracts tailored to the person: mobile contracts, memberships and person-related subscriptions may usually be ended extraordinarily – often retroactively to the date of death.
Note: if you only submit the cancellation months later, costs from the date of death are still often refunded. So check retroactive charges in the invoices and object to payments for periods after the date of death.
What you need for the cancellation
Keep the documents ready and the cancellation will go smoothly:
- Death certificate – obtain enough certified copies (usually 5–10).
- Certificate of inheritance, if you act as heir (applied for at the probate court).
- Contract documents with contract number and customer number.
- Powers of attorney or copies of the will, if you are not the heir but authorised.
- Bank statements of the last few months to find running contracts.
Deadlines: cancel retroactively, don't pay retroactively
For person-bound contracts, an extraordinary right of termination applies retroactively to the date of death. Automatic renewals after the death usually cannot be enforced – reject these claims in writing and have the cancellation confirmed.
A call to customer service with the death certificate is often enough to get things started; still follow up in writing so that evidence exists. With Fristen-Tracker you can track the outstanding cancellations with reminders.