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Editorial Policy

Help After Life provides free bereavement guidance for families in the United States. We take the accuracy and sensitivity of our content seriously. This page explains how we research, write, and maintain our guides.

How we research content

Our guides are based on official government sources, federal and state agencies, and established nonprofit organizations. Primary sources include:

  • Social Security Administration (SSA.gov) for survivors benefits
  • Internal Revenue Service (IRS.gov) for estate tax and inherited retirement accounts
  • Department of Veterans Affairs (VA.gov) for veterans burial benefits
  • State probate courts and vital records offices
  • National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) for cost data
  • Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for the Funeral Rule
  • Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) for debt information
  • Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS.gov) for health insurance

We link to original sources wherever possible so you can verify information independently.

How we maintain accuracy

Laws and costs change regularly. Probate thresholds, estate tax exemptions, death certificate fees, and benefits amounts are all subject to change. We maintain accuracy through:

  • Annual review of all financial figures (aligned with the January calendar year)
  • State-by-state verification of probate thresholds and death certificate costs
  • Monitoring federal agency updates for policy and regulation changes
  • "Last reviewed" dates on every guide page
  • A feedback mechanism for readers to report errors

What this site is not

Help After Life is an information resource. It is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, tax, or medical advice. We strongly recommend consulting a qualified attorney, CPA, or financial advisor for complex estate matters, tax questions, or retirement account decisions.

We are not affiliated with any law firm, funeral home, financial institution, or government agency. When we recommend services or include links, we clearly disclose any affiliate or commercial relationships.

State-specific information

Laws governing probate, estate tax, inheritance tax, and death registration vary significantly by state. Our state guides provide state-specific data drawn from official sources. Where a guide covers federal law, we note that state rules may differ and link to the relevant state page.

Privacy and data

We do not collect or store personal information about the deceased or your situation. Our personalized checklist tool saves data only to your device (localStorage). No bereavement data is sent to our servers. See our privacy policy for full details.

Report an error

If you find information that is outdated, incorrect, or unclear, please email contact@helpafterlife.com. We aim to investigate and correct errors within 48 hours.