Could you find their papers tomorrow?
The hospital wants the insurance card. The bank wants the power of attorney. That's a bad day to start looking. Go through this list together now, while your parent can tell you where things are.
It's their paperwork and their call. You only need to know where things are, not what's in them.
Facts last checked October 31, 2026, against official sources.
Their important papers: where everything is
Say where each thing is kept, not what it says. No Social Security numbers, account numbers or passwords. Keep this somewhere safe.
Write where each paper is, never what it says. No Social Security numbers, account numbers or passwords. We don't see or save what you type, so print it before you close this page, or print it blank and fill it in by hand at the table.
If they end up in the hospital
What you'll be asked for first.
Who can act for them
These only help if someone can find them.
Who they are
Easy to forget until someone asks for one.
Money and property
Which places, not how much.
Phone and online
Who knows how to get in. Never the password itself.
Their people and their wishes
So nothing has to be guessed.
Tick each one as you find it.
Not every family needs every paper, and missing ones can usually be sorted out. Start with the first group.
The copied note lists what you haven't found yet. It doesn't include where anything is.
How to bring it up
The National Institute on Aging puts it simply: you don't need to discuss their personal affairs, but someone they trust should know where to find the papers. That's an easier ask than “Can we talk about your money?”
A way to bring it up“I'm not asking what's in there. I just want to know where it is if you're ever in the hospital.”
If there's nobody in the family they want to tell, a lawyer can be that person.
Keep it in one place
A file, a desk drawer, or a notebook that lists what's where will do. A fireproof and waterproof safe adds security. If anything is in a bank safe deposit box, keep copies in a file at home. Then go through the list at least once a year, and after a move, a divorce or a change in their health.
If a paper is missing
Most of these can be replaced. Be careful with websites that charge for what the government gives you free.
- Medicare card. Print an official copy from their Medicare account, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227) to have one mailed. If they get Railroad Retirement benefits, call 877-772-5772.
- Social Security card. A replacement is free, but in most cases you don't need the card if you know the number. Call 800-772-1213 for help.
- Birth, marriage or divorce certificates. These come from the state where it happened, not from the federal government. The CDC has a list of where to write, state by state.
- Military records. Most veterans can get a free copy of their DD 214 from the National Archives, and so can most next of kin. Some companies charge for this. Records from 62 or more years ago do carry a fee.
- Will or power of attorney. Ask the lawyer who drew it up. If there isn't one, read our guide to power of attorney. You don't need a lawyer for an advance directive, and most states provide the forms for free.
Papers alone won't get you on the phone
Letting someone talk to you is a separate step, and it's different from naming a health care proxy. A proxy only decides when your parent can't. Permission to talk helps long before that. Do these while they can say yes.
- Their doctor. The doctor needs your parent's permission, so ask the office how to give it. Federal privacy rules let a provider talk with family involved in their care if your parent doesn't object, but they don't require it.
- Medicare. It will only talk to you if your parent gives permission on the call, or adds you as an authorized representative. Done online in their Medicare account, you can call right away. By mail, it generally takes a few weeks.
- The bank, the insurers and the card companies. Each may need your parent to sign and return a form.
- Social Security. It's separate again. A power of attorney doesn't cover it. Our legal guide explains what does.
Phones and online accounts
Keep passwords off this list. Instead, ask how they'd want someone to get in if they were in the hospital. Two free settings cover what happens later:
- Apple. A Legacy Contact can ask for their account data after they die, using an access key and a death certificate. On an iPhone: Settings, their name, Sign-In & Security, Legacy Contact.
- Google. Inactive Account Manager tells up to 10 people, or shares chosen data with them, once the account has been inactive for a set time.
Neither one will get you into an account during a hospital stay.
What to do this week
- Print the list.
- Ask about the first group only: the cards, the medicines and the health care papers.
- Ask your parent to give the doctor's office permission to talk to you.
- Tell one other person in the family where the list is.
Questions people ask
This is general information to help a family think things through. It isn't medical, legal, financial or insurance advice, and it can't judge your parent's situation. Read the disclaimer.
Where this comes from
Last checked October 31, 2026. Found something wrong? Tell us.
- Getting Your Affairs in Order Checklist: Documents to Prepare for the Future, National Institute on Aging, February 1, 2023
- Talking with a Friend's or Family Member's Doctor During an Appointment, Medicare, April 2025
- Family Members and Friends, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, December 23, 2022
- Your Medicare Card, Medicare
- Replace Social Security Card, Social Security Administration
- Where to Write for Vital Records, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, August 15, 2022
- Request Military Service Records, National Archives
- How to Add a Legacy Contact for Your Apple Account, Apple
- About Inactive Account Manager, Google
- Frequently Asked Questions for Representative Payees, Social Security Administration
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