<prompt> Human: As the title says, my father-in-law recently passed away. My wife will be contacting a lawyer shortly to set up his estate. My big concern is with the taxes he owes the government. If there isnt enough money in his estate to cover what he still owes, will we have to foot the bill? If we do have to pay, what are our options as far as payment plans and such?  <response>: Been through this a few years ago. Contact the state and purchase official copies of the death certificate. I got 50 copies. When a bill comes in return the unpaid bill with a copy of the death certificate. Without official copies you cannot close accounts or titles. Also remember to forward the mail, because some important bill or papers only come once a year, like divided checks. And dont forget the email too. 