Write down the household work your loved one did, the routine before the death and the arrangements that changed afterward. Keep paid services separate from unpaid help, and note which details come from records or memory.
Grocery shopping, laundry and other ordinary work may be difficult to reconstruct while your family is grieving. Start with a task you know well. A short dated note, with the supporting calendar entry or receipt beside it, gives you something concrete to discuss with an attorney.
Understand what this record can help explain
A household-task record describes work the person performed and the changes after their death. Cooking, cleaning, shopping and yardwork are possible prompts. Include a task only when it reflects your household’s experience.
Arizona’s wrongful-death damages statute focuses on the injury from the death suffered by the surviving parties entitled to recover. The State Bar’s wrongful-death jury instruction, Personal Injury Damages 3, includes lost services and services reasonably likely to be lost in the future. It requires the claimed loss to be supported by evidence connecting it to the death. Its use notes caution that some listed elements may not apply.
These sources explain why the facts can matter. They do not establish a price for a household task or guarantee repayment of a particular expense. The suggested record below is an organizational aid, with no required format or valuation formula.
Keep related records in separate parts of the file
Several kinds of loss may be discussed after a fatal injury. The State Bar instruction addresses lost services alongside other categories, including relationship loss and funeral expenses. Keeping the underlying documents separate helps an attorney see what each entry describes.
| What the record describes | Suggested place in your file |
|---|---|
| Household work and changed arrangements | The task record below, with supporting calendars, messages or service documents. |
| Employment income | A separate income file with payroll or business records. |
| Funeral purchases and payments | The funeral agreement, itemized statement and payment records. |
| Care before the death | A separate dated care record and relevant medical documents. |
Our funeral-arrangements guide covers that purchasing paperwork. A family care log for a living injured person serves a different task. Do not copy those care hours into this household record without identifying the person served, the dates and the work involved.
Describe the earlier routine without filling in the gaps
Choose a period you can explain, such as the months covered by a shared calendar. Identify who lived in the household and who did the work during that period. If several people shared a chore, describe the deceased person’s part.
A receipt may confirm a purchase without showing who made the trip or how long it took. Use each source only for what it establishes. You can add a separate note from someone who personally observed the routine, naming the observer and the date the note was made.
Frequency and time spent are useful details when known. If you remember regular shopping but cannot identify every week, say so. Avoid turning a few dated examples into an uninterrupted schedule or assigning an exact duration because a blank field feels unfinished.
Record changes that happened before the death too. A relative may already have taken over certain tasks during a hospitalization. Keep that earlier change visible so the file does not imply that all arrangements changed on the same day.
Make one before-and-after record for each task
Copy these fields into a private notebook or document. Use a separate entry for each task and connect it to the original records. You can leave an unknown detail marked as unknown.
Before the death
- Task and household
- [Describe the work and who it served. Identify the period this entry covers.]
- Who did the work
- [Describe the deceased person’s contribution and help supplied by others.]
- Usual routine
- [Frequency, known time spent and any changes during the period. Mark estimates or uncertain details.]
- Basis for the entry
- [Calendar, message or receipt reference, or the name of a person describing their own observations. State what the source confirms.]
After the death
- Changed arrangement
- [What changed, when it began and who now does the work. Label paid service, unpaid help, work left undone or an arrangement still unknown.]
- Service and payment records
- [Work dates, provider, documented charge, invoice reference and payment receipt. Identify the payer and any unpaid balance shown by the provider.]
- Entry history
- [Date entered, person making the entry, missing information and later corrections. Distinguish a record made at the time from a later recollection.]
A quoted price, an invoice and a payment describe different stages. Keep each with its date. If a provider changes a charge or issues a refund, add that document without replacing the earlier one.
A hypothetical grocery-shopping entry
This example is invented to show how to record uncertainty. It does not describe a client or estimate damages.
A daughter recalls that her father usually shopped for groceries on weekends. The shared calendar confirms two trips in the month before his death. She records those dates and labels the broader weekly routine as her recollection. The trip duration is unknown.
After the death, an aunt begins shopping without payment. The daughter records the first known trip and the later dates she can confirm. Grocery receipts stay attached to the relevant entries, without treating the grocery total as a charge for the aunt’s help.
Handle missing details and shared work openly
If one cleaning visit covered several rooms, keep one invoice reference and describe its scope. Repeating the invoice beside multiple tasks can make one charge look like several expenses. Cross-reference it instead.
Record unpaid help as unpaid. Note who helped and the work they performed, without inventing a wage or converting every hour into a proposed payment. If relatives reimburse each other, identify that transfer separately from a payment to a service provider.
When two relatives remember a routine differently, preserve each person’s account and identify the disagreement. They can explain their own observations. Do not edit their notes into a shared version that conceals the difference.
Later corrections should show who added the information and when. Keep the original entry. If a calendar turns up next month, connect it to the earlier note and explain which detail it confirms or changes.
Prepare a short list of questions for an attorney
A.R.S. 12-612 identifies who may bring a wrongful-death action and the people for whose benefit it is brought. Helping the household or paying a bill does not by itself establish a person’s eligibility. Ask whose loss the records should describe and how your family’s circumstances affect that review.
- Which task entries and supporting documents are relevant to the claim?
- How should shared work or an uncertain earlier routine be presented?
- Who should provide their own account of what they observed?
- Which documents should stay in a separate income, care or funeral file?
Bring an index of what you have and identify the gaps. Ask the legal team how to share any sensitive documents securely. The broader Arizona wrongful-death guide provides additional claim context.
Questions about incomplete household records
What should I write if there was no payment or receipt?
Describe the work and who performed it, then label it unpaid if that is what happened. Identify the source of each detail, including personal observation. Leave a missing document marked as missing. An attorney can assess what the available evidence supports.
Should I calculate years of future household work?
Keep this record focused on the routine you can describe and the changes you can document. Do not add a lifetime projection or assumed hourly rate. Questions about future loss and any valuation need a separate review of the facts and applicable evidence.
You can start with the records you have
If your family is dealing with a fatal Arizona injury, Wood Injury Law can discuss the claim questions and the household changes you are trying to document. You can explain what you have and what is missing. Ask the team which records to share and how to send them securely.
Talk through my family’s questionsStart with a free case review.
Or call (480) 937-2116.
Sources checked November 9, 2026. These suggested fields organize household-task facts. They do not determine eligibility, the value of lost services or recovery in a legal claim.