How many certified copies you actually need

Banks, insurers, and title offices rarely share. Count the desks, then add two.

The short answer

Most families need between 10 and 15 certified copies. Five is almost always too few. Twenty is rarely necessary. The number is not a vibe. It is a count of institutions that will not photocopy each other’s paper.

One copy per bank or credit union (sometimes two if there are safe-deposit boxes).
One copy per life insurance company, not per policy, per company.
One copy per vehicle you need to retitle.
One copy per parcel of real property.
One copy per retirement plan administrator or IRA custodian.
One if a court, clerk, or lawyer already asked for a certified copy.
Two spares. Someone always asks for another.

What you usually do not need a copy for

Social Security is often notified by the funeral home on Form SSA-721. If that happened, you typically do not mail SSA a certificate. Utilities and streaming services often accept a scan or an obituary. Always ask before you spend a copy. Once a certified copy leaves the house, you may not get it back.

Order them together

Every state is cheaper (sometimes much cheaper) on additional copies in the same request than on a second order later. Texas extras are $3. New Jersey extras are $2. Illinois extras are $2. A second trip through the mail costs you weeks, not just dollars.