Just in Case Organiser (South African edition)

Write down where everything is, once, so the people you trust are not left searching if something happens to you. A household information record for South Africans: contacts, where your documents are kept, accounts, cover, debts, property, digital accounts, pets, funeral wishes and a step-by-step checklist for your family. An .xlsx spreadsheet, plus a fillable A4 PDF to type into or print.

WHAT IT DOES

• 12 sections with 144 prompts so you do not have to think of everything yourself: About Me, Key Contacts (doctor, attorney, accountant, financial adviser, employer, executor and more), Documents (where your ID, will, title deeds, policies and tax papers are kept), Bank & Investments, Insurance & Medical Aid, Retirement Funds, Debts, Property & Vehicles, Digital Accounts, Pets, Funeral Wishes and People to Notify.
• Dashboard: percentage complete for every section and overall, with a progress bar and status. Mark anything that does not apply as N/A and it counts as done.
• Review reminder: type the date you last reviewed and how often you want to review (12 months to start). The file shows the next review date and flags Review due soon or Review due now.
• Family Checklist: 17 steps for your family for the first days, weeks and months, with general South African pointers (Home Affairs for the death certificate, who to contact at the Master of the High Court, telling SARS, banks, insurers and medical aid). Tick steps off as they are done.
• Privacy built in: banking and digital account sections ask for the institution and where statements are found only. The file tells you never to write passwords, PINs or full card or account numbers, and to point to a password manager instead.

WHAT'S INSIDE

• Just in Case Organiser.xlsx: blank and ready to fill in. 15 tabs: Start Here, Dashboard, the 12 sections, Family Checklist.
• Just in Case Organiser - EXAMPLE fictional.xlsx: the same file filled in for a made-up person, so you can see how it works.
• Just in Case Organiser - Printable A4.pdf: 16 A4 pages with fillable form fields and tick boxes. Type on screen or print and write by hand.
• Empty rows in every section for your own items. Shaded cells for typing, white cells that calculate. No macros, no add-ons.

HOW TO USE IT

• An .xlsx spreadsheet with no macros. Tested in LibreOffice Calc; not yet opened in Excel or Google Sheets.
• PDF: print and write by hand, or type into the form fields and save. Typing into the form fields has not yet been tested in a named PDF app; if yours does not save typed entries, print and write.
• Start on the Start Here tab. Use one file per adult. Review once a year and after big life changes.

GOOD TO KNOW

• NOT A WILL. This organiser records where things are. It is not a will, does not replace a will and has no legal effect. It is not legal, tax or financial advice. For a will and estate planning, speak to a qualified professional such as an attorney or fiduciary practitioner.
• It will hold personal information. Store it securely (for example a password-protected file, or a locked drawer for the printed copy) and tell one or two trusted people where to find it. Never write passwords, PINs or full card numbers in it.
• The Family Checklist is general information, checked against official South African sources in October 2026. Processes change, so your family should confirm with the office concerned or an attorney.
• Digital download, nothing is posted.
• Fact-checked against named sources.
• Not affiliated with Google, Microsoft or any government body, bank, insurer or medical scheme. All names and institutions in the example and the images are fictional.
• Different from our household budget planner: this one is a record of where things are and who to call, not a money planner.