Bank & Cash Accounts After a Death

What your family needs to know when the account holder has passed away. Written for executors and family members in the first weeks after a loss. Rules vary by country and bank, so treat this as a map and confirm each step with the institution directly.

When to use this guide

Use this when you need to locate, freeze, or claim money held in a deceased person's bank accounts, credit union accounts, or cash equivalents (certificates of deposit, money market accounts).

What you'll need

• Several certified copies of the death certificate (order 10 to 15 up front; every institution wants an original certified copy and they do not come back quickly)
• Proof of your role: Letters of Administration / Letters Testamentary (if you are executor or administrator), or the will if probate is required
• The deceased's identification and your own ID
• Any account numbers or statements you can find. This is exactly what a HeirloomFile entry stores: institution, account reference, who to contact. Never the password.

Step-by-step

1. Find the accounts. Gather statements, tax returns (interest lines), and any HeirloomFile asset entries. If you do not know where they banked, look for checkbooks, debit cards, and emailed statements.
2. Notify the bank. Call or visit with the death certificate. Most banks freeze individual accounts once notified. That is protective (it stops misuse) but it also means bills paid from that account will bounce, so plan for it.
3. Establish ownership type. This determines everything:
   • Joint account with right of survivorship typically passes to the joint owner without probate.
   • Payable-on-death (POD) / beneficiary account passes directly to the named beneficiary on proof of death.
   • Individual account with no beneficiary is part of the estate; the executor claims it after probate.
4. Close or retitle. Banks have a claim-on-death form. Funds are usually released by check or transfer to the estate account or the survivor.
5. Watch for automatic payments and deposits. Stop recurring bills; check for pension or dividend deposits that may need to be returned or redirected.

Common pitfalls

• Under-ordering death certificates: order extras now, some jurisdictions make it hard to get more later.
• Spending or transferring funds before you have legal authority (executor or beneficiary). Joint owners can access, but moving estate money early can create personal liability.
• Ignoring safe deposit boxes: in some regions they are sealed at death until a court or tax authority inventories them.
• Scammers who monitor obituaries and pose as bank staff. Never share the deceased's full credentials or your own codes over the phone.

⚠️ Verification note: bank claim procedures, probate thresholds, and tax rules differ by state and country. Confirm with the specific institution and, for significant estates, an estate attorney or the probate court.

This is the kind of map a HeirloomFile entry provides: where the account lives, who to contact, and what the family should do. Never the password.