Account Closure Checklist
Closing accounts is slow work spread over months, and the order matters more than the speed. Pick what applies and get the list, with what each type usually asks you to produce.
What kinds of accounts are there?
Choose as many as apply.
Do email last. It is often the recovery route for everything else.
Banking and investments
- Checking and savings: bring a certified copy and letters testamentary; joint accounts usually pass to the survivor
- Brokerage and retirement: named beneficiaries are paid directly and do not go through the will
- Safe deposit box: ask what the bank requires before opening it, some need a court order
- Automatic payments: list what is being paid before closing anything
Credit cards and loans
- Notify each card issuer and stop further use immediately, including authorized users
- Ask whether the balance is the estate's or a joint holder's; do not pay from your own money
- Notify mortgage and auto lenders in writing and ask what keeps the account current
- Send a notice to all three credit bureaus to prevent identity theft
Home and utilities
- Transfer or close electricity, gas, water and internet, with a final meter read
- Tell the homeowners or renters insurer; an unoccupied home can void a standard policy
- Redirect mail with the postal service so nothing sits in a mailbox
- Tell the landlord or HOA in writing and ask about notice periods
What each institution accepts varies, and some debts are not the survivor's to pay.
Do not pay a balance from personal funds before confirming who owes it. General information, not legal or financial advice.