What to do when an Acorns account holder dies
Report the death to Acorns Customer Support at 1-855-739-2859
After an account holder at Acorns dies, accounts with beneficiary designations or trust ownership transfer to the designated recipients without probate. Solely-owned accounts require the estate's representative to contact Acorns Customer Support at 1-855-739-2859 with the proper legal authority documents.
To start a claim, contact Acorns by phone at 1-855-739-2859 or email documentation to support@acorns.com. You will need the account holder's full name, account numbers, and the death certificate.
Death claim process
Follow these steps to file a death claim with Acorns:
Filing a claim
Required Documents
- Death certificateA copy.
- Unexpired government-issued ID for the executor of the estate
- Affidavit of domicile, estate affidavit or other legal documents, if available
- A mailing address for the check payable to the estate
- The email address and phone number on the deceased person's Acorns accountAcorns locates the account by them.
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, when there is no named beneficiary and Acorns needs to verify the administrator or executor
- Small estate affidavit, where the estate qualifies under state law
Claims Contact
Website: Online portal →
What happens to each kind of account6
- Payable-on-death account
On an Acorns Invest account with a transfer-on-death beneficiary on file, Acorns is "authorized to transfer any funds held in such accounts to the named beneficiary(ies) upon verification of the beneficiary(ies)".1
- Investment account
With no beneficiary on an Acorns Invest or Later account, Acorns may, in its sole discretion, open a "Decedent Account" to hold the funds, take paperwork from the administrator or executor to verify identity, and issue a check payable to the estate.1
A Decedent Account "will not be accessible via, and/or have limited functionality on, the Application and the Acorns Website," and "no transactions will be permitted" in it, so the estate cannot trade, rebalance or partially withdraw while it is open.1
- IRA
The custodian of the Acorns Later IRAs is Forge Trust Co., and the distribution after the death follows its custodial agreement.1
- Account in one name
Acorns Checking and Emergency Savings have no beneficiary designation, so the deposit passes through probate. The Bank of Record is not a party to the Acorns Program Agreement, so the estate may be pointed to the bank's own account agreement.2
- Custodial account (UTMA/UGMA)
The assets in an Acorns Early Invest account already belong irrevocably to the child, so they are not part of the deceased custodian's estate. A successor custodian is arranged instead under the applicable UGMA/UTMA.2
- Life insurance policy
The Avibra life insurance benefit is not an Acorns claim. It is claimed from Avibra directly.2
Accounts handled elsewhere4
- Forge Trust Co.
Custodian of the Acorns Later IRAs2
- Lincoln Savings Bank
Acorns Checking and Emergency Savings, as a Bank of Record2
- nbkc Bank
Acorns Checking and Emergency Savings, as a Bank of Record2
- Avibra, Inc.
Avibra life insurance, the Acorns Gold benefit2
Phone: 1-551-290-8929
Email: hello@avibra.com
What Acorns's agreement and guidance say5
- Telling the institution
On the death of an Acorns user, "the Acorns Parties are not required to take action until such documents have been received establishing that the Acorns User is deceased".1
- What it does when notified
If a Trusted Contact was named on the Managed Accounts, Acorns Securities may contact that person to confirm the identity of the executor.2
- What it says about taxes
Acorns states it is "not responsible for determining the tax consequences of any Decedent Account".1
- Indemnity a claimant may have to give
The accountholder agrees to indemnify Acorns against any claim arising from a distribution from a Decedent Account to a beneficiary, administrator or executor.1
- Fees
The monthly subscription fee is collected by recurring debit. If it cannot be collected, Acorns is authorized to collect it by selling ETF shares in the Invest account, then the Later account, then an Early Invest account for which the deceased person was custodian.2
Not in Acorns's published guidance3
- A claim form
- A mailing address for claim documents
- How long a claim takes
Sources2
- 1.Acorns Program Agreement, effective September 2, 2026
- 2.My loved one has passed away, what do I need to do to close their account?
Acorns Customer Support can be reached by phone at 1-855-739-2859 and email at support@acorns.com for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from Acorns primary sources (19 pages reviewed). How we research.
Acorns death claims support
Acorns Customer Support
Phone
Avibra life insurance claims (Gold benefit)
Hours
Mailing address
Website
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Forms for Settling an Estate
Free forms for settling an estate: probate petition, small estate affidavit, creditor notice and closing forms. Prepare each form for your state.
Affidavit of Death
Put a joint owner's or a transfer on death deed owner's death on the land records with the affidavit your state's statute names, laid out for recording.
IRS Form 56
Notify the IRS that you are the fiduciary of an estate, a trust or a person, or end a notice filed before, on the official form.
Digital Assets Recovery Letter
Prepare a letter requesting a deceased person's online accounts, points, and balances from the program that holds them.
Petition for Probate and Letters
Open probate and ask the court to appoint you and issue Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
Notice to Creditors
Notify estate creditors and start the claim period — the published notice plus mailed copies for known creditors.
Renunciation of Executor
Decline an appointment as executor named in a will — the writing filed with the court before anyone is appointed.
Tools for Settling an Estate
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A step-by-step checklist for the days, weeks, and months after a death, with state rules noted where they apply.
