What to do when a American Heritage account holder dies
Contact American Heritage's Account Services Department — 8-step process, 12 required documents, and notification response typically within 2 business days of receipt or 30 days from date of death, whichever is later. pod and joint accounts settle more quickly; single-owner accounts without pod designation require probate documentation which varies by state and estate size.
American Heritage Credit Union, 2060 Red Lion Rd, Philadelphia, PA 19115
Account Services Department
American Heritage Credit Union, Attn: Account Services Department, 2060 Red Lion Rd, Philadelphia, PA 19115
Account Services Department
American Heritage Credit Union, Attn: Account Services Department, 2060 Red Lion Rd, Philadelphia, PA 19115
When a member of American Heritage passes away, the Account Services Department handles the transition of accounts to beneficiaries or the estate. Accounts with Payable on Death designations or trust ownership transfer outside of probate, while solely-owned accounts may require Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration from the probate court.
American Heritage offers an online claims portal that makes the initial filing process more straightforward. Survivors can also initiate claims by phone or by mailing documentation directly.
Death claim process
Follow these steps to file a death claim with American Heritage:
Filing a claim
- Member's name, date of birth, Social Security number or account number, and date of death
- Your name and contact information
- Certified copy of the death certificate (required for all account types)
- Valid government-issued identification for the person settling the account
- Single-owner accounts: American Heritage Information Sheet
- Joint-owned accounts: Member Services Request Form (to close the account or remove the deceased joint owner)
- Estate under $20,000: Paid funeral bill OR Funeral Director Affidavit, OR Family Member Affidavit (signed before a notary and 2 witnesses)
- Estate over $20,000: Short Certificate from the Register of Wills
- Estate over $200: Short Certificate from the Surrogate's Court
- Class A Transferee, estate over $200: L-8 Form (self-executing waiver affidavit); full balance disbursed once documentation is received
- Non-Class A Transferee, estate over $200: 0-1 (IT-R) Form tax waiver from NJ Division of Taxation; American Heritage releases 50% of the balance initially and holds the remaining 50% until the tax waiver is received
- Estate under $200: O-81 Form from the county taxation office
- POD accounts: funds distributed directly to named beneficiaries
- IRA accounts (non-spousal beneficiary): Beneficiary IRA established for fund transfer; IRA closed without early withdrawal penalty
- IRA accounts (spousal beneficiary): may accept funds as own or establish Beneficiary IRA
- IRA accounts with no beneficiary: balance payable to the estate
- Trust accounts: trust agreement reviewed case-by-case for instructions
- Accounts without POD/beneficiary designations: balance payable to the estate of the deceased owner
Required Documents
- Certified death certificate (all account types)
- Valid government-issued ID for the person settling the account
- American Heritage Information Sheet (single-owner or beneficiary accounts)
- Member Services Request Form (joint-owned accounts)
- PA estate under $20,000: paid funeral bill, Funeral Director Affidavit, or Family Member Affidavit (notarized with 2 witnesses)
- PA estate over $20,000: Short Certificate from the Register of Wills
- NJ estate over $200: Short Certificate from the Surrogate's Court
- NJ Class A Transferee (estate over $200): L-8 Form
- NJ Non-Class A Transferee (estate over $200): 0-1 (IT-R) Form
- NJ estate under $200: O-81 Form
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if applicable)
- Trust documents (if trust is beneficiary)
What to know at this institution
American Heritage recommends settling accounts as soon as possible. The credit union continues reporting to the IRS under the deceased's Social Security Number until the account is closed. Required paperwork varies by state: Pennsylvania uses a $20,000 threshold (Short Certificate above, Funeral Director Affidavit / Family Member Affidavit below); New Jersey uses a $200 threshold and class-based forms (L-8, 0-1 IT-R, O-81). IRA disbursement varies by beneficiary status and relationship. Joint accounts cannot be retained; a new account is required to prevent reporting under the deceased's SSN.
Prepare your letter of instruction to American Heritage
American Heritage provides its own letter-of-instruction form. Answer a few questions and we complete that official form for you to print and sign.
Build your letter of instructionHow long the process takes at American Heritage: Notification response typically within 2 business days of receipt or 30 days from date of death, whichever is later. POD and joint accounts settle more quickly; single-owner accounts without POD designation require probate documentation which varies by state and estate size. The most common reason for delays is missing or incomplete documentation, so submitting everything upfront is the best way to keep things moving.
Documentation required by American Heritage includes Certified death certificate (all account types), Valid government-issued ID for the person settling the account, and American Heritage Information Sheet (single-owner or beneficiary accounts), along with additional paperwork that varies by account type. All death certificates and court documents must be certified copies.
Frequently asked questions
All situations require a certified death certificate and valid government-issued ID. Single-owner accounts require an American Heritage Information Sheet; joint accounts require a Member Services Request Form. Pennsylvania residents with single-owner accounts under $20,000 may use a paid funeral bill, Funeral Director Affidavit, or Family Member Affidavit (signed before a notary and two witnesses); estates over $20,000 require a Short Certificate from the Register of Wills. New Jersey residents with single-owner accounts over $200 require a Short Certificate from the Surrogate's Court, plus an L-8 Form (Class A Transferee) or 0-1 (IT-R) Form (Non-Class A); estates under $200 use an O-81 Form from the county taxation office. See https://www.americanheritagecu.org/learn/planning-for-life-stages/death-of-a-loved-one for the current document checklist.
IRA disbursement varies depending on whether a beneficiary was elected and the relationship of the beneficiary. The IRA account is closed without early withdrawal penalty. A Beneficiary IRA account is opened for the designated beneficiary(ies), and the funds are disbursed from the deceased owner's IRA to the Beneficiary IRA account(s).
American Heritage's Account Services Department can be reached by phone at 1-800-342-0008, email at membership@amhfcu.org, and fax at 1-215-969-1246 for questions throughout the claims process.
If the deceased held multiple American Heritage accounts, each may require a separate claim or have different documentation requirements. The Account Services Department can confirm which accounts require individual attention and which can be processed together.
Sources
Data sourced from American Heritage primary sources (12 pages reviewed). How we research.
American Heritage Credit Union, 2060 Red Lion Rd, Philadelphia, PA 19115
Account Services Department
American Heritage Credit Union, Attn: Account Services Department, 2060 Red Lion Rd, Philadelphia, PA 19115
Account Services Department
American Heritage Credit Union, Attn: Account Services Department, 2060 Red Lion Rd, Philadelphia, PA 19115
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