What to do when a AST account holder dies
Contact AST's EQ Shareowner Services - Transfers — 6-step process, 7 required documents, and typically completed within five business days after the paperwork is received in good order, absent account restrictions.
Brand change
American Stock Transfer & Trust Company was combined with Equiniti in December 2021 and is now part of Equiniti Trust Company, LLC (EQ Shareowner Services). astfinancial.com redirects to EQ's AST Access site. Legacy AST-registered shares are serviced by EQ. Effective December 2021.
AST is now part of EQ Shareowner Services. The procedures below reflect AST's accounts during the transition. View the EQ Shareowner Services estate planning page.
EQ Shareowner Services (formerly AST)
EQ Shareowner Services, PO Box 64874, Saint Paul, MN 55164-0874
EQ Shareowner Services - Transfers
EQ Shareowner Services, PO Box 64874, Saint Paul, MN 55164-0874
EQ Shareowner Services - Deceased Shareholder Transfers
EQ Shareowner Services, PO Box 64874, Saint Paul, MN 55164-0874
After an account holder at AST 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 AST's EQ Shareowner Services - Deceased Shareholder Transfers at 1-800-468-9716 with the proper legal authority documents.
The first step is contacting AST at 1-800-468-9716 with the account holder's full name, account numbers, and a certified death certificate in hand.
Death claim process
To file a claim after an account holder's death, here is what AST requires:
Filing a claim
- The account being transferred from, and how many DRS, plan, or certificate shares to transfer
- Select Inheritance and enter the date of death and fair market value per share
- The new registration (individual, joint, trust, estate, or TOD-beneficiary account)
- Copy of the death certificate(s)
- Certificate of Appointment (Letters) dated within 90 days (within 6 months for New York, within 1 year for Connecticut), or the Small Estate Affidavit of the state where the shareholder was domiciled
- An Affidavit of Domicile (a notarized sworn statement), required by EQ when transferring shares of a deceased shareholder
- An Inheritance Tax Waiver if required by the decedent's state of residence
Required Documents
- Completed Transfer of Ownership form with Medallion Signature Guarantee
- Copy of the death certificate(s)
- Certificate of Appointment / Letters dated within 90 days (6 months NY, 1 year CT), OR the Small Estate Affidavit of the decedent's state of domicile
- Affidavit of Domicile (notarized) for a deceased-shareholder transfer
- Inheritance Tax Waiver if required by the decedent's state of residence
- Substitute Form W-9 for the new account
- Original stock certificates (for certificate shares), or lost-certificate replacement (written notification and a bond of indemnity) if they cannot be located
Claims Contact
What to know at this institution
A Medallion Signature Guarantee is required to transfer shares; a notary seal is not a substitute. For transfers with an aggregate value of $10,000 or less, US residents may qualify for a Medallion Signature Guarantee Waiver by submitting a check payable to EQ ($100 for value under $5,000; $200 for $5,000 to $10,000), a copy of a valid government-issued photo ID with a signature, and documents showing the signer's capacity to act. Original documents must be mailed; faxed or emailed forms are not accepted.
Prepare your letter of instruction to AST
AST asks for a letter of instruction alongside its claim form. We prepare a transmittal cover letter and the enclosure checklist AST requires.
Build your letter of instructionProcessing timelines at AST: Typically completed within five business days after the paperwork is received in good order, absent account restrictions. Incomplete documentation is the most common cause of delays—submitting all required documents with the initial claim helps avoid additional processing time.
Documentation required by AST includes Completed Transfer of Ownership form with Medallion Signature Guarantee, Copy of the death certificate(s), and Certificate of Appointment / Letters dated within 90 days (6 months NY, 1 year CT), OR the Small Estate Affidavit of the decedent's state of domicile, along with additional paperwork that varies by account type. All death certificates and court documents must be certified copies.
Frequently asked questions
The surviving joint owner, TOD beneficiary, or the estate's legal representative completes a Stock Power / Transfer of Ownership form to re-register the shares out of the deceased shareholder's account. The form is signed with a Medallion Signature Guarantee and mailed to EQ Shareowner Services with a copy of the death certificate, an Affidavit of Domicile, and the estate documents that apply to the account. Once the paperwork is received in good order, the transfer is typically completed within five business days.
EQ requires the signed Transfer of Ownership form (with a Medallion Signature Guarantee), a copy of the death certificate, and a Certificate of Appointment (Letters) dated within 90 days (within 6 months for New York, within 1 year for Connecticut) or the Small Estate Affidavit of the state where the shareholder was domiciled. An Affidavit of Domicile (a notarized sworn statement) is required when transferring a deceased shareholder's shares, along with an Inheritance Tax Waiver if the decedent's state requires one and a Substitute Form W-9 for the new account.
A Transfer on Death (TOD) registration names one beneficiary per account, and on the death of the owner the shares pass to that beneficiary. To claim them, the TOD beneficiary completes the Transfer of Ownership form (with a Medallion Signature Guarantee), a copy of the death certificate, and an Inheritance Tax Waiver if the decedent's state requires one. TOD registration is available to US residents only.
Shares registered to a single individual, with no joint owner and no TOD beneficiary, are subject to probate on the owner's death. The estate's court-appointed executor or personal representative uses the Transfer of Ownership form to transfer or re-register the shares, and provides the Certificate of Appointment (Letters) or, where the estate qualifies, the Small Estate Affidavit of the decedent's state of domicile.
AST's EQ Shareowner Services - Deceased Shareholder Transfers can be reached by phone at 1-800-468-9716 for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from AST primary sources (10 pages reviewed). How we research.
EQ Shareowner Services (formerly AST)
EQ Shareowner Services, PO Box 64874, Saint Paul, MN 55164-0874
EQ Shareowner Services - Transfers
EQ Shareowner Services, PO Box 64874, Saint Paul, MN 55164-0874
EQ Shareowner Services - Deceased Shareholder Transfers
EQ Shareowner Services, PO Box 64874, Saint Paul, MN 55164-0874
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