What to do when a Chase account holder dies
Contact Chase's Estate Services — 8-step process, 6 required documents, and most transfers complete within a few weeks, depending on account type and documentation. probated estates depend on court timelines. for transfer-on-death (tod) investment accounts, beneficiaries must make a claim within 6 months of the account holder's death (per the j.p. morgan securities transfer on death agreement).
Customer Service
Estate Services
Chase, Mail Code LA4-6555, 700 Kansas Lane, Monroe, LA 71203
Estate Services - Retail & Card
Chase, Mail Code LA4-6555, 700 Kansas Lane, Monroe, LA 71203
When an account holder at Chase passes away, the next step depends on how the accounts were set up. Accounts with beneficiary designations or trust ownership transfer outside of probate. Accounts titled solely in the deceased's name require the estate's legal representative to work with Chase's Estate Services - Retail & Card (1-866-926-6909) to access and distribute the funds.
Chase 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.
Deposit, investment & retirement accounts
Follow these steps to file a death claim with Chase:
Filing a claim
- Death certificate
- Proof of ID
- Relationship to deceased
- Deceased's SSN or account number
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if probate required)
- Small Estate Affidavit (if estate qualifies under state law)
- Beneficiary claim documentation (if named beneficiary)
Required Documents
- Death certificate (legible photocopy accepted; certified copy with visible seal may be required for investment accounts)
- Government-issued photo ID (passport, driver's license, or state-issued ID)
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if probate required; must be dated within 12 months for investment accounts)
- Small Estate Affidavit (if estate qualifies under state law)
- Proof of relationship to deceased
- Payment distribution forms (provided by Chase after initial notification)
Claims Contact
What to know at this institution
Department-specific estate contacts: Retail/Card accounts: 1-866-926-6909 (Mon-Fri 8 AM-9 PM ET). Auto accounts: 1-877-828-4771 (Mon-Fri 9 AM-5:30 PM ET). Home Lending: 1-866-299-6752 (Mon-Fri 8 AM-8 PM ET). J.P. Morgan Investment accounts: 1-800-648-4782 (Mon-Fri 8 AM-9 PM ET). Inheritance/Advisor Assistance: 1-855-256-2178 (Mon-Fri 8 AM-9 PM ET). Mailing address for estate documents: Chase, Mail Code LA4-6555, 700 Kansas Lane, Monroe, LA 71203. Fax: (614) 422-7575 (free from any Chase branch).
Mortgage and home lending
Mortgages and home equity loans are liabilities, not assets. They do not have beneficiaries and cannot be retitled to a trust. When a borrower dies, the loan obligation transfers with the property to whoever inherits it. Under the federal Garn-St. Germain Act, the lender cannot accelerate the loan or call it due when the property transfers to a surviving spouse, child, or the borrower’s revocable trust.
- Trust agreement (if applicable)
- Appointment of executor or Letters Testamentary
- Will or other testamentary document
- Deed to the property
- Surviving co-borrower
- Successor in interest (heir)
- Fiduciary (executor/administrator)
- Successor trustee
- Co-borrower: request removal of the deceased borrower's name from loan correspondence
- Successor in interest: complete the Successor in Interest application kit provided by Chase
- Court-appointed fiduciary: submit Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration to be added to the account
- Successor trustee: submit trust documents to gain account access
- Continue making payments
- Apply for loan assumption
- Refinance in your own name
- Pay off the loan
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID for the claimant
- Deed to the property or other proof of ownership interest
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if court-appointed fiduciary)
- Trust agreement (if property held in trust)
- Will or other testamentary document (if applicable)
- Small Estate Affidavit or declaration effectuating transfer without probate (if applicable under state law)
- Completed estate services kit forms (provided by Chase after initial notification)
What to know at this institution
Under the federal Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act of 1982 (12 U.S.C. 1701j-3), Chase cannot enforce a due-on-sale clause when the property transfers to a surviving spouse, child, or relative of the deceased borrower, or to the borrower's revocable living trust. Heirs who inherit the property are not required to assume the loan or qualify for credit to continue making payments. Chase provides downloadable estate services kits for four scenarios: removing a deceased borrower's name, adding a successor in interest, adding a fiduciary, and adding a successor trustee. Photocopies of supporting documents are accepted. Faxing is available at no cost from any Chase branch. If no action is taken, the account remains in the deceased borrower's name.
Prepare your letter of instruction to Chase
Chase 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 instructionOpening an account for the estate itself
Checks made out to the estate deposit into an account titled to the estate, opened by the appointed executor or administrator under the estate's EIN.
How to open an estate account at Chase →Expected timelines at Chase: Most transfers complete within a few weeks, depending on account type and documentation. Probated estates depend on court timelines. For transfer-on-death (TOD) investment accounts, beneficiaries must make a claim within 6 months of the account holder's death (per the J.P. Morgan Securities Transfer on Death Agreement). Delays are almost always caused by incomplete paperwork—gathering all required documents before filing the initial claim helps avoid back-and-forth.
Documentation required by Chase includes Death certificate (legible photocopy accepted; certified copy with visible seal may be required for investment accounts), Government-issued photo ID (passport, driver's license, or state-issued ID), and Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if probate required; must be dated within 12 months for investment accounts), along with additional paperwork that varies by account type. All death certificates and court documents must be certified copies.
Frequently asked questions
You notify Chase by calling the estate services line at 1-866-926-6909 (Monday-Friday 8 AM to 9 PM ET) or by visiting any Chase branch -- these are the two ways to get started listed on chase.com/personal/estate-services. Chase does not offer a self-service online death-notification form for retail and card accounts (J.P. Morgan investment customers can request a call-back through an online form). Anyone can notify Chase regardless of relationship. You'll need the death certificate, your ID, your relationship to the deceased, and the deceased's SSN or account number.
No. For deposit accounts (checking, savings, CDs), you must visit a Chase branch in person to add a Payable on Death (POD) beneficiary; you can schedule the branch meeting in advance. Bring government-issued photo ID and the beneficiary's first and last name, phone number, and address. For investment and retirement accounts, beneficiaries can be added or updated online via chase.com or the Chase Mobile app through the Beneficiary center under Profile & Settings.
Chase credit card balances are a liability of the deceased's estate, not individual beneficiaries or family members. The estate pays off debts before distributing assets to beneficiaries. If the estate does not have sufficient assets, beneficiaries are generally not responsible for the remaining credit card debt. Authorized users are not responsible for the deceased primary cardholder's balance. Notify Chase at 1-866-926-6909 as soon as possible to stop interest from accruing and prevent additional fees.
If there is a surviving co-borrower, they remain on the account and continue making payments. If there is no living customer on the account, the estate representative should call Chase Auto at 1-877-828-4771 (Mon-Fri 9 AM-5:30 PM ET) to discuss options. Documentation identifying the estate representative can be emailed to caf.probate@chase.com. When the loan is paid off, the title and/or lien release is sent to the address on file, and the family works with the state Bureau of Motor Vehicles to transfer ownership.
For J.P. Morgan investment accounts (brokerage and IRA), Chase requires a copy of the death certificate with a visible seal, government-issued photo ID, and a copy of the court appointment (Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration) dated within 12 months with a visible court seal (if probate is required). Beneficiaries on transfer-on-death (TOD) accounts must make a claim within 6 months of the account holder's death. Contact J.P. Morgan Estate Services at 1-800-648-4782 (Mon-Fri 8 AM-9 PM ET).
Yes. When retitling a Chase deposit account (checking, savings, CD) to a revocable living trust, any existing POD (Payable on Death) designations must be revoked first. Trust accounts cannot have POD beneficiaries -- the trust agreement governs distribution. Visit a Chase branch with your trust document and government ID to complete the retitling process.
Chase's Estate Services - Retail & Card can be reached by phone at 1-866-926-6909, email at caf.probate@chase.com, and fax at (614) 422-7575 for questions throughout the claims process.
If the deceased held multiple Chase accounts, each may require a separate claim or have different documentation requirements. The Estate Services - Retail & Card can confirm which accounts require individual attention and which can be processed together.
Sources
Data sourced from Chase primary sources (28 pages reviewed). How we research.
Customer Service
Estate Services
Chase, Mail Code LA4-6555, 700 Kansas Lane, Monroe, LA 71203
Estate Services - Retail & Card
Chase, Mail Code LA4-6555, 700 Kansas Lane, Monroe, LA 71203
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