What to do when a Continental Stock Transfer account holder dies
Contact Continental Stock Transfer — 5-step process, 8 required documents, and a few weeks after continental receives the completed stock power and all required estate documents; missing or incorrect documents are the most common reason a transfer is delayed
Shareholder Services
Phone1-212-509-5586
Toll-Free1-800-509-5586
Mailing Address
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, 1 State Street, 30th Floor, New York, NY 10004-1561
Boxabl shareholders
Old National Bank shareholders
Sonoco shareholders
WebsiteLearn more→
Shareholder Services
Phone1-212-509-5586
Toll-Free1-800-509-5586
Mailing Address
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, 1 State Street, 30th Floor, New York, NY 10004-1561
Boxabl shareholders
Old National Bank shareholders
Sonoco shareholders
WebsiteLearn more→
Shareholder Services / Reorganization (Deceased Shareholder / Estate Transfers)
Phone1-212-509-5586
Toll-Free1-800-509-5586
Mailing Address
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, Attn: Reorganization, 1 State Street, 30th Floor, New York, NY 10004-1561
Verified Jul 2026
When a Continental Stock Transfer account holder passes away, the next step depends on how the registered shareholdings 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 Continental Stock Transfer's Shareholder Services / Reorganization (Deceased Shareholder / Estate Transfers) (1-212-509-5586) to access and distribute the funds.
To start a claim, contact Continental Stock Transfer by phone at 1-212-509-5586 or email documentation to cstmail@continentalstock.com. You will need the account holder's full name, account numbers, and a certified death certificate.
Death claim process
To file a claim after an account holder's death, here is what Continental Stock Transfer requires:
Filing a claim
1
Identify the account and confirm whether the shares are held in book-entry (DRS) form or as a physical certificate, and whether the registration is individual, joint, TOD, or trust
2
Gather the estate documents required to transfer a deceased shareholder's shares:
- For a probate estate: a probate-court-certified copy of the certificate of appointment (Letters Testamentary, Letters of Administration, or equivalent) of the personal representative, dated within 60 days of the transfer request (6 months for New York estates)
- For a small estate under the state limit: an official, notarized Small Estate Affidavit as prescribed by the laws of the decedent's state of legal domicile, dated within 60 days, with a certified copy of the death certificate
- A notarized Affidavit of Domicile executed by the personal representative
- A state inheritance tax waiver, if required based on the state and the date of death
3
Complete the transfer package:
- A Stock Power endorsed by the personal representative with a medallion signature guarantee
- A signed instruction letter naming each transferee with address, Social Security or taxpayer identification number, and the number of shares to each
- A Substitute IRS Form W-9 completed for each transferee
4
Enclose the original stock certificates, if any (book-entry / DRS holdings are identified by the account and transaction statement)
5
Mail the completed package to Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, Attn: Reorganization, 1 State Street, 30th Floor, New York, NY 10004-1561
Required Documents
- Probate-court-certified certificate of appointment (Letters Testamentary / Letters of Administration or equivalent), dated within 60 days of the request (6 months for New York) — OR a notarized Small Estate Affidavit as prescribed by the decedent's state, dated within 60 days, with a certified death certificate
- Stock Power with medallion signature guarantee endorsement of the personal representative
- Notarized Affidavit of Domicile executed by the personal representative
- Signed instruction letter (transferee names, addresses, SSN/TIN, and share amounts)
- Substitute IRS Form W-9 for each transferee
- State inheritance tax waiver, if applicable
- Original stock certificates (for certificated holdings)
- First and last pages of the trust agreement (when a transferee is a trust)
What to know at this institution
Continental requires the court appointment (or small estate affidavit) to be recent — within 60 days of the transfer request, and within 6 months for New York estates. A medallion signature guarantee, not a notary seal, is required on the Stock Power. Shares can remain in book-entry (DRS) form in the new owner's or trust's account after transfer, or be sold.
Prepare your letter of instruction to Continental Stock Transfer
Continental Stock Transfer accepts a claimant-drafted letter of instruction. We draft it for you — addressed to Continental Stock Transfer's verified claims department, with the documents it requires enclosed.
Build your letter of instructionExpected timelines at Continental Stock Transfer: A few weeks after Continental receives the completed Stock Power and all required estate documents; missing or incorrect documents are the most common reason a transfer is delayed. 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 Continental Stock Transfer includes Probate-court-certified certificate of appointment (Letters Testamentary / Letters of Administration or equivalent), dated within 60 days of the request (6 months for New York) — OR a notarized Small Estate Affidavit as prescribed by the decedent's state, dated within 60 days, with a certified death certificate, Stock Power with medallion signature guarantee endorsement of the personal representative, and Notarized Affidavit of Domicile executed by the personal representative, along with additional paperwork that varies by account type. All death certificates and court documents must be certified copies.
Frequently asked questions
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company keeps the official shareholder register for the company whose stock the deceased owned. When shares are held directly on that register — as directly registered book-entry shares through the Direct Registration System (DRS) or as a paper certificate — rather than inside a brokerage account, the estate transfers or sells them by working with the transfer agent. There is no broker in between, so the executor deals with Continental directly.
Continental requires a Stock Power endorsed with a medallion signature guarantee, a probate-court-certified copy of the personal representative's appointment (Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration) dated within 60 days of the request (6 months for New York), a notarized Affidavit of Domicile, a signed instruction letter naming each transferee with address, SSN or TIN, and share amounts, and a Substitute IRS Form W-9 for each transferee. The completed package is mailed to Continental at 1 State Street, New York.
A medallion signature guarantee is a stamp that certifies the signature on a securities transfer. Continental requires it on the Stock Power for a deceased-shareholder transfer, and when adding a name to a joint tenancy account. Get it from a qualified financial institution in the medallion program, such as a bank, credit union, or US stockbroker. A notary seal is not accepted in place of a medallion.
Yes. For an estate under the state limit, Continental accepts an official, notarized Small Estate Affidavit as prescribed by the laws of the decedent's state of legal domicile, dated within 60 days, along with a certified copy of the death certificate, in place of the court-issued Letters. The remaining transfer documents — the medallion-guaranteed Stock Power, notarized Affidavit of Domicile, instruction letter, and Form W-9 for each transferee — are still required.
An Affidavit of Domicile is a notarized statement of the decedent's state of legal residence at the time of death, signed by the personal representative. Continental uses it to transfer the shares under the laws of the decedent's home state and to determine whether a state inheritance tax waiver applies. The form is available in Continental's online Form Library.
Shares registered jointly with right of survivorship pass to the surviving joint holder at death. Shares registered in Transfer on Death (TOD) form — for example "Mary Smith TOD Jane Smith Subject to STA TOD Rules" — pass to the named beneficiary outside probate. Until the owner's death the TOD beneficiary has no rights to the shares. TOD registration is available only to natural persons.
Continental Stock Transfer's Shareholder Services / Reorganization (Deceased Shareholder / Estate Transfers) can be reached by phone at 1-800-509-5586 and email at cstmail@continentalstock.com for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from Continental Stock Transfer primary sources (6 pages reviewed). How we research.
Shareholder Services
Phone1-212-509-5586
Toll-Free1-800-509-5586
Mailing Address
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, 1 State Street, 30th Floor, New York, NY 10004-1561
Boxabl shareholders
Old National Bank shareholders
Sonoco shareholders
WebsiteLearn more→
Shareholder Services
Phone1-212-509-5586
Toll-Free1-800-509-5586
Mailing Address
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, 1 State Street, 30th Floor, New York, NY 10004-1561
Boxabl shareholders
Old National Bank shareholders
Sonoco shareholders
WebsiteLearn more→
Shareholder Services / Reorganization (Deceased Shareholder / Estate Transfers)
Phone1-212-509-5586
Toll-Free1-800-509-5586
Mailing Address
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, Attn: Reorganization, 1 State Street, 30th Floor, New York, NY 10004-1561
Verified Jul 2026
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