What to do when a Discover account holder dies
Report the death to Discover's Beneficiary Care Team at 1-800-975-0162
Discover is now part of Capital OneAcquired, effective May 2025
Discover Bank merged into Capital One, N.A. on May 18, 2025 and now trades as "Discover, a division of Capital One, N.A." Re-verified 2026-09-11: the Discover brand is still SERVICED, not absorbed, for estate purposes. Discover.com still publishes its own Deposit Account Agreement (rev BK.DBATAGT.L.0126, (c)2026, with change notices effective May 17, 2026 and October 8, 2026), its own Forms and Documents feed, its own Secure Document Upload portal, and its own Beneficiary Care Team at 1-800-975-0162 -- and capitalone.com/help-center/discover-faqs/ tells Discover customers "For Discover accounts, please continue to contact Discover." What HAS gone is new business: every discover.com deposit product and application page 301-redirects to capitalone.com, and bank.discover.com/ now 301s to www.discover.com/online-banking/. Deposits became jointly FDIC-insured with Capital One on November 18, 2025, and savings accounts are migrating to Capital One 360 Performance Savings on a rolling per-customer schedule (same account number, new routing number, notice sent by email or letter before the move). So an executor today may find the decedent held a still-Discover account, an already-migrated Capital One 360 account, or both. Routing splits accordingly: Discover-branded deposit accounts to the Discover Beneficiary Care Team (1-800-975-0162), any Capital One product to Capital One's Estates Servicing Team (1-877-357-5659), and a Discover credit card to Discover's Deceased Account Services Specialists (1-800-347-5519).
After an account holder at Discover 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 Discover's Beneficiary Care Team at 1-800-975-0162 with the proper legal authority documents.
Death claim process
To file a claim after an account holder's death, here is what Discover requires:
Filing a claim
- A handwritten letter is also accepted. If the requestor is an entity, the instructions go on the entity's letterhead
- Upload at Secure Document Upload, choosing "Deceased Handling Documents"
- Fax to 1-224-813-5244, Attn: Beneficiary Care Team
- Mail to Discover, PO Box 30394, Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0394
- Overnight mail to Discover, 5420 West 1730 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84104
- Send copies; documents submitted are not returned
- The estate representative can pay the balance by calling 1-800-347-5519, or by returning the statement payment stub in the enclosed envelope with the account number
- For recurring charges, contact the merchant, or dispute posted charges through the Account Center
- A joint account holder, whose card stays active, should still report the death
- A handwritten letter is accepted. If the requestor is an entity, the instructions go on the entity's letterhead
- The requestor's address on the form must be a physical address. PO Boxes are not accepted
- Certified death certificate
- Completed W-9
- Government-issued ID
- For an account without a POD beneficiary: certified Letters of Office (certified within the last 12 months) or a Small Estate Affidavit (dated within the last 12 months)
- For a trust account: the Trustee Certification form, plus a Form W-9 executed by a trustee with the trust's taxpayer ID
- Standard mail: Discover, PO Box 30394, Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0394
- Overnight mail: Discover, 5420 West 1730 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84104
Required Documents
- Deceased Customer Account Letter of Instruction, or a handwritten letterStates how to disburse the funds and gives the requestor's full legal name, SSN or TIN, date of birth, mother's maiden name, physical address and phone number.
- Letter of Instruction on the entity's letterhead, if the requestor is an entityGives the entity's EIN, acting officer, physical address and phone number.
- Certified copy of the death certificateMust be legible. Send copies; originals are not returned.
- Death certificate, to report a death on a Discover credit cardNot needed. Discover verifies the death itself once it is notified.
- Form W-9Completed and signed by each individual or entity claiming funds. For an estate, executed by the estate representative with the estate's EIN; for a trust, by a trustee with the trust's taxpayer ID.
- Government-issued ID, for a POD beneficiary or the estate representative
- Certified Letters of Office (Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration), for an account without a POD beneficiaryCertified within the last 12 months.
- Small Estate Affidavit, in place of Letters of OfficeDated within the last 12 months. The person receiving the funds provides the Form W-9.
- Trustee Certification form, trust documents and trustee identification, for a trust accountThe Trustee Certification form is required when adding or removing trustees on an existing trust account.
- Proof of the entity, an officer's request and a corporate resolution, if the claimant is an entityArticles of Incorporation or other proof of good standing with the state, a written request from an officer on entity letterhead, and a resolution signed by the corporate or assistant corporate secretary.
- IRA Deceased Customer Letter of Instruction, for an IRA
- IRA Election of Payment by Beneficiary Form, for an IRA paid as a lump sumThere are two versions, by date of death: owner passed before 1/1/2020, or 1/1/2020 or later.
- IRA or Inherited IRA Application, signature card and Election of Payment form, to keep the funds at Discover: a spouse beneficiary files an IRA Application, a non-spouse an Inherited IRA Application
- The receiving institution's signed and dated transfer form, to move IRA funds to an IRA at another institution
Claims Contact
Website: Online portal →
Forms Discover issues3
- Deceased Customer Account Letter of Instruction
Completed by the requestor, including a trustee or executor. Available to download.1
- IRA Election of Payment by Beneficiary Form (IRA Owner Passed Before 1/1/2020)
Completed by a beneficiary taking an IRA as a lump sum. Available to download.1
- IRA Election of Payment by Beneficiary Form (IRA Owner Passed 1/1/2020 or later)
Completed by a beneficiary taking an IRA as a lump sum. Available to download.1
What happens to each kind of account5
- Payable-on-death account
A POD beneficiary takes only if living when all owners have died. A predeceased beneficiary's share goes pro rata to the surviving beneficiaries, and if none survives, "title to the Account will vest in the estate of the last surviving Account owner."2
- Joint account with survivorship
Joint accounts are held only as joint tenancy with right of survivorship; Discover does not offer tenancy in common or tenancy by the entirety. The balance passes to the surviving joint owner before any POD beneficiary is reached.2
- Certificate of deposit
Discover does not charge an Early Withdrawal Penalty on a CD "for withdrawals following the death of an owner," subject to supporting documentation satisfactory to Discover.2
- IRA
An IRA runs a separate process with its own IRA Deceased Customer Letter of Instruction. A lump sum, keeping the funds at Discover, and moving them to another institution each take their own forms.3
"Discover does not accept Inherited IRA funds from other financial institutions." Discover IRA assets for the same decedent can be combined in one Inherited IRA; assets for different decedents may not be.3
To open an Inherited Traditional or Roth IRA plan, the beneficiary calls the Beneficiary Care Team rather than applying online.1
- Credit card
Once Discover is notified, the account is closed and the card is no longer active, which stops most new charges. An authorized user's card also goes inactive; a joint account holder's card stays active and that holder becomes the new primary on the account.4
Discover collects the unpaid balance only from the deceased cardmember's estate, and states survivors are not required to use individual or jointly owned assets to pay it.4
Accounts handled elsewhere2
- Capital One Estates Servicing Team
Capital One products, including a Discover savings account that has moved to Capital One1
Phone: 1-877-357-5659
Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-8:00 PM ET
- Discover Deceased Account Services
Discover credit cards4
Phone: 1-800-347-5519
What Discover's agreement and guidance say7
- What it does when notified
The agreement says: "In the event of your death, we will not release funds on deposit until all legal documents we require are delivered to us."2
- Powers of attorney
A power of attorney ends at death. The Attorney-in-Fact "must notify us immediately upon learning of the principal's death," and Discover may rely on a power of attorney until it receives notice of revocation or termination.2
- Deposits after the death
Discover "may debit your Account balance, or debit any other Account you own" to return federal benefits or other payments deposited after the holder became ineligible, such as a Social Security payment that arrived after the death.2
- Payments after the death
Discover reserves the right to pay a check more than six months old.2
- Which state governs the account
The account "is being opened in and is located in Delaware", and the agreement is "governed by Virginia and Federal law".2
- How proceeds are paid
Discover pays by check, ACH, or internal transfer to a Discover transactional account. Where the estate goes through probate, the funds are made payable to the estate; under a Small Estate Affidavit, they are paid as the affidavit directs.1
- Accounts from a merged institution
Discover savings accounts are moving to Capital One 360 Performance Savings on a rolling, per-customer schedule. A migrated account is settled by Capital One, not by Discover.1
Not in Discover's published guidance2
- How long a claim takes
- A claim form, for lending products
Sources4
Discover's Beneficiary Care Team can be reached by phone at 1-800-975-0162 and fax at 1-224-813-5244 for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from Discover primary sources (15 pages reviewed). How we research.
Discover death claims support
Beneficiary Care Team
Phone
Toll-free
Capital One Estates Servicing Team
Discover Card Deceased Account Services
Fax
Hours
Mailing address
Website
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