What to do when a Discover account holder dies
Contact Discover's Trust Account Setup / Documentation Specialists — 7-step process, 10 required documents, and 10 business days after receiving complete documentation
Brand change
Discover Bank merged into Capital One, N.A. on May 18, 2025 and now operates as Discover, a division of Capital One, N.A. Existing Discover deposit accounts continue to be serviced under the Discover brand and are winding down: no new Discover-branded deposit accounts are opened as of January 2026, savings accounts are transitioning to Capital One 360 Performance Savings, and full consolidation is expected around 2027-2028. Discover-branded account estate claims are handled by the Discover Beneficiary Care Team; any Capital One product held by the same decedent is settled separately by Capital One's Estates Servicing Team. Effective May 2025.
Discover is now part of Capital One. The procedures below reflect Discover's accounts during the transition. View the Capital One estate planning page.
Discover, PO Box 30416, Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0416
Trust Account Setup / Documentation Specialists
Beneficiary Care Team
Discover, PO Box 30394, Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0394
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 claims at Discover can be started through an online portal, which streamlines the initial notification and document upload. Phone and mail options are also available.
Death claim process
To file a claim after an account holder's death, here is what Discover requires:
Filing a claim
- Download from discover.com/online-banking/forms-docs/ or write a handwritten letter on entity letterhead if applicable
- Complete with fund disbursement instructions
- Certified death certificate and completed W-9 (all claims)
- For POD accounts: beneficiary provides government-issued ID
- For non-POD accounts: executor provides Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration
- For Small Estate Affidavit: funds paid as directed in the affidavit
- For trust beneficiaries: provide trust documents and trustee identification
- Upload at discover.com/online-banking/secure-document-upload/ (select "Deceased Handling Documents")
- Fax to 1-224-813-5244
- Or mail to Discover, PO Box 30394, Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0394
- Report the death to Discover's Deceased Account Services Specialists at 1-800-347-5519 — this is the card-side team, distinct from the deposit-side Beneficiary Care Team (1-800-975-0162)
- Give the card account number; Discover verifies the death internally and does not require a certified death certificate to be notified (a life-insurance/death-benefit claim processor may require one separately)
- On notification the account is closed and the card is no longer active, which stops most new charges; the executor should shred the card, and for recurring charges contact the merchant or dispute posted charges through the Account Center
- Discover collects the unpaid balance only from the estate's assets; the estate representative can make a payment by calling 1-800-347-5519 or by returning the statement payment stub in the enclosed envelope (include the account number)
- 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, and should still notify Discover of the death
Required Documents
- Completed Letter of Instruction (downloadable from discover.com/online-banking/forms-docs/ or handwritten). It must state how to disburse the funds and, for an individual requestor including trustees and executors, give full legal name, SSN or TIN, date of birth, mother's maiden name, physical address, and phone number. For an entity requestor, it must be on the entity's letterhead and give the entity's EIN, acting officer, physical address, and phone number.
- Legible, certified copy of death certificate (copies only; originals are not returned)
- Completed and signed Form W-9 for each individual or entity claiming funds
- Government-issued ID for beneficiary or estate representative
- Estate: copy of certified Letters of Office, certified within the last 12 months, plus a Form W-9 executed by the estate representative with the estate's EIN
- Small Estate Affidavit dated within the last 12 months (in lieu of Letters of Office); the person receiving the funds must provide the Form W-9
- Trust: Trustee Certification form (required when adding or removing trustees on an existing trust account), plus a Form W-9 executed by a trustee with the trust's taxpayer ID
- Entity: Articles of Incorporation or other proof the entity is established and in 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 accounts only: IRA Deceased Customer Letter of Instruction, and the IRA Election of Payment by Beneficiary Form if taking a lump sum. A spouse beneficiary moving funds to an IRA or Inherited IRA at Discover files an IRA Application, signature card, and Election of Payment form; a non-spouse beneficiary files an Inherited IRA Application, signature card, and Election of Payment form. Moving funds to an IRA at another institution requires that institution's signed and dated transfer form.
- Discover credit card (card debt) only: to NOTIFY of the death, Discover states no certified death certificate is required — it verifies internally, and reporting is a phone call to Deceased Account Services at 1-800-347-5519 with the card account number. There is no dedicated Discover card deceased-notification form. A separate life-insurance/death-benefit claim, if any, may require a death certificate. (This is the card/debt side; it does not use the Letter of Instruction, W-9, or Letters of Office package required for a Discover Bank deposit claim.)
Claims Contact
What to know at this institution
Documents can be submitted three ways: upload at discover.com/online-banking/secure-document-upload/ (select "Deceased Handling Documents"), fax to 1-224-813-5244 (Attn: Beneficiary Care Team), or mail. Overnight mail address: Discover, 5420 West 1730 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84104. The Letter of Instruction must include the requestor's full legal name, SSN/TIN, date of birth, mother's maiden name, physical address, and phone (or, for an entity, EIN, acting officer, address, and phone). Estates must provide certified Letters of Office (certified within the last 12 months) or a Small Estate Affidavit (dated within 12 months), plus a Form W-9 executed with the estate's EIN; if estate goes through probate, funds are made payable to the Estate. IRA deceased accounts run a separate process with a dedicated IRA Deceased Customer Letter of Instruction: a lump-sum distribution requires the IRA Election of Payment by Beneficiary Form; a spouse beneficiary keeping the money at Discover files an IRA Application, signature card, and Election of Payment form, while a non-spouse beneficiary files an Inherited IRA Application, signature card, and Election of Payment form; moving the money to an IRA elsewhere requires the receiving institution's signed transfer form (per IRA_Deceased_Cust_Handling_Steps.pdf). Since the May 2025 merger, if the decedent also held a Capital One product, that product is settled separately by Capital One's Estates Servicing Team at 1-877-357-5659 (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. ET); the Discover Beneficiary Care Team (1-800-975-0162) handles only Discover-branded accounts. Funds can be disbursed via check, ACH, or internal transfer to a Discover transactional account. CARD DEBT (Discover credit card) is a distinct track and is NOT handled by the Beneficiary Care Team. Per discover.com/credit-cards/card-smarts/what-happens-credit-card-debt-die/ (verified 2026-07-25), a death on a Discover credit card is reported to Discover's Deceased Account Services Specialists at 1-800-347-5519, who close the account and finalize the balance. Discover states it does not need a certified death certificate to be notified — it verifies the information internally — and there is no dedicated card deceased-notification form. On notification the card is no longer active, which stops most new charges; an authorized user's card also goes inactive, while a joint account holder's card stays active and that holder becomes the new primary. 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 (a joint holder, co-signer, or surviving spouse in a community property state may still be responsible under state law). The estate representative can pay by calling 1-800-347-5519 or by returning the statement payment stub in the enclosed envelope with the account number. Discover-card correspondence now uses the Capital One card-servicing address (PO Box 71083, Charlotte, NC 28272-1083); general card customer service is 1-800-347-2683 (1-800-DISCOVER), outside the U.S. 1-224-888-7777.
Prepare your letter of instruction to Discover
Discover 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 Discover →How long the process takes at Discover: 10 business days after receiving complete documentation. 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 Discover includes Completed Letter of Instruction (downloadable from discover.com/online-banking/forms-docs/ or handwritten). It must state how to disburse the funds and, for an individual requestor including trustees and executors, give full legal name, SSN or TIN, date of birth, mother's maiden name, physical address, and phone number. For an entity requestor, it must be on the entity's letterhead and give the entity's EIN, acting officer, physical address, and phone number., Legible, certified copy of death certificate (copies only; originals are not returned), and Completed and signed Form W-9 for each individual or entity claiming funds, along with additional paperwork that varies by account type. All death certificates and court documents must be certified copies.
Frequently asked questions
Contact the Beneficiary Care Team at 1-800-975-0162 (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. ET). You will need a Letter of Instruction, certified death certificate, and completed W-9. Submit documents by uploading at discover.com/online-banking/secure-document-upload/ (select "Deceased Handling Documents"), faxing to 1-224-813-5244, or mailing to PO Box 30394, Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0394. Processing begins within 10 business days of receipt.
No. Discover Bank is an online-only bank with no physical branch locations. All account management, including beneficiary designations, trust account setup, and estate claims, is handled online, by phone, and by mail. Customer service is available at 1-800-347-7000. A dedicated Trust Account Setup line is available at 1-866-515-5283. Discover merged into Capital One, N.A. on May 18, 2025 and is no longer accepting new deposit account applications as of January 2026, but existing accounts continue to be serviced under the Discover brand.
IRA deceased accounts have a separate process from deposit accounts. Contact the Beneficiary Care Team at 1-800-975-0162. You will need the IRA Deceased Customer Letter of Instruction form (available at discover.com/online-banking/forms-docs/), a certified death certificate, Form W-9, and the IRA Election of Payment by Beneficiary form. Named IRA beneficiaries can elect distribution options based on their relationship to the deceased.
Discover Financial Services merged into Capital One, N.A. on May 18, 2025, and Discover deposit accounts became jointly FDIC-insured with Capital One on November 18, 2025. The Discover online-banking site now steers new applicants to Capital One 360 products (360 Performance Savings, 360 Checking, 360 CD); Discover-branded deposit accounts are no longer opened. Existing accounts continue to be serviced under the Discover brand, and savings accounts are gradually transitioning to Capital One 360 Performance Savings. For estate settlement, the routing now splits: Discover-branded accounts are handled by the Discover Beneficiary Care Team at 1-800-975-0162, while any Capital One product held by the same decedent is settled separately by Capital One's Estates Servicing Team at 1-877-357-5659. Beneficiary designations, trust account setup, and estate claims otherwise still follow Discover's existing procedures during the transition.
Report the death to Discover's Deceased Account Services Specialists at 1-800-347-5519. This is the card-side team, separate from the deposit-side Beneficiary Care Team (1-800-975-0162) that handles Discover Bank checking, savings, CD, money market, and IRA accounts. Give the card account number; Discover verifies the death internally and does not require a certified death certificate to be notified, and there is no dedicated card deceased-notification form. On notification the account is closed and the card is no longer active, which stops most new charges. The card balance is settled by Discover directly and is not part of the Discover Bank deposit estate claim.
The unpaid Discover card balance is a debt of the estate. Discover states it seeks payment only from the assets in the deceased cardmember's estate, and that survivors are not required to use their own individual or jointly owned assets to pay it. Exceptions can apply: a joint account holder, a co-signer, or a surviving spouse in one of the community property states (Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, and by agreement Alaska) may remain responsible under state law. The estate representative can make a payment by calling Deceased Account Services at 1-800-347-5519 or by returning the statement payment stub in the enclosed envelope with the account number.
An authorized user's Discover card is no longer active once Discover is notified of the primary cardmember's death; that card should be shredded. A joint account holder's card stays active, and the joint holder becomes the new primary name on the account, but should still notify Discover that the other account holder has died. A joint holder generally remains responsible for the balance on a jointly held account.
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.
Multiple Discover accounts may mean multiple claims. Some account types can be processed together, but others require their own documentation. Check with the Beneficiary Care Team to confirm what applies.
Sources
Data sourced from Discover primary sources (22 pages reviewed). How we research.
Discover, PO Box 30416, Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0416
Trust Account Setup / Documentation Specialists
Beneficiary Care Team
Discover, PO Box 30394, Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0394
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