How to report a death to Equifax
Notifying Equifax of a death moves no money — it protects the deceased person's identity and maps the estate's debts. Equifax records the death on the credit file, and the executor can request a copy of the credit report to see every open account the estate has to settle.
Before contacting Equifax, have the account holder's full name, date of birth, and any available account numbers ready.
Reporting a death
Here is the step-by-step death claim process at Equifax:
Reporting the death
- Legal name
- Social Security number
- Date of birth
- Date of death
- Your name and your mailing address, which is where Equifax sends final confirmation
- A copy of your identification, such as a driver's license or other government-issued identification
- If you are not the spouse, court documents authorizing you to legally act on the deceased person's behalf
Required Documents
- Copy of the death certificateEquifax asks for "a copy of the death certificate"; its instructions do not ask for a certified copy.
- A letter with the deceased person's detailsLegal name, Social Security number, date of birth and date of death.
- Your name and mailing addressEquifax sends final confirmation of the deceased notice to this address.
- A copy of your identificationSuch as a driver's license or other government-issued identification.
- Court documents authorizing you to act for the deceased person, if you are not the spouse
- Copy of the death certificate or letters testamentary, to request the deceased person's credit reportEquifax describes letters testamentary as a document issued by a court or public official authorizing the executor of a will to take control of a deceased person's estate.
- Court order or other document showing you are the executor, for a credit report request by an executor
- The deceased person's last known address, to request the deceased person's credit report
What happens to each kind of account1
- Credit file
Nothing is claimed from Equifax: it holds a credit file, not money. Equifax states that "Equifax Information Services LLC maintains your credit file".1
Equifax notes that not all lenders and creditors report to all three bureaus, so one bureau's report can miss accounts that another shows.2
What Equifax provides to the estate1
- List of the deceased person's accounts
A copy of the deceased person's credit report, which shows the estate's open accounts and debts, can be requested from Equifax at the same address. The deceased notice passes between bureaus, but a report request does not: each bureau is asked separately.3
Equifax says lenders and creditors may need to be told of the death and that the accounts need to be closed, even with a zero balance; their contact information is on the credit report. A lender may ask for a copy of the death certificate and other legal documents, and a joint account may remain open.4
What Equifax's agreement and guidance say2
- Telling the institution
Equifax states that the nationwide credit bureaus are typically notified of a death by the Social Security Administration, and that if they are not, someone needs to contact at least one bureau.5
Equifax encourages estate executors and court-appointed designees to contact at least one of the three nationwide bureaus so the deceased person's credit report can be flagged.4
- What it does when notified
When one bureau adds a deceased notice to the credit file, it notifies the other two, so the notice itself does not have to be sent to all three bureaus.2
Equifax says a creditor who accesses the deceased person's credit report "should be" shown the deceased notice.4
Equifax says the deceased notice "prevents lenders from issuing new credit in the deceased's name."5
Not in Equifax's published guidance1
- How long a claim takes
Sources5
Sources
Data sourced from Equifax primary sources (10 pages reviewed). How we research.
Equifax death claims support
Mailing address
Website
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