What to do when a Fidelity account holder dies
Contact Fidelity — 5-step process, 7 required documents, and varies by account type and documentation provided
Customer Service
Fidelity Investments, P.O. Box 770001, Cincinnati, OH 45277-0002
Customer Service
Fidelity Investments, P.O. Box 770001, Cincinnati, OH 45277-0002
Death Claims / Beneficiary Distribution
Fidelity Investments, P.O. Box 770001, Cincinnati, OH 45277-0039
When an account holder at Fidelity passes away, the next step depends on how the investment 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 Fidelity's Death Claims / Beneficiary Distribution (1-800-522-7297) to access and distribute the funds.
Fidelity 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.
Death claim process
To file a claim after an account holder's death, here is what Fidelity requires:
Filing a claim
- Named beneficiary: provide existing Fidelity account number or complete new account application
- Estate/probate: provide Letters of Appointment (certified within 90 days) or Small Estate Affidavit
- State tax waiver if required by your state
Required Documents
- Certified death certificate
- Valid government-issued ID for beneficiary or executor
- Existing Fidelity account number OR new account application
- Letters of Appointment (certified within 90 days) if probate required
- Small Estate Affidavit if eligible under state law
- State tax waiver if required
- Signature guarantee if transferring to non-estate registration
Claims Contact
What to know at this institution
You can start the death notification online without death certificates or account numbers. Fidelity will restrict account access immediately for security. For retirement account inheritance, call Transition Services at 800-544-0003. Express mail address: Fidelity Investments, 100 Crosby Parkway KC2Q, Covington, KY 41015.
Prepare your letter of instruction to Fidelity
Fidelity 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 instructionProcessing timelines at Fidelity: Varies by account type and documentation provided. Incomplete documentation is the most common cause of delays—submitting all required documents with the initial claim helps avoid additional processing time.
Documentation required by Fidelity includes Certified death certificate, Valid government-issued ID for beneficiary or executor, and Existing Fidelity account number OR new account application, along with additional paperwork that varies by account type. All death certificates and court documents must be certified copies.
Frequently asked questions
If no beneficiaries are designated (or all named beneficiaries have predeceased the owner), the account goes through probate. The estate representative must provide Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (certified within 90 days) to Fidelity Transition Services at 800-544-0003 before assets can be transferred. Probate can take months depending on state law and estate complexity.
Yes. Fidelity allows a trust to be named as primary or contingent beneficiary of an IRA using the Beneficiaries - IRA/HSA designation form. The IRA itself cannot be titled in the name of the trust because IRAs must be owned by an individual, but naming the trust as beneficiary directs the account to the trust at death. Provide the trust name, date established, and tax ID number on the beneficiary form. Naming a trust may affect required minimum distribution rules for inherited IRAs, so review with a tax advisor.
Log in to Fidelity.com, select your profile icon, and navigate to the Beneficiaries page under Your Profile. Select the brokerage account and add primary and contingent beneficiaries with percentage allocations totaling 100%. Alternatively, download and mail the Beneficiaries - Nonretirement Transfer on Death form, or call 800-343-3548. Not all account types are eligible for electronic updates online.
No. A revocable living trust generally does not need its own Employer Identification Number (EIN) while the grantor is living - the grantor's Social Security number is used and income is reported on the grantor's personal tax return. An EIN is typically required after the grantor's death when the trust becomes irrevocable, or for irrevocable trusts at formation.
Start online at digital.fidelity.com/prgw/digital/transitionservices/notify-of-death/ - death certificates and account numbers are not required to begin the notification. Alternatively, call Fidelity at 800-522-7297 (Mon-Fri, 8:30 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. ET) or Transition Services at 800-544-0003 for retirement accounts. Fidelity will restrict account access immediately for security and guide you through the documentation required based on your role (beneficiary, executor, successor trustee).
No. Fidelity 529 College Savings Accounts cannot be retitled to a trust and do not use the TOD form. Instead, 529 plans use a successor participant designation - one primary and one contingent successor per account - who takes over account control if the original participant dies. Call Fidelity at 800-544-1914 for 529 plan assistance.
Fidelity's Death Claims / Beneficiary Distribution can be reached by phone at 1-800-522-7297 for questions throughout the claims process.
If the deceased held multiple Fidelity investment accounts, each may require a separate claim or have different documentation requirements. The Death Claims / Beneficiary Distribution can confirm which accounts require individual attention and which can be processed together.
Sources
Data sourced from Fidelity primary sources (17 pages reviewed). How we research.
Customer Service
Fidelity Investments, P.O. Box 770001, Cincinnati, OH 45277-0002
Customer Service
Fidelity Investments, P.O. Box 770001, Cincinnati, OH 45277-0002
Death Claims / Beneficiary Distribution
Fidelity Investments, P.O. Box 770001, Cincinnati, OH 45277-0039
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