What to do when a PSECU account holder dies
Report the death to PSECU's Decedent Department at 1-800-237-7328 ext. 3120
After a member of PSECU dies, the Decedent Department manages the transfer of accounts. POD-designated and trust-owned accounts pass directly to beneficiaries. Accounts held solely in the member's name may require probate court documents—Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration—before funds can be released.
Death claim process
Follow these steps to file a death claim with PSECU:
Filing a claim
- Mail: PSECU, P.O. Box 67013, Harrisburg, PA 17106, Attn: Decedent Department
- Email (with Form 4980): decedent@psecu.com
- In person: a PSECU service center location (Lemoyne, Cameron Street in Harrisburg, or State College)
Required Documents
- Copy of the original death certificateRequired in all cases.
- Original Pennsylvania Short Certificate or original Letters of Administration, as applicableDocuments may be returned to you if requested.
- Authorization to Close Decedent Account (Form 4980)Signed by the joint owner, executor, administrator, custodian, or all beneficiaries, as applicable.
- Copy of the Authorized Party's driver's license or state/government-issued photo ID, with Form 4980
- Copy of the paid funeral bill, if requested, for an individual account
- Copies for the Estate Account application (Form 2123), to open an Estate Account at PSECUA copy of the Short Certificate (Letters of Testamentary or Administration), a copy of the death certificate, and a copy of the IRS letter confirming the estate's EIN.
Forms PSECU issues2
- Authorization to Close Decedent Account (Form 4980)
Completed by the joint owner, executor, administrator, custodian, or all beneficiaries, as applicable. Available to download.1
- Estate Account Membership Application (Form 2123)
Completed by the Authorized Party. Available to download.2
What happens to each kind of account6
- Account in one name
Services are closed and all automatic payments are turned off once the death is verified. The Authorized Party completes an Authorization to Close Account form to finalize the process.3
- Joint account with survivorship
If the primary owner (the person whose Social Security number is used for tax reporting) died, the account must be closed for proper IRS reporting. Every Joint Owner named on the account signs the close-out form.3
Meanwhile the Joint Owner may keep writing checks and receiving Share information while moving to an existing PSECU account, another institution, or their own new PSECU membership. If any other owner died, the account may remain open; the deceased Joint Owner is removed and new checks or cards can be ordered.3
- Payable-on-death account
A Tentative Trust account passes to any surviving joint owner, otherwise to the primary beneficiaries, otherwise to the contingent beneficiaries.3
- Certificate of deposit
Certificates on a joint account are redeemed without penalty, or transferred as-is (same term and maturity) to a single Joint Owner's PSECU account. Certificates on accounts with multiple Joint Owners must be redeemed before transfer, with no penalty.3
- Loan
Staff review every loan. With no Co-Borrower, all open lines of credit are closed once the death is verified.3
- Credit card
An authorized user may not keep using the Visa card after the borrower's death.3
State requirements PSECU statesPennsylvania
- Pennsylvania
The executor is the one named in the Short Certificate, and the administrator the one named in Letters of Administration, both obtained through the county Register of Wills office.3
State law on paying a balance without lettersPennsylvania
- Pennsylvania
20 Pa.C.S. § 3101(b)
Pennsylvania law directs a credit union to pay from a deceased member's balance on an affidavit, without letters testamentary or letters of administration.20 Pa.C.S. § 3101(b)Verified Oct 3, 2026View source
Limit: $20,000 held at the institution
When: at any time after the death of a depositor, member or certificate holder
Paid to: the spouse; any child; the father or mother; any sister or brother
The section sets further conditions.
Accounts handled elsewhere1
- PSECU IRA Department
IRAs of a deceased member3
Phone: 1-800-237-7328 ext. 3570
What PSECU's agreement and guidance say7
- Telling the institution
PSECU may also learn of the death from a family member, the executor or administrator, the Social Security Administration, the Pennsylvania Department of Treasury, or the Department of Veterans Affairs.3
- Who can get account information
PSECU works with the Authorized Party, the person legally authorized to receive account information and perform transactions to close the account. On an individual account that is the executor, the administrator, or someone appointed by the courts.3
On a joint account it is the surviving Joint Owner, for the Shares and within the limits of their ownership rights; a Joint Owner has no access to a loan unless they are its Co-Borrower. A Co-Borrower acts for the loan they are on.3
- Powers of attorney
PSECU does not need a Power of Attorney: a POA ends at the principal's death.3
- Wills, probate and small estates
PSECU does not need an unexecuted will, which does not establish authority to act. Its staff may not provide legal advice, and it directs questions about a Short Certificate or Letters of Administration to your attorney.3
- Deposits after the death
Automatic deposits from the United States Treasury, including Social Security, Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, Railroad Pension and Black Lung payments, may be placed on hold and returned as the Treasury requires.3
Checks payable to the deceased person or the estate cannot be deposited into the deceased person's PSECU account. The Authorized Party deposits them into an Estate Account, which may be opened at PSECU or any other financial institution.3
- Debts owed to the institution
PSECU's Agreements and Disclosures give it the right to set off against any PSECU deposit account for a debt owed by a depositor named on the deceased borrower's account records.4
- How proceeds are paid
Form 4980 pays the balance by check, payable to the joint owner, beneficiary or estate, or by deposit to the regular share of an Estate Account, a Joint Owner's account or a Beneficiary's account at PSECU.1
Up to 3 business days to close the account once PSECU receives Form 4980.
PSECU's Decedent Department can be reached by phone at 1-800-237-7328 ext. 3120 and email at decedent@psecu.com for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from PSECU primary sources (23 pages reviewed). How we research.
PSECU death claims support
Decedent Department
Decedent Account Questions
Estate Account Opening (Application Processing Department)
IRA Department
Remove a Deceased Joint Owner
Mailing address
Website
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