What to do when a Step account holder dies
Report the death to Step Customer Service at 1-888-978-2682
When an account holder at Step passes away, the next step depends on how the 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 Step Customer Service (1-888-978-2682) to access and distribute the funds.
Gather the account holder's full name, date of birth, and any known account or policy numbers before contacting Step.
Death claim process
Follow these steps to file a death claim with Step:
Filing a claim
- Email support@step.com
- Mail to Step, 300 S. Ellsworth, San Mateo, CA 94401
- Phone 1-888-978-2682, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Time
Required Documents
- Notice of the death
- Proof of deathIn whatever form Step requests. The account agreement refers to "required proof of death".
- Written notice from the personal representative, executor or administrator
- Letters of appointment bearing a court seal, for Step Advisers to rely on a representative's notice about the stock account
- Appointment of a personal representative by a U.S. court, if the owner died while living outside the United States
What happens to each kind of account3
- Account in one name
A sponsored teen's access ends when the sponsor dies.1
- Credit card
Evolve Bank & Trust releases the funds that secure the Step Visa Card only after all obligations are repaid and the legal documents it requires are delivered.1
- Investment account
Assets in a parent's authorized trading account for a minor pass to the minor as the parent's transfer-on-death beneficiary.2
What Step's agreement and guidance say3
- What it does when notified
When Evolve Bank & Trust has reason to believe an individual account owner has died, it may hold the account and refuse all transactions until it has verified the identity of the successor.1
- Debts owed to the institution
Evolve Bank & Trust may apply the balance to any debt owed to it at death.1
- Deposits after the death
Government payments deposited after the death may be returned to the payer.1
Not in Step's published guidance3
- A procedure for reporting a death
- A claim form
- Whether the death certificate must be certified
Sources2
- 1.Step Visa Card and Secured Account Agreement
- 2.Securities Platform Agreement, Last Updated December 19, 2023
Step Customer Service can be reached by phone at 1-888-978-2682 and email at support@step.com for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from Step primary sources (20 pages reviewed). How we research.
Step death claims support
Step Customer Service
Phone
Hours
Mailing address
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