How Do I Get an EIN for a Trust?

A revocable trust uses the grantor's Social Security number while the grantor lives. At the grantor's death it becomes irrevocable and needs its own employer identification number from the IRS, applied for on Form SS-4 by the successor trustee as responsible party.

Progress0%

About the Person Who Died

Information about the person whose trust or estate needs an EIN.

First Name*

Middle Name

Last Name*

Decedent's Social Security Number*

The IRS needs this to link the new tax ID to their records.

Date of Death(MM/DD/YYYY)*

FREE & PRIVATE: This form is free—no account or credit card required. Your document contents and generated PDF never leave your browser—SimplyTrust does not transmit or store them. Contact details you provide (name, email, phone, state) are transmitted only to send the updates you agree to receive at download. You are responsible for saving your completed document.

SELF-HELP SERVICE: SimplyTrust provides a self-help document preparation service. We are not a law firm and cannot provide legal advice, select forms for you, or tell you how to complete forms. Our role is limited to providing a platform where you input your own information into document templates.

NOT LEGAL ADVICE: This document was created entirely based on your selections. SimplyTrust does not review, analyze, or verify your entries, nor do we verify your identity, capacity, or authority to act. You are solely responsible for determining whether this document meets your needs and for completing all required execution formalities (signatures, witnesses, notarization, or recording) in accordance with your state's laws. For any legal questions, consult a licensed attorney in your state.

Yes. When the grantor of a revocable living trust dies, the trust becomes irrevocable and can no longer use the grantor's Social Security Number. The successor trustee must obtain a new EIN from the IRS.

As soon as possible after the grantor's death. Banks and brokerages will not retitle accounts or process distributions without the trust's new EIN.

If you apply online through the IRS EIN assistant, you receive the EIN immediately. The assistant is available Monday through Friday, 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM Eastern.

No. The IRS does not charge for EIN applications. Any service that charges you is charging for convenience, not the EIN itself.

The trust name, date the trust was created, the grantor's Social Security Number, the grantor's date of death, and a valid SSN or ITIN for the successor trustee.

Is this your situation?

Get a complete guide for your specific circumstances.

Named as Executor

What an executor actually does: getting appointed, notifying creditors, paying debts and taxes, and where personal liability starts.

Learn more

Named as Trustee

Being named trustee means managing trust assets and carrying out the grantor's wishes. Your duties, timeline, compensation, and how to get started.

Learn more

Death of a Parent

A step-by-step guide to what happens after a parent dies: the documents to find, the certificates to order, and whether probate is even required.

Learn more

Forms for Settling an Estate

Free forms for settling an estate: the probate petition, small estate affidavit, notice to creditors, inventory, and closing forms.

Free

Affidavit of Death

Put a joint owner's or a transfer on death deed owner's death on the land records with the affidavit your state's statute names, laid out for recording.

Get Started

Free

IRS Form 56

Notify the IRS that you are the fiduciary of an estate, a trust or a person, or end a notice filed before, on the official form.

Get Started

Free

Digital Assets Recovery Letter

Prepare a letter requesting a deceased person's online accounts, points, and balances from the program that holds them.

Get Started

All forms

Tools for Settling an Estate

Free tools for settling an estate: whether probate is needed, executor and trustee pay, creditor deadlines, and inheritance taxes.

What's Fair Trustee Compensation?

Find out what fair compensation looks like for serving as trustee.

Calculate the Fee

How Do I Settle a Trust?

Personalized plan for settling a trust after the grantor passes away.

See the Steps

How Many Death Certificates Do I Need?

Calculate how many certified death certificates you need and see ordering info for your state.

Calculate the Amount

Do I Need Probate?

Find out if an estate needs probate or qualifies for simplified procedures.

Get the Answer

What Happens to Jointly Owned Property When an Owner Dies?

See what your state records when a joint tenant with right of survivorship dies: an affidavit, the death certificate or a new deed.

Check the Rules

How Do I Open a Trust Account at My Bank?

Compare trust-account requirements bank by bank: how a revocable trust account is opened or retitled, and what proves the trust.

See the Steps

Do I Have to File Tax Returns for Someone Who Died?

Find out which tax returns need to be filed after someone dies and whether tax clearance is required.