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Prepare the letter of instruction Avantax requests during estate or death-claim processing — addressed to its verified claims department with the required enclosures. PDF.
Step 1 of 5
Which institution holds the account, and the capacity you are writing in.
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Send it to Avantax's estate/claims department: 3200 Olympus Blvd., Suite 100, Dallas, TX 75019. You can reach the department at 888-406-5444.
Avantax lists these among its required documents: Certified copy of the death certificate (original or certified copy; obtain multiple copies); Death claim / estate settlement form; Government-issued photo ID for claimant; Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if estate is beneficiary or no named beneficiary exists). The prepared letter includes an enclosure checklist drawn from Avantax's recorded requirements.
2-4 weeks once all documents received in good order; complex estates may take longer
Avantax provides its own letter-of-instruction/claim form. We prepare a transmittal cover letter and an enclosure checklist to accompany that form.
It depends on the capacity you are acting in. An executor or administrator encloses Letters Testamentary (when there is a will) or Letters of Administration (when there is not); a successor trustee encloses a certificate of trust; a successor under a small estate encloses that state’s small estate affidavit. The prepared letter lists the proof-of-authority document for your role alongside the institution’s required documents.
A letter of instruction is the written request an institution asks for when settling a deceased customer’s account. It identifies the decedent and the account, states the capacity you are acting in, and tells the institution what to do with the account.
