How Do I Write a Letter of Instruction to Optum Bank?

Send it to Optum Bank's estate/claims department: Optum Bank, P.O. Box 271629, Salt Lake City, UT 84127-1629. You can reach the department at 1-866-234-8913.

Optum Bank lists these among its required documents: Certified copy of the death certificate; Completed HSA Death Distribution Request Form; Government-issued photo ID for the beneficiary or estate representative; Copy of the beneficiary's/claimant's unexpired driver's license or state-issued ID. The prepared letter includes an enclosure checklist drawn from Optum Bank's recorded requirements.

Spouse beneficiary transfers are typically processed within 4-6 weeks after all required documentation is received. Non-spouse beneficiary distributions and estate distributions may take 6-8 weeks. Any HSA investments must be liquidated before distribution, which may extend the timeline.

Optum Bank provides its own letter-of-instruction form. We complete that official form with your information; you print, sign, and send it.

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.