How Do I Open an Estate Account at BankUnited?
BankUnited's estate-account opening requirements: where the account can be opened, the documents to bring, and the EIN requirement.
Opening an estate account at BankUnited
Opening channels
- In a branch
- Not stated
- Online
- Not stated
- By phone
- Not stated
- By mail
- Not stated
- Appointment
- Not stated
- Co-executors
- Not stated
Documents to bring
- Estate EIN — the Deposit Account Agreement (Rev. 08/2025) states federal law requires a Social Security Number, Taxpayer Identification Number or Employer Identification Number "before opening any account," and "for legal entities this is your Employer Identification Number"
- Government-issued photo ID for the personal representative — BankUnited "will also ask to see your driver's license or other identifying documents" when opening any account
- Court-appointment documentation — the Deposit Account Agreement recognizes the "Personal Representative" and "Executor" as fiduciaries, takes "direction from ... court appointed personal representatives ... from states other than where your account was opened," and reserves the right to require U.S. court documents for customers who resided outside the U.S.
- On the Bank's request, "an affidavit, certification or other documentation pertaining to the account and the fiduciary relationship" (Deposit Account Agreement, Rev. 08/2025, "Fiduciary account")
Steps at BankUnited
- 1Call the BankUnited Client Care Center at (877) 779-2265 or visit a [banking center](https://www.bankunited.com/contact-us/find-a-branch-atm) — BankUnited publishes no estate-account page, product, or opening channel, so the representative sets the document list and the channel
- 2Bring the estate's EIN. The Deposit Account Agreement requires a Taxpayer Identification Number before any account is opened ("for legal entities this is your Employer Identification Number"), though the Bank "may open your account temporarily pending receipt of the number" if the application is in process
- 3Present your photo ID and your court-appointment documentation; BankUnited accepts direction from personal representatives appointed in a state other than where the decedent's account was opened
- 4Be prepared to supply, on the Bank's request, "an affidavit, certification or other documentation pertaining to the account and the fiduciary relationship"
- 5Note the Deposit Account Agreement's fiduciary-account caveats: "In certain instances withdrawals or transfers from a fiduciary account may require a court order," and a fiduciary account generally cannot be one of the linked accounts used to meet balance requirements
What to know at BankUnited
BankUnited's Deposit Account Agreement (Rev. 08/2025) expressly defines the "Fiduciary account" ownership designation with "Personal Representative" and "Executor" as its first two examples, so an estate-titled fiduciary account is within the account types the agreement governs — that is the basis for offered: true. Beyond that definition, BankUnited publishes NOTHING about estate accounts: no estate-account product page, no named estate account type, no minimum deposit, no opening channel, and no appointment or co-fiduciary policy (its 2026 CRA public file's deposit-product list includes "Depository Accounts in the name of a Trust" but no estate or fiduciary category, and its FAQ page never mentions estate, fiduciary, or deceased-owner accounts). Every channel is therefore recorded as unclear; the only published service channels bank-wide are the Client Care Center at (877) 779-2265 and the banking centers. The EIN fact is the agreement's general TIN rule for legal entities, with a stated discretion to open an account temporarily while a number application is pending.
This guide summarizes each bank's published estate-account requirements and is not legal or banking advice. Requirements may vary by state and account type.
Frequently Asked Questions
BankUnited's published guidance does not state whether an estate account can be opened online.
BankUnited asks for: Estate EIN — the Deposit Account Agreement (Rev. 08/2025) states federal law requires a Social Security Number, Taxpayer Identification Number or Employer Identification Number "before opening any account," and "for legal entities this is your Employer Identification Number"; Government-issued photo ID for the personal representative — BankUnited "will also ask to see your driver's license or other identifying documents" when opening any account; Court-appointment documentation — the Deposit Account Agreement recognizes the "Personal Representative" and "Executor" as fiduciaries, takes "direction from ... court appointed personal representatives ... from states other than where your account was opened," and reserves the right to require U.S. court documents for customers who resided outside the U.S.; On the Bank's request, "an affidavit, certification or other documentation pertaining to the account and the fiduciary relationship" (Deposit Account Agreement, Rev. 08/2025, "Fiduciary account").
Yes. BankUnited opens the account under the estate's Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS — the deceased's Social Security Number cannot be used. Getting the EIN is the first step.
BankUnited's published guidance does not state a co-executor appearance rule. When more than one executor or administrator was appointed, confirm with BankUnited whether all must attend.
An estate account is a bank account titled to the estate itself — not to the person who died and not to the executor personally. The court-appointed executor or administrator opens it to deposit money owed to the estate (final paychecks, refunds, proceeds from closed accounts), pay the estate's debts and expenses, and distribute what remains. Checks made out to "the Estate of" can only be deposited into an account titled this way.
The estate is its own taxpayer, separate from the person who died. Banks open estate accounts under the estate's Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS, not the deceased's Social Security Number. The free EIN application prepares IRS Form SS-4 for the estate.
Sources
Data sourced from BankUnited primary sources (6 pages reviewed). How we research.
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