How Do I Open an Estate Account at Schwab?

Opening channels

In a branch

Available

Online

Not available

By phone

Not available

By mail

Available

Appointment

Not stated

Co-executors

All must be present

Minimum deposit

$0

Letters recency

Certified within 60 days

Documents to bring

• Completed Schwab One Estate Account Application (APP10639) -- required even if the decedent had an account at Schwab, because a probate estate is a separate legal and tax entity
• Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, certified as currently valid by the court clerk and bearing the clerk's original signature and seal (recency window: see notes)
• New, separate Taxpayer Identification Number (EIN) for the estate from the IRS (not the decedent's Social Security Number)
• Executor identification details recorded on the application: passport, driver's license, or government-issued ID number

Steps at Schwab

1. 1
   Obtain a new, separate Taxpayer Identification Number (EIN) for the estate from the IRS -- the decedent's Social Security Number cannot be used
2. 2
   Download the Schwab One Estate Account Application from schwab.com or call 866-232-9890 for assistance
3. 3
   Complete all sections of the application:

   • Every Co-Executor who will conduct business in the account completes the Executor/Co-Executor Information section
   • All Co-Executors appointed by the court, even if not conducting business in the account, must be listed and must sign the Authorization to Open Account section
4. 4
   Attach a copy of your Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, certified as currently valid by the court clerk and bearing the clerk's original signature and seal
5. 5
   Mail the completed application with the required documentation, or bring it to the nearest Schwab branch
6. 6
   Schwab sends the account number as soon as the completed application is approved; use it to log in at Schwab.com

What to know at Schwab

The estate account Schwab offers is a brokerage account (Schwab One Estate Account), not a bank deposit account -- no Schwab Bank deposit-side estate account is documented. The account may be opened only if the estate is currently being probated under court supervision and a final decree of distribution has not been entered. No fees to open or maintain; $0 monthly service fees and $0 opening minimum. Letters recency contradiction between Schwab's own sources: the estate accounts web page (fetched 2026-07-16) requires Letters certified within the past 60 days, while the application PDF instructions (APP10639-42, rev. 06/25) say within the last 12 months. A certified death certificate is NOT listed among the opening requirements (it appears only in the small-estate affidavit alternative). Do not use this application for a Testamentary Trust, which requires the Schwab One Trust Account Application. For small estates that skip probate, no estate account is required -- Schwab instead accepts a state small-estate affidavit, certified death certificate, Affidavit of Domicile, and Inheritance Tax Waiver (if required by the decedent's state). Margin borrowing and option trading are allowed solely for liquidating positions that existed in the decedent's account, unless a court order authorizes more. An Executor or Administrator cannot delegate powers to a third party via power of attorney unless specifically authorized by court order. Call 866-232-9890 for estate account assistance.