How Do I Open an Estate Account at Citizens Bank?
Citizens Bank opens estate accounts for a court-appointed executor or administrator. The account is opened in a branch. The documents it asks for, what the account costs, and the steps it lists are below.
Opening an estate account at Citizens Bank
Where to open it
In a branch
How it opens
- In a branch
- Available
Documents to bring
- Completed Estate Account Request form (New Customer Data Sheet, CB_Estate_Form.pdf)
- Copy of the Short Certificate (Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration)
- Executor/Administrator's identification
- Tax ID Number (EIN) for the estate
Steps at Citizens Bank
- 1Get the Estate Account Request form (New Customer Data Sheet) from a Citizens banker.
- 2Complete the New Customer Data Sheet:
- Decedent's name, Social Security number and address
- The estate's Tax ID Number (EIN)
- Attorney's name, identification number and state, telephone number and address, if represented
- Number of executors or administrators, one or two, with each name, telephone number and mailing address
- Whether statements go to the attorney or the executor or administrator, and how long you expect the account to be open
- 3Fax the completed form, a copy of the Short Certificate, and the executor or administrator's identification to the Citizens contact named on the form.
- 4Wait for the callback: faxes received between 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM get a call back the same day; after 3:00 PM, the following business day.
- 5Without a Citizens contact to fax to, call Citizens Estate Services at 877-579-2667, Option 2 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm ET), or take the form into a branch.
What it costs
Citizens Bank does not state the opening deposit, monthly fee, or fee-waiver balance for an estate account.
- Other waivers
- No estate or fiduciary exclusion published. Paper-statement fees are not assessed when any account signer is under 18 or 65 or older based on the date of birth on file
- Schedule that applies
- Personal Deposit Account Fees and Features Guide (Rev. 03-27-2023, amended by the Addendum to Personal Deposit Disclosures, Rev June 2026)
- For estate accounts
- The Personal Deposit Account Agreement defines a Personal Deposit Account to include an account in the name of an "estate", and that agreement incorporates the Personal Deposit Account Fees and Features Guide
- Other charges
- Paper-statement fees $2-$3
| Account | To open | Monthly fee | Waiver or condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| One Deposit Checking from Citizens | Any Amount | $9.99 | waived if at least 1 deposit is posted to your account before the end of your statement period |
| Citizens EverValue Checking | Any Amount | $5 | This fee cannot be waived |
| Personal Checking with Interest | Any Amount | $11.99 | $2,500 average daily balance in your account |
What to know at Citizens Bank
Citizens takes estate account requests through a named Citizens contact, whose name, fax number and telephone number a Citizens banker fills in on the request form.
Not in Citizens Bank's published guidance
- Whether it can be opened online, by phone, or by mail
- Whether a branch appointment is needed
- Whether every co-executor must sign or appear
- Whether the estate's EIN is needed before opening
- Whether the deceased must have banked there
- Whether an out-of-state executor can open one
- Whether the death certificate must be a certified copy
- What proof of the EIN it accepts
- Whether the account comes with online banking, checks, a debit card, or mobile deposit
- How the deceased's balances reach the estate account
General information about each bank's published estate-account requirements, not legal or banking advice. Requirements vary by state and account type. Consult the institution for its current requirements. Data verified Sep 16, 2026
Citizens Bank's published guidance does not state whether an estate account can be opened online. It states the account can be opened in a branch.
Citizens Bank asks for: Completed Estate Account Request form (New Customer Data Sheet, CB_Estate_Form.pdf); Copy of the Short Certificate (Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration); Executor/Administrator's identification; Tax ID Number (EIN) for the estate.
Citizens Bank does not state the opening deposit, monthly fee, or fee-waiver balance for an estate account. The Personal Deposit Account Agreement defines a Personal Deposit Account to include an account in the name of an "estate", and that agreement incorporates the Personal Deposit Account Fees and Features Guide. The estate account carries the fees of whichever of Citizens Bank's 3 published accounts it is opened as.
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 Citizens Bank primary sources (5 pages reviewed). How we research.
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Forms for Settling an Estate
Free forms for settling an estate: the probate petition, small estate affidavit, notice to creditors, inventory, and closing forms.
Petition for Probate and Letters
Open probate and ask the court to appoint you and issue Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
Notice to Creditors
Notify estate creditors and start the claim period — the published notice plus mailed copies for known creditors.
Renunciation of Executor
Decline an appointment as executor named in a will — the writing filed with the court before anyone is appointed.
Affidavit of Heirship
Prepare the sworn statement of a deceased person's family history and heirs for recording in the county land records, with your state's recording instructions.
Small Estate Affidavit
Collect a small estate's property without probate — the sworn affidavit presented to banks and other holders, with a presentation letter for each.
Estate Inventory
Prepare the probate inventory of estate property — every asset at its date-of-death value, composed to your state's statute, with the state's filing or delivery instructions.
Tools for Settling an Estate
Free tools for settling an estate: whether probate is needed, executor and trustee pay, creditor deadlines, and inheritance taxes.
How Much Can an Executor Charge?
Calculate how much an executor can charge for administering an estate.
Can I Self-File Probate?
Whether your state lets you open probate yourself, and what it costs with a lawyer and without one.
How Do I Get Letters Testamentary?
See the court that issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, the petition, the bond, and the documents to file.
What Are the Creditor Claim Deadlines?
Find creditor claim deadlines, notice requirements, and payment priority order for your state.
What Happens When an Estate Is Insolvent?
See the order your state pays an insolvent estate's debts and which claims go unpaid.
How Do I Claim a Deceased Person's Unclaimed Property?
See where to search for a deceased person's unclaimed property and what each state asks an heir or executor to send.
