How Do I Open an Estate Account at Citizens Bank?

Citizens Bank's estate-account opening requirements: where the account can be opened, the documents to bring, and the EIN requirement.

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Opening an estate account at Citizens Bank

Account type: estate account

Where to open it

Not stated — contact Citizens Bank

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

Completed Estate Account Request form (New Customer Data Sheet, CB_Estate_Form.pdf) -- decedent name, SSN, and address; attorney details if represented; executor/administrator name(s), phone, and mailing address
Copy of the Short Certificate (Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration)
Executor/Administrator's identification
The estate's Tax ID Number (EIN) -- collected as a field on the request form

Steps at Citizens Bank

1
Download the Estate Account Request form (CB_Estate_Form.pdf) from citizensbank.com or obtain it from a Citizens banker
2
Complete 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/administrators (one or two), executor/administrator name(s), telephone number, and mailing address
- Choose whether account statements go to the attorney or the executor/administrator, and state how long you expect the account to be open
3
Fax the completed form, a copy of the Short Certificate, and the executor/administrator's identification to the Citizens contact named on the form
4
Wait 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

What to know at Citizens Bank

The Estate Account Request form is a fill-in "New Customer Data Sheet" whose submission contact (name, fax number, telephone number) is left blank for a Citizens banker to supply, so the documented intake runs through a named Citizens contact by fax. Citizens does not state a minimum opening deposit, a recency window for the Short Certificate/Letters, an appointment requirement, or an estimated opening time for estate accounts. A former citizensbank.com Ask-a-Citizen FAQ ("What are the requirements for opening an estate account") now redirects to the Wealth Management FAQs page, which no longer renders an estate-account answer.

Estate services: 1-800-922-9999View Citizens Bank's guidance

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

Citizens Bank's published guidance does not state whether an estate account can be opened online.

Citizens Bank asks for: Completed Estate Account Request form (New Customer Data Sheet, CB_Estate_Form.pdf) -- decedent name, SSN, and address; attorney details if represented; executor/administrator name(s), phone, and mailing address; Copy of the Short Certificate (Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration); Executor/Administrator's identification; The estate's Tax ID Number (EIN) -- collected as a field on the request form.

Citizens Bank's published guidance does not state a co-executor appearance rule. When more than one executor or administrator was appointed, confirm with Citizens Bank 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.