How Do I Open an Estate Account at Synchrony?
Synchrony's estate-account opening requirements: where the account can be opened, the documents to bring, and the EIN requirement.
Opening an estate account at Synchrony
Opening channels
- In a branch
- Not available
- Online
- Not stated
- By phone
- Available
- By mail
- Not stated
Documents to bring
- Executor certification
- Documents showing the executor has been legally appointed as the fiduciary for the estate (Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration)
- Any other documentation the bank may require, in a form satisfactory to the bank
Steps at Synchrony
- 1Call 1-866-226-5638 for application information (the published by-mail application supports Individual and Joint registrations only and directs all other federal tax classifications to call)
- 2Provide the documentation the deposit agreement requires for estate accounts:
- Executor certification
- Documents showing legal appointment as fiduciary for the estate
- Any other documentation the bank requires
What to know at Synchrony
The deposit agreement lists Estate Account as a standing ownership type, managed by executors, administrators, personal representatives, or other court-appointed fiduciaries. No estate account application form is published on the Bank Forms page (unlike the trust application); the by-mail account application (wres010018.pdf) offers only Individual and Joint registrations and directs all other federal tax classifications to call 1-866-226-5638 for application information, so opening starts by phone. Synchrony is an online bank with no branch network (FDIC BankFind cert 27314 lists 2 offices, Draper, UT). All of the estate's executors and beneficiaries must be natural persons. Once the account is open, each executor may act without the consent of any other executor. ATM cards are not available for estate accounts, and bill pay, Zelle, and account-to-account transfer services are not available for Trust or Estate accounts.
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
Synchrony's published guidance does not state whether an estate account can be opened online.
Synchrony asks for: Executor certification; Documents showing the executor has been legally appointed as the fiduciary for the estate (Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration); Any other documentation the bank may require, in a form satisfactory to the bank.
Synchrony's published guidance does not state a co-executor appearance rule. When more than one executor or administrator was appointed, confirm with Synchrony 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 Synchrony primary sources (3 pages reviewed). How we research.
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