How Do I Open an Estate Account at Tompkins Bank & Trust?
Tompkins Bank & Trust opens estate accounts for a court-appointed executor or administrator. The documents it asks for, what the account costs, and the steps it lists are below.
Opening an estate account at Tompkins Bank & Trust
Account type: Estate Checking
Where to open it
Not published by Tompkins Bank & Trust
In 2 of the 2 states Tompkins Bank & Trust operates in, state law lets a bank pay from a deceased depositor's balance without letters testamentary or letters of administration.
Steps at Tompkins Bank & Trust
- 1Ask Tompkins for an Estate Checking account, at a branch or through the Customer Care Center.
What it costs
Tompkins Bank & Trust does not state the opening deposit for an estate account.
- Monthly fee
- None
- Fee waived at
- None required
- Schedule that applies
- Schedule of Fees 06/2026, the bank's one published fee schedule
- For estate accounts
- Estate Checking has no monthly maintenance fee, no minimum balance, no early closure fee and no paper statement fee, and pays no interest
- Other charges
- Dormant fee of $8.00 per month on checking after 365 days of inactivity; research at $30.00 per hour
What to know at Tompkins Bank & Trust
Tompkins lists Estate Checking among its business checking accounts, for people who need to hold an estate's money, pay its bills and settle its accounts from one place. It carries no monthly maintenance fee, no minimum balance, no early closure fee and no paper statement fee, and it does not pay interest.
Not in Tompkins Bank & Trust's published guidance
- Which documents it asks for
- 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
- 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 Oct 27, 2026
Tompkins Bank & Trust's published guidance does not state whether an estate account can be opened online.
Tompkins Bank & Trust publishes no document list for estate accounts.
Monthly fee: None. Tompkins Bank & Trust does not state the opening deposit for an estate account. Estate Checking has no monthly maintenance fee, no minimum balance, no early closure fee and no paper statement fee, and pays no interest.
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.
Is this your situation?
Get a complete guide for your specific circumstances.
Forms for Settling an Estate
Free forms for settling an estate: probate petition, small estate affidavit, creditor notice and closing forms. Prepare each form for your state.
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 taxes. Run each tool for your state.
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.
