How Do I Open an Estate Account at Truist?
Truist 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 Truist
Where to open it
Not published by Truist
Documents to bring
- Appropriate legal documentation of the fiduciary capacity
- Employer Identification Number (EIN) for the estate, certified on the signature card or IRS Form W-9
- Full legal name, street address, SSN or taxpayer ID number, and date of birth of the account opener; other ID if asked
Steps at Truist
- 1Designate your capacity as fiduciary on Truist's signature card.
- 2Certify the estate's EIN under penalty of perjury on the signature card or on IRS Form W-9.
What it costs
Truist does not state the opening deposit, monthly fee, or fee-waiver balance for an estate account.
- Schedule that applies
- Truist Personal Deposit Accounts Fee Schedule (R-FS, Effective 09/28/2026)
- For estate accounts
- The Bank Services Agreement, whose FIDUCIARY account type covers executors, administrators and personal representatives, incorporates the Personal Deposit Accounts Fee Schedule. That schedule carries no fiduciary or estate line, and the Business Deposit Accounts Fee Schedule names no estate or fiduciary account
| Account | To open | Monthly fee | Waiver or condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Truist One Checking | $50 | $12.00 | $500+ qualifying direct deposits per statement cycle, $500+ combined ledger balance, or other listed relationships |
| Truist Confidence Account | $25 | $5.00 | $500 or more in total deposits per statement cycle, 10 or more qualifying transactions per statement cycle, or a primary client who is a student, under 25, or 62 and older |
| Truist Marquee Checking | $100 | $35.00 | waived for the first 3 statement cycles and with a $250,000+ combined ledger balance |
What to know at Truist
Truist opens estate accounts as the fiduciary account type in its Bank Services Agreement, for individuals acting as executor, administrator or personal representative under appropriate legal documentation. Truist follows the fiduciary's directions until written notice that the authority has ended, and is not liable for a fiduciary's misapplication of funds. Truist Wealth's estate settlement service, with Truist as executor, is separate.
Not in Truist's published guidance
- 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 24, 2026
Truist's published guidance does not state whether an estate account can be opened online.
Truist asks for: Appropriate legal documentation of the fiduciary capacity; Employer Identification Number (EIN) for the estate, certified on the signature card or IRS Form W-9; Full legal name, street address, SSN or taxpayer ID number, and date of birth of the account opener; other ID if asked.
Truist does not state the opening deposit, monthly fee, or fee-waiver balance for an estate account. The Bank Services Agreement, whose FIDUCIARY account type covers executors, administrators and personal representatives, incorporates the Personal Deposit Accounts Fee Schedule. That schedule carries no fiduciary or estate line, and the Business Deposit Accounts Fee Schedule names no estate or fiduciary account. The estate account carries the fees of whichever of Truist'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 Truist primary sources (3 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.
