How Do I Open an Estate Account at Truist?
Truist's estate-account opening requirements: where the account can be opened, the documents to bring, and the EIN requirement.
Opening an estate account at Truist
Account type: fiduciary account (estate)
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
- Appropriate legal documentation of the fiduciary capacity -- the Bank Services Agreement makes fiduciary accounts available only to individuals acting as guardian, conservator, personal representative, executor, administrator, trustee, custodian, or agent "under appropriate legal documentation"; it does not enumerate specific documents (Letters Testamentary/of Administration are not named)
- Employer Identification Number (EIN) for the estate -- for estates the TIN is the EIN, certified under penalty of perjury on the Bank's signature card or on IRS Form W-9
- Identifying information for the person opening the account: full legal name, permanent physical street address, Social Security number or taxpayer identification number, and date of birth; Truist may also ask to see a driver's license, state ID, passport, or other primary identification documents
What to know at Truist
Truist publishes no consumer-facing estate-account opening page (unlike some peers) -- no page on truist.com documents channels, appointment requirements, co-fiduciary rules, a Letters recency window, a minimum deposit, or an opening timeline for estate accounts (sweep of truist.com verified 2026-07-16). The controlling text is the FIDUCIARY account-type clause of the Truist Bank Services Agreement (R-BSA-1.0, 01/16/2026): the fiduciary's capacity must be designated as such on the signature card, and the Bank is authorized to follow the directions of the fiduciary regarding the account until it receives written notice, satisfactory to the Bank, that the fiduciary's authority has been terminated. The Bank has the right, but not the obligation, to review the agreement, court order, or other document under which the account is opened, assumes no liability for the administration of the fiduciary relationship, and is not liable for a fiduciary's misapplication of funds. The estate-settlement page (truist.com/wealth/solutions/trust-estate-planning/estate-settlement) covers only Truist Wealth's corporate executor/agent services, not deposit-account opening.
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
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 -- the Bank Services Agreement makes fiduciary accounts available only to individuals acting as guardian, conservator, personal representative, executor, administrator, trustee, custodian, or agent "under appropriate legal documentation"; it does not enumerate specific documents (Letters Testamentary/of Administration are not named); Employer Identification Number (EIN) for the estate -- for estates the TIN is the EIN, certified under penalty of perjury on the Bank's signature card or on IRS Form W-9; Identifying information for the person opening the account: full legal name, permanent physical street address, Social Security number or taxpayer identification number, and date of birth; Truist may also ask to see a driver's license, state ID, passport, or other primary identification documents.
Truist's published guidance does not state a co-executor appearance rule. When more than one executor or administrator was appointed, confirm with Truist 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 Truist primary sources (3 pages reviewed). How we research.
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