How Do I Open an Estate Account at Washington Trust?
Washington Trust's estate-account opening requirements: where the account can be opened, the documents to bring, and the EIN requirement.
Opening an estate account at Washington Trust
Opening channels
- In a branch
- Available
- Online
- Not available
- By phone
- Not stated
- By mail
- Not stated
Documents to bring
- Certified Copy of the Death Certificate (the account application's required proof-of-death document)
- Letters of Testamentary (the account application's required executor documentation)
- Estate tax identification number (EIN) -- marked required on the account application
- Legal name of the estate and the decedent's full name
- Government-issued photo ID for the executor/administrator (driver's license, state ID, passport, or resident alien card)
What to know at Washington Trust
Washington Trust's Consumer Terms and Conditions of Your Account affirmatively permits accounts opened by executors and administrators under court orders. The bank's online account-opening application (newaccount.washtrust.com) does not offer estate as a selectable ownership type -- personal products enumerate single, joint, UTMA, representative payee, guardianship, and conservatorship variants, and the business application enumerates corporation, LLC, partnership, sole proprietor, and nonprofit types -- so an estate account cannot be opened through the self-serve online flow. The platform's banker-side estate configuration requires a certified death certificate, Letters of Testamentary, and the estate's tax ID, and carries an originating-branch designation listing all Rhode Island and Connecticut branches plus the Customer Solutions Center, indicating banker-assisted opening at a branch. Whether opening can be completed by phone through the Customer Solutions Center (800-475-2265) or by mail is not stated.
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
No. Washington Trust states an estate account cannot be opened online. Opening is done in person at a branch.
Washington Trust asks for: Certified Copy of the Death Certificate (the account application's required proof-of-death document); Letters of Testamentary (the account application's required executor documentation); Estate tax identification number (EIN) -- marked required on the account application; Legal name of the estate and the decedent's full name; Government-issued photo ID for the executor/administrator (driver's license, state ID, passport, or resident alien card).
Yes. Washington Trust opens the account under the estate's Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS — the deceased's Social Security Number cannot be used. Getting the EIN is the first step.
Washington Trust's published guidance does not state a co-executor appearance rule. When more than one executor or administrator was appointed, confirm with Washington Trust 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 Washington Trust primary sources (3 pages reviewed). How we research.
