How Do I Open a Trust Account at U.S. Bank?
Yes. U.S. Bank opens deposit accounts in the name of a revocable living trust. U.S. Bank's trust account requirements: how an account is opened or retitled to a revocable living trust, the documents to bring, and what the successor trustee needs after a death.
Opening a trust account at U.S. Bank
Opening or retitling
- In a branch
- Available
- Online
- Not stated
- By phone
- Not stated
- By mail
- Not stated
- Appointment
- Not stated
- Co-trustees
- Not stated
- Existing account
- Not stated
- What proves the trust
- Not stated
- Certification form
- Not stated
What it costs
- Opening deposit
- Not stated for trust accounts
- Monthly fee
- Not stated for trust accounts
- Fee waived at
- Not stated for trust accounts
- Other waivers
- Not stated for trust accounts. Balances held as "Trustee (IFI)", "Grantor (GRT)" or in "all Irrevocable Trust roles" are "Non-Qualified Balances" for the U.S. Bank Smart Rewards tier that waives the Smartly Checking monthly fee
- Schedule that applies
- None stated; no U.S. Bank pricing document (Consumer Pricing Information, Effective August 10, 2026) names a trust-titled deposit account or its product
- For trust accounts
- The only trust-scoped fee language U.S. Bank publishes is the Smart Rewards Combined Qualifying Balance rule: "Funds deposited without an ownership interest do not count towards your CQB. Examples of ineligible relationship types, include, but are not limited to: Trustee (IFI), Grantor (GRT), all Irrevocable Trust roles, Payable on Death, Representative Payee, Guardian." Its footnotes define "Trustee (IFI) -- The person(s) or entity are serving in the capacity of trustee(s) but are not grantor(s) ... The IFI description applies to deposit accounts at U.S. Bank." and "Grantor (GRT) -- The individual(s) who created the trust ... Grantors may also serve as the trustee(s) of the trust. The GRT description applies to deposit accounts at U.S. Bank." No monthly fee, opening deposit or waiver names a trust account.
| Account | To open | Monthly fee | Waiver or condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Bank Smartly Checking | $25 | $12 | Waived the first 2 statement periods, then: combined monthly direct deposit totaling $1,500+, or average account balance of $1,500 or greater, or account owner on a U.S. Bank Smartly Visa Signature Card, or account owner on an eligible small business checking account; also waived by Smart Rewards tier (Silver and above) and by customer group (Senior age 65 or over, Youth, Young Adult, Military, Alliance, Workplace) |
| Safe Debit Account | $25 | $4.95 | Monthly Maintenance Fee cannot be waived |
| U.S. Bank Smartly Savings | $25 | $5 | Account owner on a U.S. Bank Smartly Checking or Safe Debit account, or account owner on a U.S. Bank Smartly Visa Signature Card, or account holder(s) age 17 or younger |
| Elite Money Market | $100 | $10 | $10,000 minimum daily balance, or account owner on a U.S. Bank Smartly Checking with a minimum of Gold Tier |
Who can open it
- Existing customer
- Not stated
Documents to bring
U.S. Bank publishes no document list for trust accounts.
Steps at U.S. Bank
- 1Visit a U.S. Bank branch; a banker helps with the trust account application (U.S. Bank encourages making an appointment to allow time for questions and processing)
- 2Bring the trust document (the document U.S. Bank names for appointing a trustee at a branch)
Once it is open
- Online banking
- Not stated
- Checks
- Not stated
- Debit card
- Not stated
After the grantor dies: the successor trustee at U.S. Bank
- Death certificate
- Not stated
- Trust's own EIN
- Not stated
- The account
- Not stated
- Online banking
- Not stated
- Appointment
- Not stated
Documents the successor brings
- Original or certified death certificate
- Bank account information (past statements or letters)
- Trust documents showing your authority
- Valid identification (state driver's license, state ID, U.S. passport, military ID, or U.S. alien registration card)
U.S. Bank publishes no successor-trustee procedure for a deposit account. Its deceased-customer knowledge base covers the branch visit after a death: set up an appointment with a local branch (or reach the Life Events Team at 800-USBANKS / 872-2657) and bring an original or certified death certificate, bank account information, documents showing authority (its examples include "Trust documents"), and valid identification. Nothing is published about a post-death EIN, whether the account continues under the successor, or online access.
What to know at U.S. Bank
U.S. Bank publishes no page on opening or retitling a deposit account to a revocable living trust. That it titles deposit accounts to trusts rests on its own sentences read together: the knowledge base offers "two basic structures for our trust accounts: revocable and irrevocable" and sends the opener to a branch banker; the Consumer Pricing Information defines "Trustee (IFI)" and "Grantor (GRT)" relationship codes and says each "applies to deposit accounts at U.S. Bank"; and Your Deposit Account Agreement defines a fiduciary account as one "opened by or taken over by ... [a] trustee" and treats accounts "in the name of ... trusts" as non-personal accounts. The deposit agreement's "Revocable Trust" title is the Pay-on-Death (Totten) account, not a living-trust account, and the "Personal Trust" and "Trust and Investments" references on usbank.com are Wealth Management trust accounts; neither is read as a deposit-account fact. U.S. Bank does not state which deposit product a trust account is opened as, whose taxpayer number it is opened under, what proves the trust (certification versus instrument), whether an existing account can be retitled, whether co-trustees must all appear, or an estimated opening time. It publishes no certification-of-trust form on usbank.com. Fees for a trust-titled account are not stated; the only trust-scoped fee rule is that trustee and grantor relationship balances do not count toward the Smart Rewards tier.
This guide summarizes each bank's published trust-account requirements and is not legal or banking advice. Requirements may vary by state and account type.
Frequently Asked Questions
U.S. Bank does not say whether a trust account can be opened online; it states that the account is opened in a branch.
U.S. Bank publishes no document list for trust accounts.
U.S. Bank does not state which taxpayer number a revocable trust account is opened under.
Per U.S. Bank's published procedure, the successor brings: Original or certified death certificate; Bank account information (past statements or letters); Trust documents showing your authority; Valid identification (state driver's license, state ID, U.S. passport, military ID, or U.S. alien registration card).
A trust account is a deposit account titled in the name of a trust rather than a person — for a revocable living trust, typically "[Trustee name], Trustee of the [Trust name]". While the grantor is alive and serving as trustee, the account is the grantor's to use; the trust title is what keeps the funds out of probate and lets the successor trustee take over without a court appointment.
A trust account holds assets that were titled to a trust before death, and the successor trustee takes control of it under the trust document. An estate account is opened after death by the court-appointed executor or administrator, under the estate's own EIN, for assets that were not in a trust and pass through probate. A family with a funded revocable trust may need only the trust account; a family with a will, or no will, opens an estate account.
Sources
Data sourced from U.S. Bank primary sources (8 pages reviewed). How we research.
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