Yes. To open a bank account in the name of an estate, you need a tax ID number for the estate account, and the one to get is an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS. It is free, the online application takes a few minutes, and the number is issued at the end of the session. Every major bank will ask for it before opening an account in the estate’s name.
Why the Estate Needs Its Own Number
Once someone dies, any income their assets generate belongs to a new legal entity: the estate. Interest on bank accounts, dividends from stocks, rent from property, and similar earnings are no longer tied to the decedent’s Social Security Number. The IRS tracks this post-death income under a separate number, the EIN, which the executor uses on every tax document filed for the estate.1Internal Revenue Service. File an Estate Tax Income Tax Return
The decedent’s Social Security Number still gets used one last time, on their final individual tax return (Form 1040), which covers income earned from January 1 through the date of death. Everything after that date goes on the estate’s fiduciary return (Form 1041) under the EIN. Any estate that earns more than $600 in gross income during a tax year has to file Form 1041, and the IRS will not process it without an EIN at the top.2Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 1041 and Schedules A, B, G, J, and K-1 That threshold is low enough that most estates with any interest-bearing accounts will cross it.
The banking side matters just as much. The EIN lets you open a dedicated estate checking account that becomes the central hub for the estate’s finances. Bills, funeral costs, debts, and legal fees get paid from it, and distributions to beneficiaries flow out of it. Keeping estate money in its own account, rather than mixing it with your personal funds, is a core fiduciary duty, and commingling is one of the fastest ways an executor ends up personally liable for a breach of that duty.
How to Apply for the Estate’s EIN
The IRS offers three ways to get an EIN, and all three are free. If a website asks you to pay for one, you are not on the IRS site.3Internal Revenue Service. Get an Employer Identification Number
Online
The online method is the one to use if you can. You answer a series of questions on the IRS website, and the EIN is issued immediately at the end. No paper forms, no waiting. The tool is available Monday through Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. Eastern, Saturday from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Sunday from 6:00 p.m. to midnight.3Internal Revenue Service. Get an Employer Identification Number If you try at 3:00 a.m. on a Sunday and get an error, that is why.
Fax
If you prefer paper, complete Form SS-4 and fax it to the IRS at 855-641-6935. Include your own fax number on the form, and the IRS will fax the EIN back within about four business days.4Internal Revenue Service. Employer Identification Number
Mailing a completed Form SS-4 to the IRS EIN Operation in Cincinnati, Ohio, is the slowest option. Expect to wait roughly four to five weeks for a response.5Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form SS-4 (Rev. December 2025) If probate is already moving, that delay can hold up paying bills and filing tax returns, so mail is a last resort.
Information to Have Ready
Whether you apply online or on paper, you will need the same core information. Gather it before you start so you can finish the application in one sitting.5Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form SS-4 (Rev. December 2025)
- The decedent’s full legal name and Social Security Number. The entity name on Line 1 is usually the decedent’s name followed by “Estate” if the estate has no formal legal name.
- Your full name and taxpayer identification number as the “responsible party.” Your SSN or ITIN goes on Line 7b, and your name also appears on Line 3 as the care-of contact.
- A mailing address for the estate, which is often your own home address.
- The county and state where probate is taking place.
- The date of death. The IRS uses this as the estate’s start date.
If You Do Not Have a Social Security Number
If you are serving as executor without an SSN, you can enter an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) on Line 7b instead. If you have neither and are ineligible to get one, enter “foreign” or “N/A” on that line. In that situation, you cannot use the online application. International applicants can call the IRS at 267-941-1099 (not toll-free) during weekday business hours to apply by phone, or submit Form SS-4 by fax or mail using the international addresses in the SS-4 instructions.5Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form SS-4 (Rev. December 2025)
What the Bank Will Want Besides the EIN
The EIN gets you past the first hurdle, but banks need more than a number. Expect to bring the following when you visit a branch:
- A certified copy of the death certificate. Most banks want at least one original certified copy, not a photocopy.
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration. This is the court document proving you have legal authority to act for the estate. If a will exists and was admitted to probate, the court issues Letters Testamentary; if there is no will, the court issues Letters of Administration. Some jurisdictions call these fiduciary letters or letters of personal representative.6Wells Fargo. Estate Care Center – Section: What Information Is Needed to Open an Estate Account?
- Your personal, government-issued photo ID.
- The EIN confirmation notice or printout showing the number the IRS assigned.6Wells Fargo. Estate Care Center – Section: What Information Is Needed to Open an Estate Account?
Requirements vary slightly between institutions, so calling the bank first saves a wasted trip. Some banks also require you to meet with a specialist rather than a regular teller, which may need an appointment.
Why the Separate Account Matters
Executors sometimes wonder whether they can just deposit estate checks into their own account and track things on a spreadsheet. Don’t. Mixing estate funds with personal money is called commingling, and it is one of the most common ways executors end up personally liable for losses to the estate. Beneficiaries or the court can hold you financially responsible if the accounting becomes unclear, even if you had no intention of keeping anything that was not yours.
A dedicated estate account with its own EIN creates a clean paper trail. Every deposit and withdrawal is tied to the estate, not to you. If a beneficiary or the court ever questions a transaction, the bank statements speak for themselves.
Closing the Account and the EIN When You Are Done
Once all debts are paid, tax returns are filed, and the remaining assets are distributed, the estate account can be closed. Coordinate the final distribution carefully: make sure the last checks have cleared and no outstanding obligations remain before you zero out the balance. The bank closes the account once all funds are disbursed.
The EIN itself is never truly canceled; the IRS only deactivates it. To deactivate, send a letter to the IRS that includes the estate’s EIN, legal name, address, the original EIN assignment notice if you still have it, and your reason for closing. Mail the letter to the IRS in Kansas City, MO 64108 or Ogden, UT 84201. File any outstanding returns and pay any taxes owed first, because the IRS will not process the deactivation until those obligations are clear.7Internal Revenue Service. If You No Longer Need Your EIN