To remove someone from a bank account, both account holders normally sign a bank form authorizing the change, either at a branch or through the bank’s secure online portal. Some banks amend the existing account and issue a new signature card in your name alone; others require you to close the joint account and open a new individual one. If the other person will not cooperate, closing the account is usually your only path forward, because one owner generally cannot strip another off a joint account without consent.
Start With the Account Agreement
Every joint account is governed by a deposit agreement and the signature card you both signed when the account was opened. Those documents tell you who owns the account, what each owner can do alone, and what the bank requires to change ownership. You can usually pull the agreement from online banking or ask for a copy at a branch.
Look for one thing first: does your bank allow a co-owner to be removed by amendment, meaning it issues a new signature card with only your name, or does it require you to close the account and open a fresh one? Some banks will amend with both signatures. Others will not modify ownership on an existing account at all. The agreement also states any waiting period before the change takes effect.
The ownership designation on the card affects what happens next. Joint tenants with right of survivorship, the most common setup, gives both owners equal access and passes the account to the survivor at death; removing a living co-owner still requires mutual consent or closure. Tenants in common gives each owner a defined share and does not pass automatically at death. Tenancy by the entirety, available to married couples in some states, works like survivorship with added creditor protection and typically requires both spouses to agree to any change.
Removing a Co-Owner Who Agrees
When both of you agree, the process is straightforward. Bring the following to the branch, or upload them through the bank’s portal if it accepts digital submissions:
- Government-issued photo ID for both the person staying and the person being removed.
- The account number, plus numbers for any linked savings or money market accounts that need the same update.
- Social Security numbers for both parties, for identity verification and tax reporting.
- The bank’s ownership change or removal-of-signer form. Some are available online; others must be completed in person.1Bank of America. Account Ownership Changes
Traditional banks usually want both account holders present together so a representative can witness the signatures and check IDs. Online-only banks often accept scanned or digitally signed forms through a secure portal. Either way, the departing owner has to sign off on the removal. Processing generally takes three to five business days.2Fidelity Investments. Change of Account Registration
After the change goes through, the bank issues a revised signature card or a confirmation notice. Check your next statement to confirm only your name appears.
When the Other Person Won’t Sign
You generally need the other person’s consent to take their name off a joint account. State law and the account agreement usually block one owner from doing it unilaterally.3Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Can I Remove My Spouse From Our Joint Checking Account? If the other person refuses, you have a few options.
The most direct one is to close the joint account and open a new account in your name alone (covered in the next section). In a divorce, your attorney can ask the court to order the account closed or to require your spouse to sign the removal paperwork. Many family courts address joint accounts in the temporary orders issued early in the case. Outside of divorce, if both of you claim the funds and the bank cannot sort out who is entitled to what, the bank may freeze the account and file an interpleader action, a court proceeding that forces the two of you to resolve the dispute before a judge.
One warning while the disagreement plays out: either owner on a joint account can typically withdraw the entire balance at any time, and the bank is not obligated to stop it.4Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. A Joint Checking Account Owner Took All the Money Out and Then Closed the Account Without My Agreement. Can They Do That? If you think the other person may drain it, call the bank right away. Some banks will restrict the account so withdrawals require both signatures, though not all offer this.
Closing the Joint Account and Opening a New One
When removal is off the table, closing the account is the standard fix. Under the Uniform Commercial Code, anyone authorized to draw on the account can close it by notifying the bank with reasonable certainty and giving it a reasonable chance to act.5Legal Information Institute. Uniform Commercial Code 4-403 – Customer’s Right to Stop Payment; Burden of Proof of Loss A single joint owner can generally initiate closure without the other’s signature, though individual banks may add their own requirements.
Bring the balance to zero by withdrawing or transferring the funds, then formally close the account. Open a new individual account with a different account and routing number. New debit cards and checks come with it; anything tied to the old account stops working.
Before you close, pull at least three months of statements and list every recurring transaction. Direct deposits (payroll, Social Security, veterans’ benefits, tax refunds) need to be moved through the paying employer or agency; payroll changes can take one to two pay cycles to land. Automatic bill payments for utilities, insurance, loan servicers, and subscriptions all need the new account and routing numbers. If the joint account was linked to a savings account, brokerage account, or line of credit for overdraft protection or transfers, update or remove those links too.
Missed items are expensive. Returned-payment fees typically run around $25 to $35 each. Keep the closed account on your watch list for at least 60 days, because some billers or payors will still try the old number.
Removing a Deceased Joint Owner
When a joint owner dies, what happens depends on the ownership type. On accounts held as joint tenants with right of survivorship or as tenants by the entirety, the surviving owner automatically becomes the sole owner, and the funds do not go through probate.
To update the records, bring a certified copy of the death certificate to the bank, along with your own photo ID. The bank uses the certificate to verify identity and date of death and to remove the deceased owner’s name.6Bank of America. How to Claim or Close a Bank of America Account for the Deceased Some banks accept a legible photocopy; others require the certified original. Some also ask for a short affidavit.
On a tenants-in-common account, the deceased owner’s share does not pass to you automatically. It becomes part of their estate and is distributed under their will or state intestacy law, with the executor or administrator working with the bank to release those funds.
Removing a Signer From a Business Account
Business accounts work differently, because the bank’s contract is with the business entity, not with the individual signers. To take a signer off, the business produces an updated authorization document: a board resolution for corporations, a member or manager resolution for LLCs, or an amendment to the partnership agreement for partnerships.
The resolution should name the person being removed, state the effective date, and identify who keeps signing authority. Bring it to the bank with ID for the remaining signers. The bank then updates the signature card. You generally do not need the departing signer’s consent; the business controls who has access.
If the Co-Owner Cannot Consent
If the other account holder cannot consent because of dementia, a medical emergency, or another incapacity, the path narrows. A power of attorney does not turn the POA holder into an owner. The holder can act on the incapacitated person’s behalf (make withdrawals, pay bills), but generally cannot change the account’s ownership structure.
Banks also have their own rules for POAs, and many require one signed on the bank’s own form while the account holder still had capacity. If your bank refuses to honor the POA you have, the remaining option is to petition a court for guardianship or conservatorship over the incapacitated person’s finances. A court-appointed guardian can then authorize ownership changes. Because this involves court proceedings, consult an elder law or estate planning attorney early.
Creditor and Gift Tax Issues to Check Before You Act
Two problems can follow you into or out of a joint account, and both are worth checking before you make any change.
First, creditors. If the person you want to remove has outstanding debts, their creditors may be able to garnish the joint account, even for debts that have nothing to do with you. Courts generally presume both joint owners have equal rights to the funds. You may be able to protect your share by tracing deposits back to your own money, or by showing the account was really a convenience account you funded alone. If you remove the co-owner and move money specifically to keep it away from that person’s creditors, a court could treat the transfer as voidable and let the creditor reverse it, particularly if collection has already started. Get legal advice before making changes when creditors are already involved.
Second, gift tax. Simply adding or removing a joint owner does not, by itself, trigger a taxable gift. Under IRS rules, a gift from a joint bank account happens when one person withdraws funds for their own benefit beyond what they contributed.7Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 709 If you funded the account and the co-owner pulled $30,000 for personal use before being removed, the IRS treats that $30,000 as a gift from you to them. For 2026, the annual gift tax exclusion is $19,000 per recipient, so a withdrawal above that amount in a calendar year requires you to file Form 709. Gifts between spouses are generally unlimited and exempt; the 2026 annual exclusion for gifts to a noncitizen spouse is $194,000.8Internal Revenue Service. IRS Releases Tax Inflation Adjustments for Tax Year 2026, Including Amendments From the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Keep records of who contributed what in case the IRS ever asks.