How to Report a Death to Credit Bureaus: Documents and Contacts

To report a death to credit bureaus, send Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion a certified copy of the death certificate together with the deceased person’s identifying information and, if you are not the surviving spouse, court documents showing your authority to act for the estate. Each bureau then places a “deceased” indicator on the file, which stops new credit from being opened in that person’s name. Prompt notification matters because identity thieves actively target deceased individuals whose credit files have not yet been flagged.

Who Can Report the Death

A surviving spouse can report the death directly by submitting a certified copy of the death certificate. Anyone else needs court documents proving legal authority over the estate: letters testamentary if there was a will, or letters of administration if there was not.¹

A power of attorney will not work here. It terminates automatically at the principal’s death, and the former agent no longer has authority. From that moment, only the court-appointed executor or administrator can act on the deceased person’s behalf.

What to Gather Before You Contact the Bureaus

You need the following identifiers for the deceased:

Full legal name
Social Security number
Date of birth
Date of death
Most recent residential address

All three bureaus require these to locate the correct credit file, and the address helps distinguish people with similar names.²

You also need a certified copy of the death certificate. A photocopy will not be accepted, and you should not send the original. Order certified copies from the vital records office in the state where the death occurred; fees for a single copy range from about $5 to $34 depending on the state.³ Order at least three, one for each bureau, plus extras for other agencies and financial institutions.

If you are the executor or administrator, include a copy of your letters testamentary or letters of administration with each submission.¹ Add a short cover letter stating that you are reporting a death, identifying yourself and your relationship to the deceased, and giving a mailing address for future correspondence.

Where to Send the Notification

Experian states that notifying one bureau will result in that bureau notifying the other two, but the safer approach is to contact all three yourself and confirm each file is updated.³

Equifax

Equifax accepts notifications through its online deceased-consumer reporting portal or by mail:

Equifax Information Services LLC
P.O. Box 105139
Atlanta, GA 30348-5139¹

Experian

Experian lets you upload the death certificate through its website or send it by mail:

Experian Consumer Assistance Center
P.O. Box 4500
Allen, TX 75013³

TransUnion

TransUnion processes death notifications by mail:

TransUnion
P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19016²

Check each bureau’s website before mailing, as processing addresses occasionally change.

How to Submit the Package

For mailed submissions, use USPS Certified Mail with Return Receipt Requested. That gives you a tracking number and a signed receipt confirming delivery, which is useful if you later need to prove the notification was sent. As of January 2026, certified mail with an electronic return receipt costs about $8.12, or roughly $10.48 with the green-card return receipt purchased at a Post Office counter.

Order the package with your cover letter on top, then the certified death certificate, then any authorization documents. Photocopy everything before mailing and save the tracking number for each bureau’s envelope. Mailing promptly after you receive the death certificate shortens the window for identity thieves to exploit the file.

If you use the Equifax or Experian online portal, you will upload a scanned or photographed copy of the certified death certificate and enter the identifying information. Save screenshots or confirmation emails as proof of submission.

What Happens After the Bureau Receives Your Notification

Once a bureau processes the notification, it places a “deceased” indicator on the credit file. TransUnion typically completes this within five business days of receiving the letter.² The flag alerts any lender or service provider that pulls the report, which effectively blocks new credit cards, loans, or other accounts from being opened in that person’s name. The bureaus also stop calculating a credit score for the file.

The bureau then sends a confirmation letter to the spouse or authorized third party who submitted the notification.² If confirmation does not arrive within about 30 days, contact the bureau to verify the file was flagged.

The deceased flag is not permanent. After roughly seven years, the bureaus delete all accounts carrying the notation and the credit file ceases to exist.⁴ For added protection during those years, you can request a credit freeze on the deceased person’s file, which prevents anyone from viewing the report at all.³

Reviewing the Credit Report You Get Back

The confirmation from a bureau may include a final copy of the credit report. Read it closely. It lists outstanding debts the estate may need to address during probate, and it can also reveal fraudulent accounts opened before the death was reported. If you spot accounts the deceased did not open, contact the creditor, file an identity theft report at IdentityTheft.gov (the FTC allows filing on another person’s behalf), and send each bureau a written dispute that includes the legal name of the deceased, the company that reported the item, the partial account number, the reason for the dispute, and supporting documents such as the death certificate and your authorization paperwork.²

A Note on Joint Accounts and Authorized Users

Flagging the credit file does not close jointly held accounts. A surviving co-owner remains fully responsible for the balance and should keep making on-time payments, because a missed payment will damage the survivor’s own credit score.⁵ Authorized users have no ownership of the account and lose access when the executor cancels the card; continuing to use a deceased person’s card is fraud.

Other Notifications That Reinforce the Credit Freeze

Reporting to the bureaus is one piece of protecting the deceased person’s identity. Two other notifications back it up.

Social Security Administration

In most cases the funeral home reports the death to the Social Security Administration, provided you give them the Social Security number.⁶ SSA updates its records, and that information eventually flows into death data files that financial institutions and credit companies can access.⁷ If you are not sure the funeral home made the report, call SSA at 1-800-772-1213 to confirm.

Internal Revenue Service

Deceased individuals are frequent targets of tax-related identity theft, in which someone files a fraudulent return using the deceased person’s Social Security number to claim a refund. The executor or administrator should file IRS Form 56, which notifies the IRS of the fiduciary relationship and establishes authority to handle the deceased person’s tax matters.⁸ Attach a copy of your letters testamentary or court certificate. Filing Form 56 helps the IRS flag the account and route correspondence to the correct representative, which reduces the chance that a fraudulent return goes undetected.

1
Equifax. After a Relative’s Death, Do I Need to Contact Each Nationwide Credit Bureau?
2
TransUnion. Reporting a Death of a Loved One to TransUnion
3
Experian. How to Report a Relative’s Death to Credit Bureaus
4
Experian. What Happens to Your Credit Report When You Die?
5
Experian. How to Handle Credit and Debt After the Death of a Spouse
6
Social Security Administration. What Should I Do When Someone Dies?
7
Social Security Administration. Requesting SSA’s Death Information
8
Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 56