How to close a deceased person's Bank of America account
Bank of America handles closing a deceased person's account through an online form, by phone, in person, or by mail. The steps below are Bank of America's own published process, taken from its official support pages — this page organizes them so you can see what the provider asks for; it doesn't add to them or recommend any particular action.
What you'll need
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Letters testamentary or letters of administration (or a small-estate affidavit where eligible)
- A letter of instruction stating how remaining funds should be handled
Steps
- Notify Bank of America: customers online via Estate Services, by calling 888-689-4466 (Mon–Fri 9 a.m.–8 p.m. ET), or at a financial center. Non-customers enroll in the Third-Party Case Manager to notify online, or call the same number.
- Provide the deceased customer's full legal name and Social Security number. Bank of America determines your role with the estate, collects your contact information and provides a case reference number, if appropriate.
- Once notified, the bank reviews the relationship and protects the assets: balance holds on sole-owned accounts, closing debit/ATM cards and blocking credit cards, cancelling autopay and recurring transactions, suspending fees and online/telephone banking.
- Deliver a photocopy of the death certificate plus, depending on the estate: court-issued Letters Testamentary / Letters of Administration for formal probate, a small estate affidavit where state law allows, and any bank forms provided (e.g. notarized Letter of Instruction, signature cards, beneficiary letter). Upload via Estate Services online, fax to 866-694-9046, bring to a financial center, or mail to Bank of America, Estate Servicing Operations, PO Box 31655, Tampa, FL 33631-1655.
- Bank of America settles each account and confirms when the case is complete. Wealth Management, Private Bank (800-878-7878) and Merrill (866-848-6554) accounts have their own contacts.
Closing one account is only part of the job — every recurring charge still draws on a card or bank account the estate will eventually claim. HeirLoft reads the recurring charges straight out of an inbox in one pass, so you can see everything that's still billing while you work down the list.
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How to contact Bank of America
- Bank of America's official page for deceased accounts
- Phone: 888-689-4466
Typical timeline
Bank of America does not publish a typical timeline for this process.
Notes
Bank of America encourages uploading documents through Estate Services online rather than mailing them; accepted formats are PDF, BMP, DOC, DOCX, JPG, JPEG or PNG.
Sources
Last reviewed September 14, 2026 · Links verified September 14, 2026
Related guides
- Close a deceased person's account, provider by provider
- Accessing a deceased person's financial accounts
The simplest way to spare your own family this process is to keep an up-to-date list of your accounts somewhere they can find it. HeirLoft finds the recurring charges you've forgotten and keeps them in one place your heirs can actually use.