What to do when someone passes away

Contact us

Whether you are the beneficiary, a family member or friend, or were appointed to handle the estate, we’ll first need to be notified of the individual’s passing.

To let us know, please fill out a short form to upload a death certificate, along with other documents and information we’ll need to assist you.  You’ll need to sign in with your Wealthfront account, or create a profile if you don’t have one—this should only take a few minutes. 

Once we are notified, we may take these steps to protect the individual’s assets:

• Restrict login access
• Restrict deposits, transfers and withdrawals
• Waive advisory fees

We’ll also conduct a review of the account, including identifying any named beneficiaries, and provide next steps over email.

Gather documents

Depending on the account, these are some of the documents we may request:

• A copy of the death certificate
• Probate documents (i.e. Letters of Administration, Letters Testamentary) 
• A Small Estate Affidavit (if bypassing probate)
• Trust documents (for Wealthfront Trust Accounts)
• Beneficiary / Executor ID Form
• Journal Form (for transfers between Wealthfront accounts)
• Wire Request Form (for wire transfers to another institution)
• IRA Distribution Form
• Roth IRA Distribution Form
• Receiving firm’s IRA transfer paperwork 

You can easily upload these documents if you fill out the form or email us, or you can fax them to us at 800-366-1679.

How long will it take for the beneficiary or the Estate to receive the assets?

The amount of time it takes to transfer the assets depends on the type of account and when we receive the required documents. In most cases, it can take up to 3 weeks to complete the transfer from the date we receive the required paperwork in good order. 

Other things to consider:

• Wealthfront doesn’t support Inherited or Beneficiary IRA accounts, or Estate accounts.
• Wealthfront can approve a transfer directly from the decedent’s account to an Estate, or Inherited IRA FBO the beneficiary via ACATS. More information can be found here. 
• A step-up in cost basis means the purchase date and price of an inherited asset is adjusted to its fair market value on the date the owner died. Wealthfront may apply a partial or full step-up in cost basis as needed. Any questions about tax implications related to a step-up should be directed to a tax advisor.