Introducing Automated Closure
Closing accounts after a death can take months. With Sunset's new Automated Closure, we handle the calls and paperwork for you.
Closing a single account after a death can mean an hour on hold to learn that the estates department is a different phone number, a notarized affidavit mailed back because one date was wrong, and a third request for a death certificate you already sent twice. Multiply that by every checking account, credit card, IRA, brokerage account, and insurance policy a person leaves behind, and settling an estate swallows months of a family's life. Our 2025 Estate Settlement Report Card found that the average family spends more than 500 hours settling an estate, and that 55% of America's largest financial institutions won't even let a family start the process online.
Today we're announcing Automated Closure. When you request the closure of a bank account, retirement account, brokerage account, or insurance policy, Sunset notifies the institution, provides the documentation, follows up until the account is actually closed, and deposits the proceeds into a secure estate bank account that Sunset manages for you. You request it once. We're on it.
The hold music, the paperwork, and the follow-up are our problem now. Not yours.
An industry that grades out at a C
Last year we graded 100 of America's largest financial institutions on how they treat bereaved families. The industry averaged a C, and only 11 institutions scored above it. More than half still require a grieving family to show up in a branch or send physical mail just to report that someone has died. Behind those numbers are the stories families tell us every day: the daughter who drove three hours to a branch, the widow left on hold all afternoon, the son whose banker tried to sell him a credit card a week after the funeral.
The process is slow because nothing forces it to be fast. The institution holds the money, sets the requirements, and answers to no deadline. The family absorbs the cost in hours, postage, and grief. That is the imbalance Automated Closure exists to correct.
Closing an account: the old way, and now
The old way
Find the institution's estate department. Wait on hold. Request the requirements letter. Order certified death certificates. Get forms notarized. Mail everything, then call weekly to confirm it arrived and ask what else they need. Repeat for every account, at every institution, until a check finally shows up months later, made out to an estate that doesn't have a bank account yet.
With Sunset
Request the closure. That's it. Our software notifies the institution, submits the documentation, chases the follow-up, and deposits the funds into an FDIC-insured estate account that's ready the moment the money arrives.
How it works
- Request a closure. Pick any account Sunset has found and request that it be closed, whether it's a bank account, a retirement account, or a brokerage account. For insurance policies, we file the claim.
- Sunset notifies and closes. We contact the institution, provide the required notification and documentation, and follow the closure through to completion.
- Funds land safely. Proceeds are deposited into a user-owned, Sunset-managed estate bank account, ready to pay bills and be distributed to heirs and beneficiaries.
Built for estates and trusts
Automated Closure works for both estate administration and trust administration. Whether you're an executor closing a checking account or a trustee consolidating trust-held assets, the process is the same: you request the closure and Sunset handles the rest.
Tested with real families
For the past month, Automated Closure has been in beta with select Sunset users, closing real accounts and moving real funds. In that time, Sunset's Automated Closure has processed 509 requests across 223 different financial institutions, without families making a single phone call or mailing a single form. Starting today, it's available to everyone.
"Families don't fail to settle estates because they aren't trying. They fail because the process was designed for the institution's convenience, not for a grieving family. Automated Closure flips that. The follow-up calls, the forms, and the certified mail are our job now," said Stephen Walter, attorney and CEO/Founder of Sunset.
Your money, protected
Every Sunset estate account is FDIC-insured through our banking partner, with stacked coverage that protects up to $3 million in deposits. Funds sit safely insured until you're ready to distribute them.
Free for families
Like everything on Sunset, Automated Closure is completely free. There are no fees and no percentage taken from recovered assets. Sunset is paid by its bank partners while estate funds sit in the FDIC-insured estate account, so families never pay a dime.
Get started
If you're already using Sunset, Automated Closure is live now: open your estate, choose an account, and request a closure. If you're just getting started, visit hellosunset.com to begin your free search. Questions? Reach us at [email protected].
We built Sunset to take the weight of estate settlement off families. Finding what a loved one left behind was the first half. Finishing the job for you is the second.
About Sunset
Sunset is the automated estate-settlement platform helping families and professionals manage what comes after a loved one's death. Built by attorneys and engineers, Sunset combines authoritative data integrations, document automation, and FDIC-insured estate banking into a single workflow that operates across all 50 states and every U.S. county. The company is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, and backed by Y Combinator.
Sunset is free for consumers. Families never pay a fee or give up a share of what they recover, because Sunset is paid by its bank partners. For attorneys and professional fiduciaries, Sunset offers Sunset Pro, a professional tier that lets them run Sunset's automated search and closure across every estate they administer. Learn more at hellosunset.com.
HOW WE MAKE MONEY
We’re paid by banks, not families
Just like any bank, we make money from interest yielded while money sits in the estate bank account.
No out-of-pocket costs or fees
You never pay for anything out of pocket. Ever.
We make money on interest
No hidden costs. No surprise fees. No fine print.
You keep all your money
We never take a cut of your inheritance.
Frequently asked questions
What is Sunset?
Sunset is an estate settlement platform that helps families discover and close the financial accounts, assets, and debts of a deceased loved one.
Sunset Free is designed for family members, executors, and personal representatives who are settling an estate themselves. It includes the full Sunset closure suite: financial account discovery, bank notifications, assisted phone calls and emails, estate bank account setup, probate document generation, and asset transfers all at no cost.
Sunset Pro is designed for probate attorneys, licensed fiduciaries, trustees, and aftercare specialists who settle estates on behalf of their clients. Sunset Pro starts at $500 per asset search, with monthly subscription plans available for solo practitioners, small firms, and large firms.
Both Sunset Free and Sunset Pro are available in all 50 states and U.S. territories.
Who can use Sunset?
Sunset can be used by family members, executors, administrators, and personal representatives responsible for settling a deceased person's estate.
Sunset supports asset discovery and probate across all 50 states and every U.S. county, helping you manage the estate regardless of where your loved one lived or where the estate is being settled.
How does Sunset help settle an estate?
Sunset handles the most time-consuming parts of estate settlement.
We search 2,500+ financial institutions like banks and retirement funds, the credit bureaus, and state unclaimed-property databases to find accounts and assets the family may not know about. We prepare probate documents specific to your county in all 50 states and help establish an estate bank account where recovered funds can be deposited.
Then Sunset helps close the deceased person’s accounts and move the funds into the estate account, ready for distribution to the heirs.
With Sunset, about 90% of account closures can be completed without you having to call or visit a branch.
What does it mean to settle an estate?
Settling an estate means closing out someone’s financial life after they die.
It involves identifying what they owned and owed, obtaining the legal authority to act on their behalf, paying valid debts and final taxes, and transferring what remains to the people who inherit it.
Depending on the state and the size of the estate, it can be complicated or simple, either way Sunset can help.
What is required to settle an estate?
Most estates require a core set of documents and accounts, including a certified death certificate, legal authority to act for the estate, a federal EIN, an estate bank account, and an inventory of the estate’s assets and debts.
Sunset can help with all of these except the death certificate!
Depending on the circumstances, legal authority may come in the form of letters testamentary, letters of administration, or a small-estate affidavit.
Once that authority is established, the estate can begin notifying financial institutions, paying valid debts and final taxes, and distributing the remaining assets to the heirs or beneficiaries.
Sunset prepares the paperwork required for these steps and submits what we can on your behalf.
How much does Sunset cost?
Sunset Free is completely free for families settling an estate. There are no upfront fees, subscriptions, or deductions from the inheritance. Families get access to asset discovery, probate document generation, account closure, asset transfers, and estate bank account setup at no cost.
Sunset Pro is our paid product for probate attorneys, licensed fiduciaries, trustees, and aftercare specialists. It starts at $500 per asset search, with subscription plans available for solo practitioners, small firms, and large firms.
Sunset's family product is funded through our bank partnership. The estate does not pay Sunset, and all assets ultimately go to the estate's beneficiaries and heirs.
How much does it usually cost to settle an estate?
The cost of settling an estate varies widely depending on its size, complexity, and where you live.
Hiring a probate attorney commonly costs $2,500 to $10,000, with more complex estates costing considerably more. In states with statutory probate fees, attorney fees may instead be calculated as a percentage of the estate. For example, a 3% to 7% fee on a $500,000 estate would be $15,000 to $35,000.
Sunset is free for families. There’s no fee, subscription, or percentage taken from the inheritance.
Can you settle an estate without a lawyer?
Yes. In many cases, you can settle an estate without hiring a lawyer. Sunset helps families handle the process themselves by finding assets, preparing probate documents, closing financial accounts, establishing an estate bank account, and collecting the estate's assets.
What about probate documents?
You can use our software to generate and sometimes file probate documents in every county nationwide.
Online notarization is also available through Sunset.
If your case is unusually complex, or disputed, we recommend hiring experienced probate counsel.
What is an estate bank account? Who controls it?
An estate bank account is a standard bank account in the estate’s name where all funds are consolidated. You can use it to pay expenses, view a full transaction history, and eventually distribute inheritance to beneficiaries.
With one click Sunset can set up an estate bank account.
You control the estate bank account. You can pay bills, taxes, and distribute the funds to heirs.
All estate bank accounts set up by Sunset are FDIC insured and protected from fraud and identity theft.
How can I pay estate expenses?
Once you have an estate bank account, you can use it to pay legitimate expenses related to settling your loved one's estate.
If you paid estate expenses out of your own pocket before the estate account was established, you may also be able to reimburse yourself from the estate, provided the expenses are legitimate and properly documented.
Am I responsible for their debts?
No, the deceased was solely responsible for their debts. If a loan was backed by a physical asset, such as a home or vehicle, you have options to transfer or payoff from estate proceeds.
For a loan that was jointly held, the responsibility remains with the other person on the account, often a spouse. Sunset automatically identifies if a debt has a living responsible party, and clearly flags it.
What security measures does Sunset have?
Sunset is SOC 2 Type II certified and built with security and privacy at the center of how we handle sensitive estate information.
We use robust identity and fraud-prevention measures to verify deceased individuals and beneficiaries, and we conduct background checks on our employees. We continuously monitor and improve our security practices to protect the financial information, documents, and personal data entrusted to us.
Will the financial institution be notified of a Sunset search?
No, we do not notify any financial institutions of the death when performing our searches, except for in the case of life insurance.
Our process combines document review, data integrations, and indirect verification with financial institutions. Families usually discover most accounts within 1 day, although some bank account confirmations take up to two weeks.
Financial institutions are only notified after a request for closure and transfer has been made by you.
Can Sunset help me settle an estate in my county or state?
Yes. Sunset works in all 50 states and all 3,000+ U.S. counties.
Sunset generates probate documents specific to the county where the estate is being settled and helps you complete the required steps. When notarization is required, online notarization is available where permitted.
Can Sunset help my probate attorney?
Yes. Attorneys regularly recommend Sunset to their clients. Before your attorney can guide you on the right probate path, they need a complete picture of the estate's assets and debts. Sunset generates a comprehensive Estate Asset Inventory with account numbers, balances, and more, giving your attorney exactly what they need to move forward quickly.
