Accouncement

Introducing the Sunset API

Sunset's new API lets integration partners programmatically manage estates, probate, documents, and communications at scale.

March 12, 2026

The estate settlement process involves dozens of institutions, hundreds of documents, and months of coordination. Until now, every step lived inside the Sunset platform. Today, we're opening that up.

The Sunset API brings the full power of Sunset's estate and probate management platform to your existing tools and workflows. Whether you're a law firm automating case intake, a financial advisor tracking estate accounts, or a software company embedding estate management into your product — the API gives you direct access.

What you can do with the API

Manage cases end-to-end. Create new estate cases, record deceased and executor details, run identity verifications, and track letters of authority — all through simple REST endpoints. A single API call can spin up a new case and begin the intake process that previously required manual data entry across multiple screens.

Monitor financials across every institution. Access bank accounts, credit cards, loans, investment accounts, and retirement funds tied to an estate. Track individual transactions, recurring payments, signers, and POD/TOD beneficiaries. Pull statements and monitor balance history over time to build a complete financial picture.

Navigate probate in all 50 states. Look up probate requirements for every state and county in the US. Track court filings, deadlines, creditor claims, and distributions. Access downloadable probate forms and monitor case progress against jurisdiction-specific timelines.

Automate communications with full audit trails. Place recorded phone calls with automatic transcription and AI-powered summarization. Send emails with document attachments and delivery tracking. Fax documents to courts and institutions. Initiate online notarization sessions — all with complete records for compliance.

Handle documents securely. Upload and manage death certificates, court filings, property reports, insurance policies, and more. Download and share documents across collaborators with role-based access control.

Track real estate, vehicles, businesses, and unclaimed property. Request automated property valuations with tax assessments, comparable sales, and equity estimates. Monitor vehicles, business ownership interests, and unclaimed property searches — giving executors and attorneys a unified view of every asset in the estate.

Example: Creating a case

Getting started is straightforward. Here's how you create a new estate case:

curl -X POST https://api.example.com/v1/cases \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer your_api_key" \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -d '{
      "estate_value": "under_75k",
      "progress": "just_started",
      "possible_dispute": "no_dispute_expected"
    }'

{
    "data": {
      "id": "01K5WF06MJ6T99HRYE78AN7XM8",
      "estate_value": "under_75k",
      "progress": "just_started",
      "possible_dispute": "no_dispute_expected",
      "created_at": "2026-03-12T10:30:00Z"
    }
  }

From there, you can add deceased and executor information, upload documents, initiate searches, and track the case through every stage of settlement.

Built for integration partners

The API follows a clean REST design with consistent JSON responses, page-based and cursor-based pagination, and Bearer token authentication. We've published full documentation — including endpoint references, error handling guides, and detailed guides for every major feature area — at api.hellosunset.com.

Get started

The Sunset API is available by invitation to qualified integration partners. If you're interested in building on Sunset, email [email protected] with your name, organization, and a brief description of your use case. Our team will follow up within a few business days with credentials and staging environment access.

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

How quickly will I see results?

Most results come fast. Here's the general timeline after your account is validated:

Within hours: Creditors and debts, some bank accounts, property records (all 50 states), vehicle titles, and unclaimed property
1–2 business days: Retirement accounts (401k, IRA, pension), investment accounts (brokerage, stocks, crypto), life insurance, and business ownership. Note: these searches don't run on weekends or bank holidays.
7–14 days: Comprehensive bank account search with confirmed balances across all account types

Most families have 100% of assets discovered within 5–6 days.

‍

Who can use Sunset?

Any family member, executor, administrator or personal representative responsible for managing a deceased person’s assets can use our software tool. We support asset search and probate in all 50 states and every county in the U.S.

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 is an estate bank account? Who controls it?

A 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 back 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?

With your estate bank account you can use to pay expenses to settle your loved ones affairs. You can also reimburse yourself for expenses you may have paid out of pocket before the bank account was set up.

This includes paying for funeral expenses, accountants and attorneys if needed (most families do not need these services when working with us), realtor fees when selling property, money going towards settling debts, money spent fixing up a property before selling it, etc.

What security measures does Sunset have?

Sunset is SOC 2 Type II certified, and we hold ourselves to the highest standards in how we build our software and store data so that you’re always protected. We have in-depth fraud and identity verification measures on the deceased and the beneficiaries, and we run background checks on all employees.

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.

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.

Will 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.

How much does Sunset cost?

Sunset is free to use. Sunset never charges families or takes a percentage of the estate.

All of our tools are free, including search and discovery, probate document generation, asset transfer, and more. No upfront fees, subscriptions, and deductions from the inheritance.

Our bank partners pay us a referral fee, based on interest generated from estate bank accounts. That way, all the deceased’s assets go to the beneficiaries and heirs.