Introducing VerifyDeath
VerifyDeath checks a death certificate and returns a confidence score.
Every bank, brokerage, and insurer knows exactly who its customer is on the day the account opens. The institution checks the ID, confirms the identity with an outside source, and keeps a record of how it decided. When that same customer dies, most institutions get a death certificate as a PDF or a phone photo, and someone on the estate services team looks at it and decides whether it's real.
That used to be good enough, because a convincing fake death certificate took real work. It doesn't anymore. With photo editing software or an AI image tool, anyone can produce one in a few minutes, and the result can get past an experienced reviewer. Once it does, the account it unlocks gets closed and the money gets paid out to whoever sent it in.
The usual backstop has a hole in it too. Since 2011, the Social Security Death Master File has left out most deaths reported by the states. A certificate with no matching DMF record is normal, so a missing match proves very little in either direction.
Today Sunset is launching VerifyDeath, a death verification service for the financial institutions that handle deceased accounts. An institution sends us the death certificate and a few details about the deceased, and gets back a report with a confidence score and the result of every check we ran. We call it KYC for death: the same discipline institutions apply at account opening, applied at the end of the relationship.
Why Sunset built it
Sunset has helped more than 15,000 families with estate settlement. Confirming the death comes first in every estate we open, because every account we close and every dollar we transfer depends on it. Over that work we've reviewed thousands of death certificates from every state, and we've seen both problems up close: certificates that weren't what they claimed to be, and real deaths the Death Master File never picked up.
So we built a process that checks more than a database can. Until now it only ran on our own estates. VerifyDeath offers it to the institutions on the other side of those estates.
Six checks on every full report
Each check stands on its own, so a forger who gets past one still has to get past the rest.
- Certificate forensics. We compare the certificate with the format that state issued in that year, down to the file number pattern, the seal, and the registrar who held office on the filing date. We also look for signs of editing and of AI generation, like warped fine print or a seal no state uses.
- Vital records confirmation. On full reports, we call the state vital records office or county health department that issued the certificate, wherever that office allows it, and confirm the record exists and matches.
- SSA Death Master File. Sunset checks the deceased against the Limited Access Death Master File as a certified subscriber.
- Identity and public records. The deceased's identity is cross-checked against identity data and public records, including any deceased indicator.
- Obituary and funeral home. We find the obituary and compare it to the certificate, including the family members each one names. When the certificate lists a funeral home, we confirm the service with them directly.
- Analyst review. A person on our team reviews every result before the report goes out. Software never approves a death on its own.
A score and a report for the file
Every report carries a confidence score from 0 to 100. The score rises with each independent source that confirms the death and drops sharply if the certificate fails forensic review. A score of 90 or above means the certificate passed review and the issuing office or several independent sources confirmed the death. A low score means the certificate shows signs of alteration or a source contradicts it, and the report says what we found.
The report itself is a one-page PDF, written so someone outside the team can follow it later: the result of each check, which office we contacted and what it confirmed, every detail we compared across sources, and any forensic notes. When an institution releases funds, the report in the file shows what was checked.
Most full reports come back within one business day. Instant results are also available. They skip the vital records call and carry a lower confidence score.
VerifyDeath gives an institution evidence of a death. Decisions about the account, and how the institution meets its own regulatory obligations, stay with the institution.
"Every institution we work with verifies a customer down to the last digit when the account opens. Then the customer dies, and the whole relationship ends on a PDF that nobody calls in to check. We call the office that issued the certificate. After settling more than 15,000 estates, we know what a real one looks like, and now we can tell the banks," said Stephen Walter, an attorney and the CEO and cofounder of Sunset.
Who it's for
VerifyDeath is built for the estate services, legal, and fraud teams at banks, credit unions, brokerages, and insurers. It works on any US death certificate an institution receives, whether or not the family uses Sunset. Pricing is per record, with monthly plans for teams that verify deaths every week.
To see a sample report or ask about pricing, visit hellosunset.com/verifydeath.
About Sunset
Sunset is the automated estate settlement platform helping families and professionals manage what comes after a 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 funded by its bank partnerships and by Sunset Pro, a professional tier that lets attorneys and professional fiduciaries run Sunset's automated search and closure across every estate and trust they administer. Learn more at hellosunset.com.
About Sunset
The estate settlement platform
Sunset finds what the deceased owned and owed, then handles the paperwork and transfers that settle the estate. More than 15,000 families have used it, and attorneys and fiduciaries use Sunset Pro for their clients' estates.
Find every account
One search across 2,500+ financial institutions surfaces bank accounts, retirement plans, life insurance, and debts in the deceased's name.
Prepare the paperwork
Court-ready probate documents for every state and county, plus an FDIC-insured estate account to hold the funds.
Close and transfer
Sunset contacts each institution, closes the accounts, and moves the money to the beneficiaries and heirs.
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 person who has died.
Sunset 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, for $50 per estate.
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 and Sunset Pro are available in all 50 states and U.S. territories.
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.
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 the deceased lived or where the estate is being settled.
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 long does it take to find the deceased's accounts?
Most accounts turn up within a day of starting a search. Some bank account confirmations take up to two weeks.
Closing accounts and moving funds take longer, because each institution works on its own schedule. The full estate settlement timeline also depends on whether the estate needs probate in your state.
Do I have to call the banks myself?
Usually not. About 90% of account closures through Sunset are completed without you calling or visiting a branch.
Sunset prepares and sends the closure and transfer requests for you, and the funds move into the estate bank account.
How much does Sunset cost?
Sunset costs $50 per estate, paid once when you sign up. It covers asset discovery, probate document generation, account closure, asset transfers, and estate bank account setup. Full details are on our pricing page. The credit bureau notification tool and the estate bank account have no charge.
Sunset Pro is 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.
The fee counts as an estate administration expense, so you can reimburse yourself from the estate. Sunset never takes a percentage of the estate, and all assets go to the beneficiaries and heirs.
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 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.
