Estate Asset Checklist: Official Search Tools (2026)

An estate asset checklist helps an executor find accounts, benefits, insurance, debts, and paperwork after someone dies. The main official tools to check are the NAIC Life Insurance Policy Locator, MissingMoney.com and NAUPA state sites, PBGC unclaimed retirement benefits, IRS transcripts and forms, and SSA survivor benefit steps.

This guide rewrites Sunset's October 16, 2025 checklist in plain English for families. It is informational, not legal advice, and it shows which steps you can do yourself and where Sunset can help during the estate settlement.

Start with the basics before you search

Before you contact agencies or financial companies, collect the information most forms ask for. Having it in one folder will save repeat calls and rejected claims.

Gather:

• Certified death certificate copies
• The person's Social Security number
• Date of birth and date of death
• Last known addresses
• Any will or trust documents
• Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, if the probate court has issued them

If you are still in the first month after a death, Sunset's executor checklist can help you sort early deadlines and tasks: Executor Checklist: Your First 30 Days, Week by Week.

You do not have to choose one path for every task. You can use official DIY searches for some assets, use Sunset for others, and move at your own pace. In Sunset, nothing moves forward without your approval.

Official estate asset checklist

These are the core public tools and agencies from the original checklist. Use them to search for life insurance, unclaimed property, retirement money, tax records, and survivor benefits.

NAIC Life Insurance Policy Locator

The NAIC Life Insurance Policy Locator is a free notification tool for possible life insurance policies and annuities. You submit a request with the deceased person's information, and NAIC forwards that death information to participating insurance carriers. It is not a database you can search.

Each participating carrier checks its own records. If a carrier finds a matching policy, the carrier contacts the listed beneficiary directly, at the address the carrier has on file for that beneficiary.

NAIC does not tell the person who submitted the request whether a match was found. There is no match answer, no no-match answer, no results page, and no confirmation either way. Hearing nothing does not mean there was no policy.

A notice can go nowhere if:

• The requester is not the listed beneficiary
• The beneficiary address on file is out of date
• The beneficiary has moved
• The beneficiary has died

The NAIC policy locator has connected $13B+ in benefits since 2016, as of September 30, 2025. It is still a useful official tool, but families should understand its limits.

This is where Sunset works differently. Sunset searches for life insurance, helps prepare claim packets, submits and follows up on claims when you approve, and tells the family where a policy was found so they can claim it. The original checklist noted that most insurers verify a policy match in 2 to 3 business days once documentation is submitted through Sunset. For claim steps after a policy is found, see How to Claim Life Insurance After a Death.

MissingMoney.com and NAUPA state unclaimed property

Every state holds unclaimed property. This can include old bank balances, refunds, checks, dividends, and safe deposit box contents.

NAUPA, the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators, sponsors the free national portal MissingMoney.com. NAUPA also provides an official state directory at unclaimed.org.

The DIY process is:

• Search MissingMoney.com
• Search every state where the person lived or did business
• File each state claim separately
• Track each claim status
• Keep copies of claim numbers, emails, and letters

NAUPA notes that most states participate in MissingMoney.com. It also notes that states return billions annually and that about 1 in 10 people have unclaimed property.

Processing times vary by state. Once a state pays a claim, Sunset can help track the receipt and move funds into an FDIC-insured estate account for organized payments to beneficiaries and heirs. For a deeper guide to state-held assets, read How to Find a Deceased Person's Unclaimed Property.

PBGC unclaimed retirement benefits

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, or PBGC, holds benefits for missing participants and provides a search tool for unclaimed retirement benefits.

PBGC's database covers pensions from terminated plans and some defined contribution plans. The database is updated quarterly. The source checklist listed the most recent update as August 25, 2025.

DIY steps:

• Search PBGC's missing participants database at unclaimed.pbgc.gov
• Review any possible plan matches
• Contact plan administrators to claim benefits or ask about next steps

Sunset's retirement search helps locate 401(k), IRA, and pension assets across major custodians and can assist with claims or rollovers. The source checklist stated that most retirement assets are located within 1 business day through Sunset.

IRS transcript, EIN, and fiduciary steps

IRS records can point to accounts a family did not know existed. Wage and Income transcripts may show payers, including Forms 1099 and 5498, which can identify banks, brokerages, and retirement custodians.

The official IRS tools named in the original checklist are:

• IRS Publication 559, Survivors, Executors, and Administrators: irs.gov/publications/p559
• Form 4506-T and Get Transcript for Tax Return, Tax Account, and Wage and Income transcripts
• Estate EIN application on the IRS website, free and immediate
• Form 56, Notice Concerning Fiduciary Relationship

A common DIY order is:

1. Request IRS transcripts through Get Transcript or Form 4506-T.
2. Review Wage and Income transcripts for payer names.
3. Apply online for the estate EIN if one is needed.
4. File Form 56 so the IRS recognizes the fiduciary relationship and directs correspondence correctly.

Sunset uses document review and data connections to surface institutions faster, including banks, brokerages, and retirement custodians. Sunset also supports an EIN-ready, FDIC-insured estate account with records organized for taxes and distributions.

If you are opening an estate account yourself, this guide explains why executors often need one: How to Open an Estate Bank Account.

SSA death reporting and survivor benefits

The Social Security Administration handles survivor benefits and a one-time $255 lump-sum death payment for eligible people.

Funeral homes often report deaths to SSA. Families should still confirm what has been done and ask whether any survivor benefits apply.

SSA steps from the original checklist:

• You cannot report a death online.
• You cannot apply for survivor benefits online.
• Call SSA at 1-800-772-1213.
• Review SSA's official pages on what to do when someone dies and Survivors Benefits.

SSA steps are manual by law. Sunset can still help you keep the estate inventory current so SSA payments and any overpayment returns are tracked with other money coming in and going out.

Manual search compared with Sunset support

Some official searches are useful because they come directly from agencies. The tradeoff is that each source has its own process, forms, and follow-up. Sunset can sit beside those official steps by finding assets, organizing paperwork, creating probate packets, and helping move funds through an estate account.

The source checklist also referenced bank account search, investment account search, retirement account search, life insurance search, property and real estate search, vehicle search, credit cards and debt search, and business search as Sunset areas of support.

How Sunset fits with official tools

Sunset is not a replacement for government agencies. It is a way to pull estate work into one place so the family can see what has been found, what still needs signatures, and what money is ready to distribute.

Sunset can help by:

• Searching 2,500+ financial institutions for accounts and assets
• Finding bank, credit union, investment, retirement, and insurance leads
• Generating state and county probate packets
• Referring families to a local probate attorney when counsel is needed
• Setting up an FDIC-insured estate account
• Tracking inflows, expenses, debts, and distributions
• Helping with transfers and closures after you approve them

Sunset has helped 15,000+ families settle estates. The source checklist also described Sunset coverage across all 50 states and 3,000+ counties, probate generation in every county, SOC 2 Type II security, user identity verification, and estate accounts FDIC-insured up to $3M.

Any Sunset fee counts as an estate administration expense the executor can reimburse from the estate, and all assets go to the beneficiaries and heirs.

If a feature requires authority to contact or close accounts, read Sunset's Terms of Use. The source checklist described an opt-in limited power of attorney for account discovery and closure tasks, with the family approving actions.

Tips for combining DIY searches and Sunset

The safest way to work through asset discovery is to build from both sides: official records and practical account searches.

Try this order:

1. List known assets and debts from mail, email, tax returns, and bank statements.
2. Order enough certified death certificates for financial institutions and government claims.
3. Submit official checks through NAIC, MissingMoney.com, NAUPA state sites, PBGC, IRS, and SSA.
4. Use IRS Wage and Income transcripts to spot payers you may have missed.
5. Search for active accounts at banks, brokerages, retirement custodians, and insurers.
6. Upload claim numbers, confirmation emails, and letters into one record system.
7. Route estate funds through an estate account so expenses and distributions are easy to document.

Good records protect the executor and help beneficiaries understand what happened. They also make tax filings and final distributions easier to support later.

FAQ

What is the first asset search an executor should do?

Start with the records you already have: mail, email, tax returns, bank statements, and the person's files. Then check official tools such as NAIC, MissingMoney.com, NAUPA state sites, PBGC, IRS transcripts, and SSA survivor benefit steps.

Does the NAIC Life Insurance Policy Locator tell me if there is a match?

No. NAIC forwards the death information to participating insurance carriers. Each carrier checks its own records, and if it finds a matching policy, the carrier contacts the listed beneficiary directly at the address it has on file. NAIC does not tell the requester whether a match was found.

Where can I search for unclaimed money after someone dies?

Use MissingMoney.com and the NAUPA state directory at unclaimed.org. Search every state where the person lived or did business, because each state holds its own unclaimed property and each claim is handled through that state's process.

Which IRS forms help an executor find and manage estate assets?

The original checklist named IRS Publication 559, Form 4506-T, Get Transcript, the online estate EIN application, and Form 56. Wage and Income transcripts can show payers such as banks, brokerages, and retirement custodians through forms like 1099 and 5498.

Can Sunset replace the official agency steps?

No. Some agency steps, such as SSA survivor benefit calls, must be handled through the agency. Sunset can help you find assets, prepare documents, generate probate packets, open an FDIC-insured estate account, track claims, and keep the estate record organized.

Sunset can help you turn a scattered asset search into a clear estate plan of action. Start with what you know, use the official tools above, and let Sunset help find accounts, prepare probate paperwork, and keep distributions organized for the people who inherit.