how it works

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.

‍

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.