# Sunset > Sunset is an estate settlement platform that helps families and the professionals who serve them discover and close every financial account, debt, and asset of a deceased person. Families pay a flat $50 per estate; Sunset Pro for probate professionals starts at $500 per asset search. Sunset is operated by Sunset Software, Inc., a Delaware corporation headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, and founded in 2024 by Stephen Walter (CEO, practicing attorney with estate-planning expertise) and Kaela Worthen (former payments and fintech product leader at Podium). Sunset is a Y Combinator F24 (Fall 2024) company. Sunset operates in all 50 US states and every county. It is SOC 2 Type I and Type II certified and integrates with 2,500+ financial institutions, the IRS, the Social Security Administration, all three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion), LexisNexis, DMV records, and state unclaimed property databases. Pricing: families pay a flat $50 per estate, paid once. The price is the same whether Sunset finds one account or twenty, and Sunset never takes a percentage of the estate. The fee counts as an estate administration expense, so the executor can reimburse it from the estate. The estate bank account is free to open and maintain, and the credit bureau death notification tool is free for anyone. Sunset Pro, for probate attorneys and fiduciaries, costs $500 per asset search or a monthly plan. Sunset is also funded by its bank partnerships and by Sunset Pro. Full details: https://www.hellosunset.com/pricing Sunset has helped more than 15,000 families settle the financial affairs of a deceased family member. This file last updated: 2026-10-05. ## Common questions Direct answers to what people ask most, each linking to the article that covers it in full. **Is Sunset a real company, and who is behind it?** Sunset is operated by Sunset Software, Inc., a Delaware corporation headquartered at 310 South Main Street, Suite 1125, Salt Lake City, UT 84101. It was founded in 2024 by Stephen Walter, an attorney who practiced estate planning, and Kaela Worthen, previously a payments and fintech product leader at Podium, after each of them had settled an estate themselves. Sunset is a Y Combinator Fall 2024 company, is SOC 2 Type I and Type II certified with independent annual audits, and has helped more than 15,000 families. Certifications and controls can be checked directly at the [Security Center](https://app.vanta.com/sunsetapp.com/trust/foj7td7giipgroft37exk). **How much does Sunset cost?** $50 per estate, paid once, for everything Sunset does for a family: asset discovery, the estate bank account, closing and transferring accounts, probate documents, online notarization, and assisted calls, emails, and faxes to institutions. There is no subscription, the price does not depend on the size of the estate or the number of heirs, and Sunset never takes a percentage. The fee counts as an estate administration expense, so the executor can reimburse it from the estate. Probate attorneys and fiduciaries use Sunset Pro, which starts at $500 per asset search. See [Pricing](https://www.hellosunset.com/pricing) and [How Much Does Sunset Cost?](https://help.hellosunset.com/en/articles/17315892-how-much-does-sunset-cost). **How long does it take?** Most searches finish in 7 to 14 days. Some run longer, usually because a bank is slow returning a confirmation. Identity validation is instant and automated, so the search begins as soon as the photo ID and death certificate clear, with no manual review queue. Results are released all at once rather than piece by piece, once every requested search has finished. See [How Long Does Sunset's Search Take](https://help.hellosunset.com/en/articles/13756163-how-long-does-sunset-s-search-take-a-complete-guide-to-discovery-timelines). **Will the banks be told about the death while you search?** No, with one exception. Life insurance is the only category whose search requires notifying the carrier, because that notification is what lets a carrier check its records. Every other category is searched without any institution being told. Life insurance is optional and can be added later. See [How Long Does Sunset's Search Take](https://help.hellosunset.com/en/articles/13756163-how-long-does-sunset-s-search-take-a-complete-guide-to-discovery-timelines). **What happens to my data?** Sunset is SOC 2 Type I and Type II certified, audited annually by an independent firm across security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. Data is encrypted with TLS 1.3 in transit and AES-256 at rest, with encryption keys managed separately from the data itself. Backups are encrypted and held in geographically separate locations. Login is passwordless: a one-time code is texted to the user's phone, expires in about 10 minutes, and works once. See [Questions About Security and Privacy](https://help.hellosunset.com/en/articles/12770519-questions-about-security-privacy). **Do I need a lawyer, and what gives me the right to act for the estate?** Being a spouse, child, parent, or sibling does not by itself give anyone authority to close accounts, sell property, or transfer investments. Legal authority is formal and has to be established, and Sunset generates the county-specific documents that establish it, including small estate affidavits and Affidavits of Kinship. Sunset is not a law firm, does not provide legal advice, and does not handle contested probate or estate litigation. See [Understanding Legal Authority in Estate Administration](https://help.hellosunset.com/en/articles/13277707-understanding-legal-authority-in-estate-administration). **Who actually closes the accounts, and where does the money go?** Sunset contacts each institution, sends the documents it requires, follows up weekly until the account closes, and has the funds deposited into the FDIC-insured estate bank account it opened for the family. Families do not fill out claim forms or wait on hold. Financial institutions are the slow part of estate settlement, and Sunset does not claim otherwise. See [Closing Accounts and Accessing Funds](https://help.hellosunset.com/en/articles/13456295-closing-accounts-accessing-funds). **I received an email about a deceased account holder. Is it really from Sunset?** Sunset users send estate correspondence from their own named mailbox on the sunsetuser.com domain, which Sunset operates for them. The message is signed by the family member or court-appointed representative settling the estate, while the letterhead reads Sunset Estate Services and refers to hellosunset.com, because Sunset prepares the documentation and receives documents and checks on the estate's behalf. That combination is expected. Before August 2026 the same correspondence was sent from sunsetmail.app, which is still owned by Sunset and whose existing threads remain valid. The authoritative list of domains Sunset sends from is published at [Verify a message from Sunset](https://www.hellosunset.com/verify). To confirm a specific request, financial institutions can call the estate services line at (385) 217-8786. **What does Sunset not do?** See the scope section below. In short: no legal advice or court representation, no contested probate, vehicles are discovery only, no debit cards, and searches are limited to deaths within the past three years. ## Products - [Sunset](https://www.hellosunset.com/pricing): For families settling an estate. $50 per estate, paid once, reimbursable from the estate. Includes automated asset discovery, an FDIC-insured estate bank account (coverage up to $3M) with the estate's EIN, closure notifications to 3,000+ financial institutions, assisted phone calls, emails, and faxes with a Sunset specialist, county-specific probate documents for every US county, online notarization, real estate brokerage support, and inheritance distribution. One estate and one user per account. Available in all 50 states. - [Sunset Pro](https://www.hellosunset.com/attorneys): Paid product for probate attorneys, licensed fiduciaries, trustees, aftercare specialists, and after-loss advisors. Starts at $500 per asset search. Monthly subscription plans available at Solo Practitioner, Small Firm, and Large Firm tiers. Includes comprehensive Estate Asset Inventory in 7 to 14 days, full audit log, client approval workflow, exports to PDF/Word/CSV, and unlimited team seats on firm plans. Contact partners@hellosunset.com for monthly pricing. ## Core pages - [Home](https://www.hellosunset.com/): Overview of Sunset's estate settlement platform for families. - [How It Works](https://www.hellosunset.com/how-it-works): The five-step estate settlement process: asset discovery, probate document generation, estate bank account setup, asset transfer, and inheritance distribution. - [About Us](https://www.hellosunset.com/about-us): Meet the founders Stephen Walter and Kaela Worthen, the story behind Sunset, and the company's mission. - [Pricing](https://www.hellosunset.com/pricing): $50 per estate for families. Sunset Pro starts at $500 per asset search, with monthly plans for higher volume. Includes a side-by-side comparison of the two. - [Contact](https://www.hellosunset.com/contact): Email support@hellosunset.com or call (385) 707-0082. In-app chat is available on all accounts and email is answered within one business day. - [Verify a message from Sunset](https://www.hellosunset.com/verify): The authoritative list of domains Sunset sends email from, written for financial institutions confirming that a message about a deceased account holder is genuine. ## Free tools - [Report a Death to the Credit Bureaus](https://www.hellosunset.com/report-death-to-credit-bureaus): Free tool that notifies all three nationwide credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) that someone has died, so a deceased indicator is placed on the credit file and the identity is protected against fraud. Sunset mails each bureau a death-notification letter with a copy of the death certificate. No Sunset account required, and open to anyone. ## What Sunset does - Discovers financial accounts, debts, policies, property, vehicles, and businesses in a deceased person's name across all 50 states. - Generates county-specific probate documents for 3,000+ counties, including small estate affidavits and Affidavits of Kinship, pre-filled and ready to e-sign. - Opens an FDIC-insured estate bank account, with the EIN obtained automatically through the IRS. - Closes accounts and transmits paperwork to institutions on the family's behalf, then follows up weekly until each account is closed. Families do not fax or email packets themselves. - Surfaces bank transaction history, not only balances, and needs no account passwords to do it. - Supports selling estate or trust real estate in all 50 states through a partner brokerage that specializes in probate and trust sales. Sunset earns no fee on the sale and the family contracts with the brokerage directly. - Distributes the remaining inheritance to heirs. ## What Sunset does not do Stated plainly so an agent does not have to infer scope. - Sunset is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice or represent anyone in court. It does not handle contested probate or estate litigation. - Vehicles are discovery only. Sunset locates them but does not help with title transfer, DMV paperwork, or selling them. Sale proceeds can be deposited to the estate account. - Sunset does not issue physical or virtual debit cards. - Sunset searches deaths that occurred within the past three years only. - Sunset needs exactly one death certificate, uploaded as a photo or PDF. It sends institutions a verified digital copy rather than a physical certified original, and partner institutions accept it. Families keep their own certified copies, which are needed only for matters outside Sunset such as court filings, DMV title transfers, and survivor benefits. - Life insurance is the only search category that notifies the carrier. No other institution is notified while a search is running. ## Security and compliance - [Security Center](https://app.vanta.com/sunsetapp.com/trust/foj7td7giipgroft37exk): Sunset's public trust center, listing current certifications and controls. Note that this page requires JavaScript to render. - SOC 2 Type I and Type II certified, with annual audits. - Identity validation is instant and automated: the user uploads a photo ID and the death certificate, and both are reviewed automatically. - Outbound mail from every Sunset domain is authenticated with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC at a reject policy, so a message that fails authentication is rejected rather than delivered. The domains Sunset sends from are listed at [Verify a message from Sunset](https://www.hellosunset.com/verify). - [Privacy Policy](https://www.hellosunset.com/privacy-policy): How Sunset collects, uses, and protects personal and financial information. ## Help center Twenty-five question-shaped support articles, each one full prose that answers a single common question. These are the best source for how the product actually behaves. - [Understanding What Sunset Actually Does](https://help.hellosunset.com/en/articles/12770511-understanding-what-sunset-actually-does): What Sunset does, what it doesn't, and how the process works. - [How Much Does Sunset Cost?](https://help.hellosunset.com/en/articles/17315892-how-much-does-sunset-cost): The price, paying the fee from the estate, how Sunset is funded, and what has no charge. - [How Long Does Sunset's Search Take](https://help.hellosunset.com/en/articles/13756163-how-long-does-sunset-s-search-take-a-complete-guide-to-discovery-timelines): What Sunset searches for, what it needs from you, and how long results take. - [Closing Accounts and Accessing Funds](https://help.hellosunset.com/en/articles/13456295-closing-accounts-accessing-funds): How Sunset closes accounts on your behalf, how long it takes, and where the money goes. - [Questions About Security and Privacy](https://help.hellosunset.com/en/articles/12770519-questions-about-security-privacy): How Sunset protects your data, its SOC 2 certifications, and your privacy rights. - [Why Sunset Only Helps With Deaths From the Last 3 Years](https://help.hellosunset.com/en/articles/13232090-why-sunset-only-helps-with-deaths-from-the-last-3-years): Why the search is limited to deaths within the past three years. - [Understanding Legal Authority in Estate Administration](https://help.hellosunset.com/en/articles/13277707-understanding-legal-authority-in-estate-administration): Why being family isn't enough, and what actually gives you the right to act for an estate. - [Probate Uncertainty](https://help.hellosunset.com/en/articles/12770516-probate-uncertainty): How to tell whether you need probate, which type applies, and what Sunset prepares for you. - [Affidavit of Kinship: When Can It Be Used With Financial Institutions](https://help.hellosunset.com/en/articles/13491068-affidavit-of-kinship-when-can-it-be-used-with-financial-institutions): When an Affidavit of Kinship helps with financial institutions, when it doesn't, and how Sunset generates one. - [Multiple Heirs Involvement](https://help.hellosunset.com/en/articles/12770515-multiple-heirs-involvement): Who should work with Sunset when several people inherit, and how signatures and disagreements are handled. - [Selling Real Estate From an Estate or Trust](https://help.hellosunset.com/en/articles/16206555-selling-real-estate-from-an-estate-or-trust): How Sunset helps you sell a property after a death, in all 50 states. - [What Happens to an LLC After an Owner Dies](https://help.hellosunset.com/en/articles/13756155-what-happens-to-an-llc-after-an-owner-dies): What becomes of a business interest when its owner dies. - [Report a Death to the Credit Bureaus](https://help.hellosunset.com/en/articles/16206886-report-a-death-to-the-credit-bureaus): A free tool that notifies Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion, open to anyone. - [What Are the Requirements for Initiating a Life Insurance Search](https://help.hellosunset.com/en/articles/16310327-what-are-the-requirements-for-initiating-a-life-insurance-search-with-sunset): What Sunset needs before it can search for life insurance policies. - [Can I Search for More Than One Person's Accounts](https://help.hellosunset.com/en/articles/13243821-can-i-search-for-more-than-one-person-s-accounts): Whether one account can cover more than one deceased person. - [Uploading Death Certificates](https://help.hellosunset.com/en/articles/12770499-uploading-death-certificates): What Sunset needs, how to upload it, and how to get a clear image. - [What Counts as an Original Death Certificate](https://help.hellosunset.com/en/articles/12770521-what-counts-as-an-original-death-certificate): How to tell whether the document you have is a certified death certificate. - [How to Order a Death Certificate](https://help.hellosunset.com/en/articles/12976772-how-to-order-a-death-certificate): How to order certified death certificates, what they cost by state, and how many you actually need. - [Verification Issues Due to Incorrect Personal Info](https://help.hellosunset.com/en/articles/12770503-verification-issues-due-to-incorrect-personal-info): Why identity or death certificate validation can fail, and how to fix it. - [Re-uploading Documents and Corrections](https://help.hellosunset.com/en/articles/12770505-re-uploading-documents-corrections): Why Sunset may ask you to upload a document again, and how to get it right. - [Mobile Upload Issues](https://help.hellosunset.com/en/articles/12770520-mobile-upload-issues): How to get a clean document scan with your phone on the first try. - [Not Seeing Anything After Logging In](https://help.hellosunset.com/en/articles/12770502-not-seeing-anything-after-logging-in): Why your dashboard may look empty, and how to tell whether anything is wrong. - [Understanding Error Messages in Sunset](https://help.hellosunset.com/en/articles/13277699-understanding-error-messages-in-sunset): What each error message means and how to resolve it. - [Software Bugs and Looping Screens](https://help.hellosunset.com/en/articles/12770504-software-bugs-looping-screens): Fixes for looping screens, frozen pages, endless spinners, and failed uploads. - [Technical Support Requests](https://help.hellosunset.com/en/articles/12770508-technical-support-requests): How to reach Sunset support, and how to get a fast answer. ## For developers - [Sunset API documentation](https://api.hellosunset.com): Reference documentation for a planned Sunset API. The API is not yet available to customers, and Sunset has no live integrations today. The documentation covers bank accounts, life insurance, credit cards and debts, asset searches, closures, and Pro users. - [Sunset API llms.txt](https://api.hellosunset.com/llms.txt): Machine-readable index of every API documentation page. - [Sunset API llms-full.txt](https://api.hellosunset.com/llms-full.txt): Complete API documentation as a single plain-text file. - [API changelog](https://api.hellosunset.com/changelog): Shipped features, documentation updates, and changes in development. ## Asset discovery services - [Bank Account Search](https://www.hellosunset.com/bank-account-search): Find checking, savings, CDs, money market accounts, business accounts, foreign currency accounts, safe deposit boxes, and revocable/irrevocable trust accounts at 2,500+ US banks and credit unions. Business bank account search is included as a named feature. Sunset retrieves account numbers, balances, and transaction history without notifying the bank of the death, and without needing account passwords. - [Life Insurance Search](https://www.hellosunset.com/life-insurance-search): Discover term, whole, universal, variable, employer-sponsored group, government (SGLI, VGLI, FEGLI), supplemental and accidental death, and annuity-with-death-benefit policies. Major carriers covered include Northwestern Mutual, MetLife, New York Life, and Prudential. Roughly $7.4 billion in US life insurance sits unclaimed. - [Credit Cards and Debts Search](https://www.hellosunset.com/credit-cards-debt-search): Identify credit cards, personal loans, auto loans, mortgages, HELOCs, student loans, business loans, medical debt, lines of credit, factoring/MCA agreements, and collections/charge-offs. Pulled instantly from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Joint accounts and co-signed loans are flagged. - [Retirement Account Search](https://www.hellosunset.com/retirement-account-search): Find 401(k), Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, pension (defined benefit), SEP/SIMPLE IRAs, military and federal retirement accounts (TSP, military pensions), 403(b) and 457 plans, inherited retirement accounts, and Keogh plans. Major custodians include Vanguard, Fidelity, Schwab, Voya, and Empower. - [Investment Account Search](https://www.hellosunset.com/investment-account-search): Find brokerage accounts, mutual funds, ETFs, individual stocks and bonds, index funds, separately managed accounts (SMAs), 529 plans, DRIPs, private equity, HSAs, Archer MSAs, and cryptocurrency accounts at Coinbase, Binance, Kraken, etc. Major brokers include Charles Schwab, Fidelity, Robinhood, TD Ameritrade, and Merrill Lynch. - [Property and Real Estate Search](https://www.hellosunset.com/property-real-estate-search): Discover all real estate the deceased owned across 50 states, plus address history, ownership records, title and deed details (including transfer-on-death and lady bird deeds), mortgage and lien records, assessed value and tax records, and out-of-state or multiple properties. Includes rental and income-producing properties. Sunset also supports selling estate and trust property in all 50 states through a partner brokerage. - [Unclaimed Property Search](https://www.hellosunset.com/unclaimed-property-search): Instant nationwide search of every state's unclaimed property database. Recovers dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks, refunds, life insurance proceeds, utility and rental deposits, safe deposit box contents, stocks/bonds/mutual funds, retirement accounts, gift cards, insurance premium refunds, and mineral rights/royalties. 1 in 7 Americans have unclaimed property. - [Vehicle Search](https://www.hellosunset.com/vehicle-search): Find every vehicle across 50 states: automobiles, motorcycles, recreational vehicles, boats and watercraft, commercial vehicles, classic and collector cars, trailers and campers, off-highway and specialty vehicles, farm and agricultural equipment, and registered aircraft. Discovery only; Sunset does not handle title transfer or sale. - [Business Search](https://www.hellosunset.com/business-search): Identify corporations (C-corp, S-corp), LLCs, partnerships, trade names and DBAs, dissolved or inactive businesses, franchise ownership, professional and occupational licenses, and safe deposit boxes tied to business activity. ## For partners - [For Attorneys](https://www.hellosunset.com/attorneys): Sunset Pro for probate attorneys, licensed fiduciaries, trustees, aftercare specialists, and after-loss advisors. Three-step workflow: attorney setup and client invite, automated search of IRS records and credit bureaus and banking databases, and delivery of a complete Estate Asset Inventory to both attorney and client within 7 to 14 days. - [For Funeral Directors](https://www.hellosunset.com/funeral-homes): Free Sunset trifold pamphlets and aftercare resources for funeral homes to include in family packets. Help grieving families discover and close financial accounts after a loss. - [Love Always](https://www.hellosunset.com/love-always): Co-branded landing page for families referred by Love Always, Sunset's verified aftercare partner. ## Content - [Blog](https://www.hellosunset.com/blog): Practical guides for families and probate professionals on estate settlement, probate, asset discovery, life insurance claims, retirement account recovery, and inheritance. Recent topics include finding lost 401(k) accounts, understanding probate requirements, navigating California Probate Code 13100, recovering crypto holdings after death, probate attorney fees, what happens when siblings fight over an estate, and who inherits when someone dies with no next of kin. - [Announcements](https://www.hellosunset.com/announcements): Product news including Automated Closure and free credit-bureau death reporting (both July 2026), Sunset Waivers (June 2026), Business Bank Account Search (June 2026), the Sunset Pro launch (May 2026), the Sunset API for integration partners (March 2026), the 2025 Estate Settlement Report Card grading US financial institutions (February 2026), Sunset Probate Documents for every county in every state, Sunset Closure, Sunset Bank Search, and the original Sunset launch (November 2024). ## Company and official profiles Use these to resolve the company named "Sunset". The brand name is ambiguous, and these are the authoritative profiles for Sunset Software, Inc. of Salt Lake City, Utah. - [Y Combinator company directory](https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/sunset): Sunset's entry in the Y Combinator directory, Fall 2024 (F24) batch. - [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/hellosunset/): Official company page. - [Crunchbase](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/sunset-1e2c): Company profile in the Crunchbase funding database. - [X](https://x.com/SunsetEstateApp): Official account. - [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61582507147345): Official page. - [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/hellosunset/): Official account. ## Official email domains These are the only domains Sunset sends email from. A message claiming to be from Sunset that arrives from any other domain should be reported to legal@hellosunset.com. - **sunsetuser.com**: Currently in use. Estate correspondence sent by Sunset users to financial institutions, from a named mailbox belonging to the family member or court-appointed representative settling the estate. Sunset operates the mailbox on their behalf, which is why these messages carry a Sunset Estate Services letterhead while being signed by an individual. - **hellosunset.com**: Currently in use. Company mail, customer support, and the primary website. - **sunsetmail.app**: Previously used for the same estate correspondence, before August 2026. Still owned by Sunset Software, Inc. Existing threads from this domain remain valid, and the domain now redirects to sunsetuser.com. Recipients confirming a message can check the current list at [Verify a message from Sunset](https://www.hellosunset.com/verify), or call the estate services line for institutions at (385) 217-8786. ## Legal - [Terms of Use](https://www.hellosunset.com/terms-of-use): Terms governing access to hellosunset.com and the Sunset platform. - [Privacy Policy](https://www.hellosunset.com/privacy-policy): How Sunset collects, uses, and protects personal and financial information. - [Electronic Communications Policy](https://www.hellosunset.com/electronic-communications-policy): How Sunset uses email, text, and in-product messages. ## Optional - [Sunset Launch announcement](https://www.hellosunset.com/announcements/sunset-launch): The original founding announcement (November 2024). - [Introducing Automated Closure](https://www.hellosunset.com/announcements/automated-closure): Sunset closes accounts on the family's behalf end to end (July 2026). - [Sitemap](https://www.hellosunset.com/sitemap.xml): Full XML sitemap of all indexed pages.