How do I tell the credit bureaus someone died?

How can a family notify the credit bureaus of a death?

A family gathers the person's details once, reads each bureau's own page, and sends the notice the way that page describes. The steps below are in that order, and each one is a single action that fits a phone screen.

The June's Help credit bureau checklist

1. Put the person's details on one note on a phone: full name, date of birth, date of death and last address. The letter further down uses the same lines.
2. Read what each bureau's page asks to be sent with the notice. Keep a copy of what is sent. The guide on how many death certificates to order helps the family decide which copy goes.
3. Open Equifax's page on contacting the credit bureaus after a relative's death and read how it asks for the notice.
4. Open Experian's page on reporting a relative's death to the credit bureaus and read how it asks for the notice.
5. Open TransUnion's page on reporting the death of a loved one and read how it asks for the notice.
6. Read on each page whether telling one bureau reaches the other two. If the pages are not clear, send to all three.
7. Copy the letter lines into a note, an email or a letter, and fill in the brackets.
8. Send the notice the way the page for that bureau says, and keep a copy. Keep the Social Security number out of an email or text, and put it only where the bureau's own page says.
9. Write down the date sent and how, then check back after two weeks. With the assistant plan, June's Help can email that reminder when the notice is marked as sent on its list.
10. When a bureau replies by letter, photograph the reply and add it to June's Help.

• Equifax After a Relative's Death, Do I Need to Contact Each Nationwide Credit Bureau? Equifax's page on what to do about the credit bureaus after a relative's death., official page, opens in a new tab
• Experian How to Report a Relative's Death to Credit Bureaus Experian's page on reporting a relative's death to the credit bureaus., official page, opens in a new tab
• TransUnion Reporting a Death of a Loved One to TransUnion TransUnion's page on reporting a loved one's death., official page, opens in a new tab

See also: Who to notify when someone dies: the full list, How do I protect a loved one's identity after death?

What can a letter to the credit bureaus say?

A letter to a credit bureau can be short. This one only tells the bureau that the person has died and asks for a written reply. Copy these lines into a note, an email or a letter, and fill in the brackets with the details from the note:

• [Date]
• To: [name of the credit bureau, and the mailing address or upload page shown on its page]
• Subject: Notice of death of [full name of the person who died]
• I am writing to let you know that [full name] died on [date of death].
• Date of birth: [date of birth]. Last known address: [street, city, state, ZIP code].
• Other details, only if the bureau's page names them: [details the page asks for]
• [If the bureau's page asks for papers to go with the notice, name them here.]
• Please add a deceased notice to the credit report, and please send a written reply to the address below.
• My name: [your name]. My relationship to [first name]: [spouse, daughter, son, sister, brother or other].
• My address, phone number and email: [your contact details]
• Thank you, [your name]

See also: How do I order certified death certificates in Texas?

Does telling one credit bureau tell all three?

A family reads each bureau's page before sending, to see whether telling one reaches the others. A family that wants to be sure sends the same letter to each of the three, with the right name and address at the top.

The three pages may differ in what they list as things to send and in how the notice is delivered, so one letter with three different headers is easier than three different letters.

Where can a family read what the bureaus ask?

A family reads each bureau's page for what it asks, and this guide lists none of it. The office decides, and the page is the place to read it.

If the page mentions court papers and the family is unsure what to send, a lawyer can tell them. The guide on death certificates covers how to order a copy.

What should the family watch for after the notice?

Credit offers in the mail and unfamiliar letters about accounts are worth setting aside and reading with the sender's name in view. The guide on protecting a loved one's identity lists more places to check.

A family keeps the notice, the date it was sent and any reply together, so the story is easy to show a lawyer or a bank later.

See also: How do I protect a loved one's identity after death?, Who tells Social Security when someone dies?

What does June's Help do with the notice and the replies?

June's Help can open a plain letter for the credit bureaus on its list of who to tell, with the name of the person who died filled in, to read and send. With the assistant plan, it can email a reminder to check back when a notice the family marked as sent has had no reply for two weeks. June does not send the letter and makes no calls.

A reply from a bureau that arrives as a letter can be added by photo. The page shows the sender and the dates printed on it, and a label that says who can help. A letter from a bank, a life insurance company, a pension plan or Social Security is read in plain words, with the letter's own lines quoted.

With the assistant plan, a due date that a reply prints gets a reminder email, three days before unless the person who signed up picks other days.