This guide explains the error messages you may see while using Sunset and what to do about each one.

"Please include the full legal name of the deceased"

Enter the complete legal name as it appears on the death certificate or a government ID, including a middle name if there is one. Financial institutions match on exact names, so a nickname or shortened version can cause accounts to be missed.

"Phone number is required" or "Please provide a valid 10-digit US phone number"

Enter 10 digits with no spaces, dashes, or country code, for example 5551234567.

"Please provide the date your loved one passed away"

The date of death is required. Institutions use it to verify records, and it determines which legal procedures apply.

"Date of death cannot be in the future"

Check for a typo, most often in the year.

"Sunset can only help with deaths that occurred within the last 3 years"

Records become archived or unsearchable beyond roughly three years, and results stop being reliable. If your loved one died more than three years ago, contact institutions directly and check your state's unclaimed property database. Our article on the three-year limit explains this in more detail.

"Please provide a valid date of birth"

Use MM/DD/YYYY. Combined with the name and Social Security number, the date of birth is what separates your loved one from someone with a similar name.

"Please enter a valid SSN (XXX-XX-XXXX)"

Nine digits. The SSN is the primary identifier used by institutions, credit bureaus, and government agencies, and an accurate one substantially improves what the search finds.

"Please provide at least one additional piece of information (Date of Birth, SSN, Email, or Address)"

A name alone can match many people. At least one more identifier is needed for accurate results.

"Full name is required" or "Please include your full name"

Use your complete legal name. It appears on correspondence with financial institutions, who need to verify your authority to act.

"Email is required" or "Please provide a valid email address"

Use an address you check regularly. This is how we notify you when results are released and when we need a signature.

"Date of birth is required" or "You must be at least 18 years old"

Only adults can serve as executor or administrator and enter into agreements with financial institutions.

"You must agree to Sunset's terms to continue"

Review and accept the Terms of Service to proceed.

"Sunset cannot perform any services without these permissions"

We need authorization to search for accounts and communicate with institutions on your behalf. Without it, institutions can't legally share information with us.

Your identity and the death certificate are validated instantly and automatically. If either fails, you'll see which information needs correcting.

"Social Security Number is required"

The SSN is the universal identifier institutions and credit bureaus use to locate records. Without it, our search is significantly limited.

"Full name is required" or "Please include the full legal name (first and last name)"

Enter the name exactly as it appears on official documents. If your loved one used other names, such as a maiden name, you can add those separately.

"First name must be at least 2 characters" or "Last name must be at least 2 characters"

A guard against typos. If a legal name genuinely is shorter, contact us.

"Address is required" or "Please enter a complete address"

Include the street number, street name, and any apartment or unit number. Address helps locate accounts at local banks and credit unions.

"City is required" or "Please enter a valid city name"

Spell it out rather than abbreviating.

"State is required" or "Please use 2-letter state abbreviation (e.g., CA)"

The state determines which probate rules apply and helps identify state-chartered institutions.

"ZIP code is required" or "Please enter a valid ZIP code (12345 or 12345-6789)"

Five digits, or the full nine-digit format.

"Relationship is required"

Select your relationship to your loved one. It affects which documents institutions will require from you.

"Executor type is required"

Indicate whether you're the executor named in a will, an administrator appointed by a court, or another authorized representative. Executors provide letters testamentary, administrators provide letters of administration.

Our article on verification issues walks through the specific causes, including name and date mismatches, credit freezes, and recent name changes. If you've checked everything against the death certificate and it still won't pass, contact us and we can tell you which field is failing.

"Please select a complete address from the suggestions"

Start typing and pick from the autocomplete list so the address is verified against property records.

"Property type is required"

Select the type, such as single-family home, condo, or townhouse. Different types carry different ownership structures and transfer requirements.

"Name is required"

Use the beneficiary's full legal name. Institutions verify these against their own records.

"Relationship is required"

Relationship affects inheritance rights under state law, particularly when there's no will.

"Please specify if this person will inherit"

Indicate whether this person is expected to receive assets from the estate.

"Please specify the relationship when selecting 'Other'"

A brief description is enough, such as family friend, business partner, or caregiver.

An error about the file type

Sunset accepts PDFs and common image formats, including HEIC photos from an iPhone. If you see a file type error, the document is probably something else, such as a Word file, a spreadsheet, or a compressed archive. Convert it to a PDF, or simply photograph the printed page instead.

"File size must be less than 10MB"

Scan at a lower resolution, around 150 to 200 DPI, or compress the image. Death certificates rarely need high resolution to be legible. You can also email large files to [email protected] and we'll attach them for you.

"Phone number must be exactly 10 digits"

Remove spaces, dashes, and parentheses. Sunset supports US numbers only. We send a verification code by text to confirm your identity.

"Email address is too long (maximum 254 characters)"

Check for extra characters that may have been copied along with the address.

"Email address contains invalid characters"

Usually an accidental space or a character pulled in from formatted text.

"Please fix validation errors before continuing"

One or more fields need attention. Scroll through the whole form looking for fields marked in red.

If you hit an error not listed here, send us a screenshot. Chat with us in the app, call (385) 707-0082, or email [email protected]. We reply to email within one business day.