Identity thieves target the recently deceased. Death notices are public, the person can't monitor their own credit, and it often takes months before anyone in the family thinks to check. Fraudulent accounts opened in a dead person's name can go unnoticed for a long time, and untangling them later falls to the estate.
Notifying the credit bureaus closes that window. Once a death is recorded on the credit file, the bureaus flag it and new credit can't be opened in that name.
Sunset does this for free, for anyone. You don't need a Sunset account and you don't need to be using us for anything else.
How It Works
Go to hellosunset.com/report-death-to-credit-bureaus, fill out the form, and upload a copy of the death certificate.
We then mail a formal death notification to all three nationwide credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. Each notice includes a copy of the death certificate, which is what the bureaus require as proof.
That's the whole thing on your end. We handle the letters, the postage, and getting each notice to the right department at each bureau.
What You'll Need
Your loved one's full legal name
Their Social Security number
Their date of death
Their last known address
A copy of the death certificate
Your name, contact information, and relationship to them
The death certificate matters more than it might seem. All three bureaus require a date of birth, and the certificate is where we read it from, along with anything else the form doesn't capture. If you don't have a certified copy yet, our article on ordering one walks through it.
What Happens Next
Each bureau works on its own timeline, and none of them confirm back to us or to you when the flag goes on. In practice, TransUnion typically posts the notice within about five business days and then notifies the other two bureaus, so the flag tends to propagate even where one bureau is slower to act on the letter directly.
You won't get a confirmation letter from the bureaus. If you want to verify the flag is in place, you can request a copy of the credit file directly from each bureau as the estate representative.
Occasionally a bureau writes back asking for something additional. If that happens, contact us and we'll tell you what they want and how to respond.
Common Questions
Do I have to be a Sunset customer?
No. The tool is free and open to anyone. Plenty of people use it on its own.
Is there really no cost?
None. We cover the printing and postage for all three letters.
Why all three bureaus?
Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion each maintain separate credit files. A flag on one doesn't automatically protect the others, so a notice needs to reach all three.
How soon after the death should I do this?
As soon as you have the death certificate. The gap between the death and the notice is exactly the window fraud happens in, so earlier is genuinely better.
Is this the same as freezing their credit?
Not quite. A deceased flag tells lenders the person has died, which stops new accounts from being opened. It's the standard step for someone who has died, and it's more durable than a freeze because it doesn't need to be lifted or renewed.
What about accounts that already exist?
Notifying the bureaus doesn't close existing accounts or settle balances. Those are handled separately as part of estate settlement. If you'd like help finding and closing them, Sunset's free search finds accounts and debts across all three bureaus and we handle the closures for you.
What if I think fraud has already happened?
Report it at identitytheft.gov, which is the FTC's official reporting site, and contact the bureaus directly about disputing the accounts. Notifying them of the death is still worth doing, since it prevents further accounts being opened.
Need Help?
If you have questions about the form or haven't heard anything and want to check on it, chat with us in the app, call (385) 707-0082, or email [email protected]. We reply to email within one business day.