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Reader Kim emailed me a few weeks ago with a question I’ve, thanksfully, never had to deal with. Following the death of her mother, she was wondering if she should report her death to the credit bureaus. She’s already paid off and closed all credit accounts and by all accounts things are “settled.” Her lawyer didn’t know the answer so she thought maybe I did! (ha!)

My gut reaction is that you should notify them, and any other similar organizations, to prevent identity theft and fraud. By placing a “deceased alert” on your credit report, any potential creditors or lenders will learn, upon pulling the report, that the person is deceased and should not be extended credit (only relatives of the deceased can request this). I don’t see any reason why you wouldn’t want to do this.

How to Submit a Deceased Alert

You will need to write a letter that includes:

• Language notifying the bureau that the person referenced is deceased and that a deceased alert be placed on the report.
• Decedent’s full name
• Social Security Number
• Recent Address
• Date of Birth
• Date of Death
• Copy of the death certificate

Mail this request by certified mail with return receipt requested to each of the credit bureaus’ addresses below:
Equifax Information Services LLC
Office of Consumer Affairs
P.O. Box 150139
Atlanta, GA 30348

Experian
PO Box 9701
Allen, TX 75013

TransUnion
PO Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92834

It’s a difficult time to begin with, don’t make it harder by introducing identity theft!