Pay Checks for a Deceased Person

S.,

Sorry for the loss of your father.
Are you sure the company is till sending his pay check? This doesn't sound right.
Maybe it's some form of life insurance, etc. but your Mom is confused.
Either way, the bank will accept the cashing or deposit of the money, if you bring in
a copy of his death certificate. But to be certain, simply call the bank and see what their policy is on this matter.

S.

Added: I agree with Bobbi K. Please see a financial advisor or lawyer who specializes in Estate Planning and get your Mom's Finances, Will, Living Will, etc. in order if they aren't already. Be warned, a lawyer can be costly. You can try speaking with a local Senior Citizen's Counsel for advice before you begin. I hope that your Mom is in good health. Senior health care and housing is expensive. It won't hurt to start planning, especially if your Mom is advanced in years. Good Luck!

Before my mom passed away, she and I made sure to get my name on all her accounts. Once she passed away, I was able to continue to use her bank accounts to finalize everything. If your dad and mom's name is on the account and she is just depositing them she should be fine. However, soon she will need to file his death certificate with banks, etc., in order to have his name removed from accounts, and then it might be harder. She should definitely ask her attorney and also ask the bank. I would think they would be friendly and help her with this. Everyone was very helpful with my situation. I would hope they would be with hers.

Edit -

Another thought: Now is the time for you or one of your siblings to have your name put on all your mom's accounts. In case something happens to her, you will have access to them. It was very necessary with my mom, because she was disabled by strokes and I needed to be able to pay her bills and do all her banking.

Endorse it as follows:

For Deposit Only:
her signature

Also contact the company and ask if they can make the checks out to her instead. If this is a pension or something, that won't be possible but in that case, she may also need to contact an attorney.

The above endorsement is legally acceptable for depositing only. She cannot technically cash his check.

I have handled several checks this way and even going into the bank, they give you no problem.

You and your family have my condolences. Losing Dad is a verry tough loss. You are in my prayers.

S.,

If the company is being so nice, maybe you could ask them to put them into your mother's name, and explain why.

Otherwise, as an institution, we would take them once or twice. After that, you will need to go to a lawyer and set up a SMALL ESTATE AFFIDAVIT. That is what would enable your mother to sign his name. A new account would have to be established.

You COULD leave his name on the account, and depending on what type of company he worked for (so long as it wasn't a government or an insurance company) the teller could stamp the check. However, that would mean he would continue to earn interest in his name, and would require continuing to file tax returns.

I am sorry you have to go through all of this - if you have any more questions don't hesitate to email me. I obviously have worked in banking for a longggg time;)

I am very sorry for your loss. It is very hard to not only lose a parent, but also be responsible to help the one left. If your dad had sick time or vacation left when he passed, by law the company has to continue to pay the family until that time has been used up. If both names are on the bank account your mom should have no problem depositing them.

I think it is very important for your mother to go to the human resource office where your father worked and get all the information she is entitled to regarding company policy regarding death etc. This sounds very strange that the company would continue to send a "pay check". However, he may be entitled to money (pension, retirement, 401k, life insurance, etc). The company may be withholding this information from your mother and looking like they are doing her a favor by sending the "pay check". She may be getting taken advatage of and not receiving the full benefit that she may be entitled to. Also, you don't want the company to ask for this money back down the road after it is spent. If she still has a joint account with your fathers name then she can deposit the check. I am sorry for your loss and wish you and your mother well.

She can continue to deposit them into her account. Keep it as simple as possible. Since they would like to continue sending the paycheck, then deposit as usual. How kind of them to continue to support your mother in that way.It doesn't make up for her loss, but at least financially she does not have to worry.

Hi S.,

First of all I'm sorry for your loss. Since the wages are paid in the same year that your father passed away the wages are subject to Social Security and Medicare taxes however the wages are not subject to federal and state taxes. The check should be made payable to "The Estate of (your fathers name)" and also the company should arrange for your mother to receive a 1099 for the wages paid out after his death.

If for any reason the company needs to pay any further wages the following year after your father has passed away the wages are not taxable for any taxes at all.

I would suggest that the payroll person at your fathers employer consult their accountant on how these wages should be paid out before your mother does anything with the checks. They may need to void the original checks and reissue them with the fed/state taxes exempted.

I work for a payroll service bureau...my company processes payroll so this is the most information that I have. www.irs.gov may be helpful however the website is very extensive and it may take a lot of time to find more information. Hope this helps.

Sorry for your loss. As a banker I can tell you that if your parents had a joint account and your mom has not submitted the death certificate to remove his name she can deposit those checks in that account. Once his name is removed there is nothing that can be done at the banks part, she will have to get those checks reissued under her name, which will be a hassle. Also, make sure you find out from the employer that he is suppose to get those checks, you do not want to get a bill from them asking to give them that money back. Hope this helps, if you have any questions please feel free to reach me at ____@____.com

My mother passed away in Feb. and she was recieving a pention check, so we the last one came I called and said to return or we would have to repay it later. Hopefluuy this is of some help.
A.

So sorry for the loss of your father. Sounds like his company is very generous and he was thought of very highly. If both names are on the account, she will be fine. But...as the last post said, she will need to notify the bank of his passing and provide a death certificate. Then she can legally sign those checks over to her.

We went through this last year with my mother-in-law who lived with us. As with any account (i.e.insurance, bank, stocks, mortgage, etc...) she needs to have those death certificates available and sent to them. The funeral home may have asked her how many originals she needed - some places require originals (which are more expensive) while others are fine with copies. Just ask that question to each place so you don't have to give up an original and incur that expense. So sorry for your loss!

First off let me start by saying I am so sorry for your loss. As for the paycheck thing I would give the bank a call and see what they say. They may just want to see a death certificate. hope this helps and take care.

Sorry about your loss.

If your mom and dad had a joint account she can just put a deposite. and for future checks I would ask the company to add your mom's name to the check.

good luck.

ask the company if they can do direct deposit into the checking account. Other wise all she needs to do is write deposit only on the check and the account number. She will not be able to get cash back at that point but she can just to the ATM machine and withdraw what ever she needs.

She should also find out how long she will be getting these checks so she can plan for the future. It may just be for vacation days or sick days your father did not take and will just be a few weeks.

So sorry for your loss and I hope this helped a little.

In Christ,
S.