My sister passed away recently. I found a disability check and state tax return check that she never cashed because she was sick and in and out of the hospital. She paid her bills out-of-pocket. She left no Will. She had a checking account that is still open. How or can I deposit these checks, since they are dated while she was still living? I think I am beneficiary to her accounts, but not sure.
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The checks are now negotiable only by your sister's estate, and the checking account, unless it was set up with a joint owner or designated to be payable on her death to someone, is also part of her estate. Contact the probate court in your county to find out if there is an inexpensive and/or expedited method for administering estates of this type, with minimal assets. If you can obtain an appointment as administrator of the estate, you will be able to take over the checking account and deposit the checks. You'll need to invest 15-30 minutes of online time to obtain an estate taxpayer ID number from the IRS before going to the bank. You might consider leaving the account open for a while, in case there are other checks that need to be negotiated. There will also need to be a final tax return filed, and any refund processed through the account.
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The checks are now negotiable only by your sister's estate, and the checking account, unless it was set up with a joint owner or designated to be payable on her death to someone, is also part of her 