To close a bank account on behalf of someone who has passed away, you must have legal authority to manage the account. The best way to avoid any issues with accessing the bank accounts of deceased family members is to have a clear and up-to-date estate plan in place.Name of Deceased had permanent legal residence at. My dad passed away two months ago. Got the death certificate in hand and went to the bank to close his account. It is often necessary that the property and financial affairs of a deceased person be supervised through a court process. You might be able to fill out an affidavit and present that along with your mom's death certificate to the bank. A Social Security payment due a deceased beneficiary may be paid to a family member or a legal representative of the estate in the following order. If you received checks for someone who died, you'll need to go through the probate process in order to deposit them into an account or cash them. Cancel benefits payments and close or transfer accounts.