How to Close a Deceased Parent's Phone Account

Your parent's phone is still getting texts. Their voicemail is still recording messages from people who don't know yet. And you may need what's on that phone — account passwords, two-factor authentication codes, photos — before you close the plan. Here's how to handle the phone account, the device itself, and the number.

Don't Cancel the Plan Immediately

This is counterintuitive, but keep the phone number active through the first month while you work through access and account tasks. You'll need it for:

• Two-factor authentication. Bank accounts, email, social media, retirement accounts — many require a code sent to your parent's phone number to log in. Once the number is deactivated, those verification codes go nowhere and you're locked out.
• Incoming calls and messages from institutions, creditors, or people who don't know about the death yet. Monitoring these calls helps you identify accounts and obligations you might not have known about.
• Voicemail. Your parent's voicemail greeting may be something you want to save before it's gone.

If the phone is locked and you can't get into it, don't panic. Keep the plan active while you work on access (see below).

How to Access a Locked Phone

If you know the passcode, you're set. If not, your options depend on the device:

iPhone: Apple will not unlock an iPhone for anyone, including an executor with a court order. However, if your parent set up an Apple Legacy Contact in their settings, you can submit a request through Apple's Digital Legacy portal with a death certificate and the access key. If no legacy contact was set, your only option is a court order requiring Apple to provide iCloud data — not to unlock the device itself.

Android: Google doesn't unlock devices either. If your parent used Google's Inactive Account Manager and named you as a trusted contact, you'll receive access to specified data after the inactivity period triggers.

Canceling or Transferring the Plan

Once you've extracted what you need from the phone, contact the carrier to cancel or transfer the line.

What you'll need: Each carrier requests different account details and proof. Have the account holder's name and phone number ready, plus any account number or PIN you know; check the provider-specific requirements below.

Carrier-specific processes:

• AT&T: It waives early-termination and cancellation fees for the deceased customer's line. Return a phone with an installment plan to have remaining unbilled installments waived. If you cancel the line and keep the phone, you must pay off the installment plan; if you transfer the line, the plan can transfer with it. If you don't know the account passcode, AT&T may ask for the account and mobile numbers, account holder's name, your relationship and contact information, the last four digits of the account holder's Social Security number, and a death certificate, obituary, or relevant accident report.
• Verizon: An executor or administrator transferring the number must provide court appointment papers; other family account members may be asked for a death certificate or executor paperwork. Return a phone with remaining device payments and Verizon forgives the balance; if you keep it and cancel the line, the balance is due on the next bill.
• T-Mobile: Its deceased-family-member form lets you close the account, transfer lines to a new account, or do both. It asks for the account holder's name, mobile number, and date of birth; a death certificate is required only for Puerto Rico accounts.
• Prepaid plans (Boost, Cricket, Mint): Renewal and cancellation rules vary. Ask the provider how to stop renewals and preserve or release the number; don't assume that letting the balance run out immediately cancels service.

Transferring the number: If you want to keep your parent's phone number (sentimental value, or because it's tied to accounts you're still administering), follow the carrier's transfer process above. You may need to start a new plan in your name with that number ported over.

The Phone Bill During This Period

If the phone was part of a family plan, removing the line may actually increase the per-line cost for remaining members. Check before you cancel — it might be cheaper to keep the line until the current billing cycle ends.

If the phone was on a device payment plan (installment agreement), ask the carrier how any remaining balance is handled under the account terms. It does not become your personal debt merely because you are family. Notify the carrier that the account holder is deceased.

What About the SIM Card

Keep the SIM card even after you cancel the plan. It may contain contacts that weren't backed up to the cloud, and some older phones store text messages on the SIM. Store it with your parent's other important documents.

The Parental Loss Operations Toolkit includes a digital account closure checklist that covers phone plans, social media, email, and financial accounts in a single workflow.