Frozen Bank Account

[BigV67]

I was using my wife's small business account to pay our bills
My name is on the account to use but it is her tax I'd number
I took the bank her death certificate and they froze the account for 45 days and now I have no money to pay bills after I had already deposited all my checks there.
What can I do?

[ummmm]

Are you in the UK?

[EDDIE51]

Once a person dies all their bank accounts are frozen and then closed.
You need to ask the bank what happens next. As it was a business account I think the bank has to freeze the account while they find out if the business was owed money or had debts that need to be paid.
As asked, 'are you in the UK?' it makes a lot of difference . Law in the USA for example is a lot different from here in the UK. Your use of 'checks' rather than 'Cheques' makes me think you may be in the USA . I also don't understand the bit about ''but it is her tax I'd number'' Does not sound like a UK 'thing'.

[jno]

that'd be ID number, I expect, Eddie. AB headlines do silly things.

[Peter Pedant]

first of all - sorry for your loss - you r wifes death must be recent and an awful shoc for you

How do you unfreeze an account that has been frozen on account of death of the holder ? My judge Judy answer
The short answer is- you cant
You must apply for probate in whatever state you are and once it is granted

in the mean time unless the estate is very small
you should open an executors account for cheques payable after her death

what is done is done ....

all my accts are joint as I dont want what happened to you to happen to my relatives in the event of my death - but it is a bit late to say
you should have done ....
( all joint acconts are subject to survivorship and remain open in the olher joint holders name )

[woofgang]

To add to PP's excellent answer what you should be doing as a matter of urgency is contacting anyone who is expecting a payment from you and explaining what has happened. With luck and goodwill, some or all of them will be prepared to wait for their money.