A cell phone plan does not end when the person does. Autopay keeps running, the device payments keep running, and the carrier has no idea anything has changed until someone tells it.
This page puts in one place what each major US carrier says it will do after a death: how to reach the right team, what they ask for, and what happens to the phone itself. Every detail was checked on the carrier's own website in October 2026. Carriers do move these pages, so if a number or form has changed, search the carrier's name with "deceased account".
In short: every major carrier will close a deceased customer's account or transfer it to someone else. AT&T and Xfinity say in writing that they charge no cancellation fee after a death. Device payment plans are the catch: Verizon, AT&T and Xfinity Mobile only forgive what is still owed on a phone if the phone goes back. Have the account holder's name and number, the account PIN or passcode if you know it, and a death certificate. And keep the line active until the online accounts that text security codes to it have been dealt with.
Before you cancel anything
- Keep the line active for a few months. Security codes for the person's email, bank and social media accounts arrive by text. Once the number is gone, some of those accounts become very hard to reach. Our guide to the phone itself explains what to do in what order.
- Decide whether anyone wants the number. Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile will all move a line to another person's account. That is usually better than canceling if the number is on other people's contact lists.
- Save the voicemails and the greeting. For many families the greeting is the last recording of the person's voice. Verizon tells families to save voicemails before disconnecting, and T-Mobile says voicemails and greetings are permanently deleted when the line closes.
- Check who owns the account. On a family plan, if the person who died was the account owner, the other lines need a new owner, or they close with the account.
- Watch autopay. When the bank freezes the person's account, autopay fails. If other family members' lines are on the same plan, move the billing before that happens.
What every carrier asks for
- The account holder's full name and the mobile number.
- The account PIN or passcode, if anyone knows it. Everything is quicker with it.
- A death certificate. Not every carrier insists on one, but have a copy or a clear photo ready.
- Your own name, your relationship to the person and how to reach you.
- If you are transferring the line or acting for the estate, the paperwork that names you: letters testamentary or letters of administration from the probate court, and your own photo ID.
- A decision: close the account, or transfer it, and to whom.
Carrier by carrier
Verizon
Verizon's support page on deceased account handling sorts everything by your role on the account. If you own the account and the person who died used one of its lines, you can disconnect that line yourself: start a chat in My Verizon and type "Cancel", or call Customer Service.
If the person who died was the account owner, a member of the account or the estate's executor has two routes. Go to a Verizon company store with the death certificate and the executor paperwork. Verizon is specific that this means its own stores, not authorized retailers such as Walmart or Target. Or call 800-922-0204 with the account owner's name, mobile number and Account PIN. Verizon may ask you to upload the death certificate through its transfer or disconnect service form, and says requests are reviewed in about 3 business days. An executor can transfer the line to a new owner once Verizon has the executorship paperwork.
On device payments, Verizon gives a choice: return the device in the return kit it sends and the remaining balance is forgiven, or keep the device and the balance is charged on the next bill.
AT&T
AT&T's support article is called "Manage due to death". It says: "We don't charge early termination fees (or other cancellation fees) for the deceased person's line of service." A phone on an installment plan has to be returned for the remaining charges to be waived, or paid off if the family keeps it. AT&T adds that any outstanding balance on the account "may be the responsibility of the estate".
If you know the account passcode, you can do any of three things: transfer billing responsibility to another person, cancel service by chat or by calling 800.331.0500, or move the number to another carrier. A transfer needs any past-due balance paid first. AT&T says the account cannot stay under the deceased person's name and Social Security number, with an exception for Oklahoma billing addresses.
Without the passcode, contact AT&T by chat or phone. You may be asked to visit a store, and to give the account number and mobile number, the account holder's name, your relationship and your email, the last four digits of their Social Security number, and one of three documents: an accident report, a death certificate or an obituary.
T-Mobile
T-Mobile lets a family close the account, transfer its lines to their own account, or do both. Its support page for a deceased family member's account links to a Cancel or Change Ownership form, and T-Mobile says it will be in touch within 3 business days. It asks for the account owner's name, mobile number and date of birth. T-Mobile says it needs a death certificate only for Puerto Rico accounts. The same page gives a mailing address for paperwork: T-Mobile Wireless, PO Box 37380, Albuquerque, NM 87176-7380.
Back up the voicemails and greetings before you submit the form, because T-Mobile deletes them for good.
Xfinity and Xfinity Mobile
Xfinity has a bereavement support page for home internet, TV and Xfinity Mobile. A family can close the account, choosing a disconnect date up to 120 days in the past or 60 days ahead, or transfer ownership to someone else. Xfinity states: "There is no fee when an account is closed because the account holder or Primary user passed." Equipment goes back to an Xfinity store or by UPS, and refunds are issued within 30 days.
For Xfinity Mobile, the remaining device payments are billed as a lump sum when the account closes, and waived if the device is returned. Whoever takes the account over takes over the remaining installments.
Spectrum
Spectrum's support article says a family can apply for a "deceased customer close account or deceased customer transfer of ownership exception", and each has its own online form. For closing an account Spectrum says "a copy of the death certificate is helpful, but in most cases it is not required". The transfer form asks for your government-issued photo ID, the account number and the account holder's date of birth.
Other carriers
We could not find a published process for every carrier. For any carrier not listed here, including Cox, Consumer Cellular, Cricket, Metro, Mint Mobile, Visible, Boost, UScellular and Google Fi, call customer service, say that the account holder has died, and ask for the process for a deceased customer's account. Ask what happens to any device payments, and ask for the answer in writing. A prepaid plan generally lapses when nobody pays for the next month, but a card on autopay keeps being charged until someone removes it.
The phone itself, and what is owed on it
A phone that was bought outright belongs to the estate and can be kept, sold or passed on. A phone on a payment plan is different. Verizon, AT&T and Xfinity Mobile all handle it the same way: send it back and the balance is waived, keep it and the balance is due. Ask any other carrier for its rule before you decide.
Before any phone is returned, sold or handed down, save what is on it, then make sure the person's Apple or Google account has been removed from it. A phone still tied to their account is locked to the next owner. Our Apple guide covers Activation Lock. If the photos are only on that phone, it may be worth paying off the balance and keeping it.
Internet service and the email address that came with it
Closing a home internet account can also close the email address the provider gave the customer. Some people used that address for everything, including the password resets for every other account. Before you close an internet account, ask the provider what happens to the email address and how long it stays open, and read our email guide first.
If it goes wrong
- A cancellation fee or a full device balance appears on the final bill. Reply in writing and quote the carrier's own page back to it. AT&T and Xfinity both say in writing that no cancellation fee applies after a death.
- Debt collectors call about the account. The Federal Trade Commission says that, by law, family members usually do not have to pay the debts of a deceased relative from their own money. Those debts are owed by the estate. The FTC lists exceptions, including when you cosigned, and for spouses in community property states. Tell the collector in writing that the person has died, and give them the name of whoever is handling the estate.
- Nothing happens for weeks. Try the carrier once more in writing. If that fails, file an informal complaint with the Federal Communications Commission at fcc.gov/complaints. It is free, and the FCC says a provider served with a complaint must respond in writing within 30 days.
The online accounts behind the phone
The carrier is usually the easy part. The harder part is what the phone was signed in to: the Apple or Google account, the email, the social media. Departed Digital closes or memorializes those for the family, with the documents sent once and a written record at the end. We are based in London and take cases from families in the United States. Packages start from $199.
Carrier sorted, accounts not? Start a case and check off the accounts you know about. Or read the checklist and work through them yourself.