Review and Resolve a Deceased Student Account
Purpose: Use this guide to review and appropriately resolve a deceased student’s account in ctcLink. This guide provides the overall decision-making framework for resolving a deceased student's account and directs staff to the appropriate detailed QRGs for completing each step.
Audience: Student Financials (SF) Staff, Campus Solutions (CS) Staff, Student Services, and other college staff responsible for student account processing.
Update the student's record in ctcLink to reflect the deceased status.
Related QRG: Processing a Deceased Student Record
This step should be completed before reviewing or resolving the student's account.
Review the student's account to identify:
- Outstanding charges
- Credit balances
- Pending transactions
- Funding sources requiring adjustment
Before writing off a balance or issuing a refund, determine whether any adjustments are required, including:
- Financial aid returns or adjustments
- Third-party or sponsorship adjustments
- Tuition or fee reductions, reversals, or cancellations
- Other funding or payment adjustments
After completing all required adjustments, determine whether the account contains a remaining valid balance owed to the college or a credit balance due to the deceased student.
- An Outstanding Amount Owed (follow Step 2A), or
- An Outstanding Credit Balance (follow Step 2B).
2A. Outstanding Amount Owed
Review outstanding charges to determine whether any should be reduced, reversed, or otherwise adjusted based on the circumstances and applicable college policies.
Once all appropriate adjustments have been completed, any remaining valid balance should be processed using the college's established ctcLink write-off procedures.
Related QRG: Process Student Write-Offs
2B. Outstanding Credit Balance
After all required financial aid, third-party, sponsorship, and other funding adjustments have been completed, determine whether the remaining credit balance belongs to the deceased student.
If so, the funds should be issued only to the deceased student’s estate or another person legally entitled to receive them.
The college is responsible for obtaining documentation establishing who is legally entitled to receive the deceased student's funds.
The following order of consideration should be used when determining the authorized recipient:
- Court-appointed executor, administrator, or personal representative
- Surviving spouse or Washington State registered domestic partner
- Child or children of the deceased
- Parent(s) of the deceased
- Successor to the deceased under Chapter 11.62 RCW
For situations involving a successor under Chapter 11.62 RCW, staff should follow applicable small-estate affidavit requirements before releasing payment.
Where entitlement or documentation is unclear, the college should consult its designated Assistant Attorney General or other appropriate college authority rather than making an independent determination.
Once the college has established who is authorized to receive the refund, locate the individual's existing ctcLink record or create the appropriate person record.
Related QRG: Using Add/Update a Person
Avoid creating or connecting a recipient until the college has completed the determination in Step 3.
Connect the authorized recipient to the deceased student's account and process the refund using the Student Sponsor Refund process.
Related QRG: Student Sponsor Refund Process
Before completing the transaction:
- Verify the refund amount.
- Verify the authorized recipient.
- Confirm supporting documentation has been received and reviewed.
If the college cannot identify an eligible recipient or obtain the documentation necessary to release the funds, do not issue the refund based solely on an asserted family relationship.
The remaining credit should be handled according to applicable Washington State unclaimed-property requirements and college procedures.
Colleges should follow local procedures and consult college legal counsel or their designated Assistant Attorney General when circumstances fall outside the guidance provided in this QRG.
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