Does an estate need to apply for a tax ID to receive a benefit?

[MR]

Can an estate use the social security number of a deceased participant as its own tax ID or does the estate need to apply for a tax ID?

[Guest stryan]

I would definitely get a separate Tax ID # for the estate regardless of whether it is receiving a benefit or not. The estate may have additional tax filing requirements than the deceased and separate TIDs will help keep matters segregated.