How to navigate the probate process

Death can create a great deal of paperwork. Here’s what to do if you need to apply for probate.

When someone dies their estate has to go through a financial process known as probate. It entails “identifying the dead person’s assets, paying off any debts and sharing out the remaining estate according to the will”, says Patrick Collinson in The Guardian. Probate usually takes three to four months, but lockdown has delayed the process. If you are facing probate here’s what you need to do. The first step is to register the death. In normal circumstances you do this in person at the local register office. During lockdown remote registrations have been taking place.

The doctor will send an email of the medical certificate of death to the registrar, copying in family members. The registrar will then ask for additional information before they email a scanned copy of the death certificate. Once you have the death certificate you need to report the death. Use the Death Notification Service and the government’s Tell Us Once site and you should be able to inform all banks, building societies and government departments quite simply through both services.

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Ruth Jackson-Kirby

Ruth Jackson-Kirby is a freelance personal finance journalist with 17 years’ experience, writing about everything from savings accounts and credit cards to pensions, property and pet insurance.

Ruth started her career at MoneyWeek after graduating with an MA from the University of St Andrews, and she continues to contribute regular articles to our personal finance section. After leaving MoneyWeek she went on to become deputy editor of Moneywise before becoming a freelance journalist.

Ruth writes regularly for national publications including The Sunday Times, The Times, The Mail on Sunday and Good Housekeeping, among many other titles both online and offline.