Estate Administration Service

Estate Administration Service

Dealing with the estate and affairs of someone who has died can be overwhelming. We're here to take the weight off your shoulders.

Get help dealing with an estate

From full estate administration to just applying for probate, we can help you with expertise and care.

Tailored service

You'll have a dedicated point of contact who will keep you regularly updated. We can support you with our different services from applying for the Grant of Probate to full estate administration.

Organising and completing paperwork

We'll make sure to complete all necessary paperwork as part of the probate process. Including applying for Grant of Representation or Confirmation in Scotland.

Property and assets

We secure, insure, arrange sale, collect and transfer all assets in the estate.

We can also help with re-homing pets.

No upfront fees

We won't ask you to pay anything upfront for our full Estate Administration Service.

Learn about all our fees

Managing the estate

From funeral costs, loans, mortgages, utility bills and other debts.

Tax payments

Working out and finalising any outstanding tax payments and agreeing with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).

Distributing funds

Paying legacies in the will and distributing any remaining funds to those entitled. We will prepare the estate accounts.

With over 100 years of experience, you can trust us to handle all aspects of the service

We’ve helped many people deal with the legal, practical and personal affairs involved with estate administration and probate when someone dies.

Let's break it down

Who it's for

You don’t have to be a Lloyds customer to use this service.

Our service is available when:

  • there is no will
  • Lloyds is an executor named in a will
  • there is a will which appoints someone else as an executor, but they need help to administer the estate.

If Lloyds is named as executor in a will or appointed as administrator to act on behalf of an executor, our level of service is the same.

Our full Estate Administration Service would deal with all the stages as needed if appointed as executor or administrator of the estate. Or our Grant Application Service could help you with just applying for probate.

How it works

  1. Getting started

  2. Get in touch with us. We’ll talk to you about the process so you can see if our services are right for you. We don’t charge for this initial conversation.

  3. Working with you

  4. You’ll have a dedicated point of contact and if using our full Estate Administration Service have access to the online customer hub. 

  5. Completion

  6. Using our full service, you’ll receive a detailed report of how funds have been distributed. Using our Grant Application Service, you’ll receive the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration in your name.

For legal reasons, we can’t act if another professional is already acting on your behalf, or if Grant of Probate has already been applied for. In Scotland, we can only help in cases where the deceased has made a will. This doesn't apply to England and Wales.

 

Get things started

If you think our service is for you, or we’re appointed as the executor of a will, call us on 0800 056 0171. If calling from outside the UK, dial +44 (0)1733 286 482. You can also ask for us to call you back.

Lines are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, except for bank holidays.

Request call back

Useful to know

Our fees

For our full Estate Administration Services

 

Fees and charges

Estate value

Total fee for service

(excluding VAT)

Estate value

Up to £1,000,000

Total fee for service(excluding VAT)

2.5%

Estate value

On the remainder over £1,000,000   

Total fee for service(excluding VAT)

1.25%
  • £2,000 is the minimum fee (excluding VAT).
  • We won't ask you to pay anything upfront. Fees will be charged to the estate.
  • We calculate the fees based on the value of the estate at the date of death. Value added tax (VAT) at the current rate is added where applicable.
  • There may be further taxes and third-party costs deducted from the estate, or fees in respect of complex administration. Third-party costs usually relate to probate court fees, and those charged by solicitors, valuers, agents and the Land Registry where applicable.

 

Our Grant Application Service is made up of two fees

A £300 Grant submission fee and a £800 service fee (excluding VAT).

The Grant submission fee is payable to the Probate Registry at the start of the application process and the service fee is payable before an application is made to the Probate Registry.

When Lloyds is acting as executor or administrator in relation to an estate, our service is governed by a full set of terms and conditions. This is available upon request from our team. A short version is available online:

Estate Administration Service fees and terms and conditions (PDF, 101KB)

Grant Application Service terms and conditions (PDF, 157KB)  

 

Download, keep or watch

All information about our services is available in downloadable documents. You can save, print and keep these if you'd like a copy to refer to in future.

Or watch our video if you are still unsure if our services are right for you. 🕑2 min 54 secs

Documents we'll need

If you've decided our service is right for you, we’ll need to gather as much information as we can about the estate. This includes assets and any liabilities. We’ve put together a checklist of documents we might need. 

Our checklist

Estate administration support

If you are unsure of any words, we've put together a list of common terms and their meanings in our glossary.

We’re here to help you with any support you may need when using our estate administration service.

Glossary of terms

More support

Let's look at the details

  • You might find yourself involved in dealing with an estate. This could be as either an executor if there’s a will, or as an administrator if there’s no will.

    You might feel like you must take on this responsibility but there is no legal obligation for you to deal with the estate.

    If you are looking into dealing with or administering an estate yourself, you’ll be responsible for all stages of administration, which could include:

    •  applying for Probate in England and Wales, Confirmation in Scotland
    •  raising funds and paying any outstanding debts due
    •  completing HMRC forms for Inheritance Tax (IHT) purposes
    •  making sure legacies in the will are paid and other beneficiaries receive what they are entitled to
    •  sale of a property
    •  preparing the estate accounts.

    Our Estate Administration Service would deal with all the stages as needed if appointed as executor or administrator of the estate.

    Our Grant Application Service helps individuals and families obtain Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration giving them the legal right to administer the estate.

  • Everyone’s circumstances are different. We’ll make sure our services match the needs for the estate we are managing when using our full Estate Administration Service.

    Day 1

    After we complete our initial calls and receive all the initial paperwork, we'll send you a welcome letter that introduces you to our team. This will include names and numbers of your dedicated points of contact who will be dealing with the estate.

    Dealing with property

    We’ll review and make suitable arrangements if any property is to be sold or transferred. From arranging valuations to appointing estate agents. Along with instructing conveyancing professionals if needed.

    In Scotland, we won’t be able to place a property on the market until Confirmation is issued.

    We’ll update you, any other co-executors and any other beneficiaries on any offers received for the property where relevant.

    Other activities

    We may need to identify more beneficiaries. We’ll discuss some of the bequests and any distribution of other estate assets. This could include cars and other personal effects.

    If you want us to consider transferring assets to you, you should let us know at this point.

    England and Wales only

    We’ll place Statutory Notices to identify creditors unless we are acting as administrator. If acting as administrator we can’t place these notices until the Grant of Representation is issued, which can delay distributions.

  • Inheritance Tax (IHT) initial working out

    By law, before we can apply for the Grant of Representation, we need to complete this step and get a receipt from HMRC. Even if no tax is payable on the estate.

    We’ll send an account of all assets, along with any relevant gifts or liabilities to HMRC. This will include joint and nominated assets. It’ll exclude IHT, which can be paid in instalments. An initial amount of IHT is paid at this stage.

    Grant of Representation (Confirmation in Scotland)

    In England or Wales, we’ll apply for the Grant of Representation and send the will and other relevant documents to the probate court.

    In Scotland, we’ll apply for Confirmation and present the necessary paperwork to the Sheriff Court.

    At this stage you’ll get details about the estate assets and liabilities, along with an estimate of your potential inheritance. We can arrange for you to talk to an adviser for further information on services we offer such as banking, savings, tax and investments.

    Collecting assets and settling liabilities

    When the Grant of Representation (Confirmation in Scotland) is issued, we’ll send copies to the companies involved in the estate administration. This is to collect monies due to the estate and settle all liabilities.

    In Scotland, we’ll also be able to instruct the appropriate professionals to deal with the sale of any property.

    Distributions

    Once we’re satisfied that all potential claims are settled, we’ll pay any legacies and make interim distributions to the beneficiaries. An appropriate reserve will be kept.

    We’ll arrange for any property to be transferred. We’ll make sure it is valued and registered with the Land Registry if needed. In Scotland, this can’t be any sooner than six months from the date of the death. 

    If any claims are made against the estate, they can delay the administration. We’ll discuss this with you if this happens.

  • Income Tax clearance

    We’ll have all the information needed for the final Income Tax return. This is finalised to the date of death.

    We’ll handle everything in submitting this tax return, unless there are other professionals who have been appointed.

    Inheritance Tax (IHT) clearance

    After finalising the Income Tax, we’ll have established all the estate assets and liabilities to the date of death. We’ll submit a final account schedule to HMRC.

    This will specify any changes to the estate assets and liabilities previously declared, which allows for HMRC to work out the final IHT bill. We’ll settle the bill and receive any refunds due.

    Dealing with overseas assets

    We can start to deal with assets of the estate that are overseas once the Grant of Representation (Confirmation in Scotland) have been issued. We’ll deal with the legal formalities for the country in question and will instruct appropriate third parties if needed.

    This can be a complex process and is likely to delay completion of the estate. 

  • We can only complete the following in the finalising stages of our service.

    Administration Tax

    The estate will be liable for Administration Tax (Income and Capital Gains Tax) for the administration period.

    We can only work this out and send through to HMRC once we have finalised all stages of the estate administration. We’ll need to work out the tax and send the appropriate tax returns.

    Estate Administration Statement

    We’ll send a full statement of the estate assets and liabilities to all relevant parties, together with all final distribution payments.

    We’ll send appropriate tax vouchers if applicable.

More help

We understand this could be a difficult time for you. We want to make sure you’re aware of an account that could be helpful during this time.

 

Executor account

You must first open a new account from the following to convert to an executor account:
Classic Account, Easy Saver or Club Lloyds Advantage Saver.

An executor account is an account conversion that allows one or more executors to:

  • gather payments due to the deceased's estate
  • distribute funds to the beneficiaries
  • make payments on behalf of the deceased, such as a payment for maintenance of a house belonging to the deceased's estate.

 Find out more on our online form when looking to convert.

Convert an account

Further support

Power of attorney

Working with Hugh James Solicitors in England and Wales, our straightforward service guides you through every step.

Set up your POA

Will writing service

Planning for the future can be daunting. Working with Hugh James Solicitors in England and Wales, we're here to support you.

Start planning today

Wealth management

Get access to wealth management advice with Lloyds Wealth. Eligibility applies. Fees may be charged.

Make a plan

Bereavement support

We’re here for the difficult times too. We’ll guide you through the practical and money-related matters involving a person's death.

How we can help you

Bereavement support

We’re here for the difficult times too. We’ll guide you through the practical and money-related matters involving a person's death.

How we can help you

Important legal information

Estate Administration Services are not regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority or the Financial Conduct Authority.

Calls and online sessions may be monitored and recorded. Not all Telephone Banking services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.