What Happens After Someone Dies? Will & Probate Guide
Reviewed internally for accuracy by SuccessionKeeper: October 2026
In Short: This guide focuses on the will, estate administration and probate after someone dies in England and Wales. It does not cover funeral arrangements, bereavement benefits or wider personal matters. Scotland and Northern Ireland have different succession and probate rules.
After someone dies, the person dealing with the estate usually needs to establish whether there is a will, work out what the deceased person owned and owed, obtain appropriate values, consider the Inheritance Tax position and decide whether probate is required. Registering the death does not automatically notify every organisation involved. Tell Us Once covers a defined group of government bodies, but banks, insurers, solicitors, private pension providers and many others must be contacted separately.
A will provides legal instructions and names the executor. It does not usually tell them what the estate contains or where to find it. Estate administration therefore involves both legal authority and the practical task of establishing what the estate actually contains.
Estate Administration Checklist: The Process at a Glance
1. Register the death and use Tell Us Once where appropriate.
2. Find the latest valid will and establish who is entitled to deal with the estate.
3. Identify the deceased person’s assets, debts and financial providers.
4. Obtain date-of-death values and establish the estate’s Inheritance Tax position.
5. Check whether probate or another form of grant is required and apply if necessary.
6. Collect or transfer assets, settle debts and taxes, and keep appropriate estate records.
7. Distribute the estate once the administration and outstanding liabilities have been dealt with.
The sequence is reasonably clear. What determines how difficult the process becomes is usually whether the personal representatives can establish with confidence what the deceased person owned, what they owed and which organisations need to be contacted.
The First Few Days: Registering the Death and Using Tell Us Once
For most deaths in England and Wales, a doctor first confirms the death and a medical examiner independently reviews the cause. The death cannot normally be registered until the medical examiner’s office confirms that registration can proceed. Once that confirmation has been received, the death should generally be registered within five days. GOV.UK’s guidance on what to do after someone dies explains the process and the different arrangements where a death is referred to a coroner.
After registration, the person dealing with the immediate administration may be able to use Tell Us Once. It allows several government organisations to be notified through one process, including HM Revenue and Customs, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Passport Office, the DVLA, the relevant local council and certain public-sector pension schemes. Its scope is limited: it simplifies government notifications and does not identify or contact every private organisation connected with the deceased person.
Does Tell Us Once Notify the Solicitor, Bank or Pension Provider?
No. Private-sector organisations, including ordinary banks, mortgage providers, insurers, most private and workplace pension schemes, solicitors and will-writing firms, generally need to be contacted separately. Each organisation has its own bereavement process and may require different evidence before it can discuss an account or release information.
The practical difficulty is that the family or personal representatives first need to know which organisations were involved. An old pension cannot be reported to a provider that nobody has identified, and a solicitor holding the original will will not ordinarily know that a former client has died unless someone contacts the firm. The same problem can arise with savings accounts, investment platforms, insurance policies and other financial arrangements that were not known to the wider family. Organisations can respond once they have been identified, but there is no single system that automatically creates a complete picture of somebody’s private financial affairs after death.
How to Search for a Will After Someone Dies
Finding the latest valid will is usually an early priority because it normally identifies the executors and sets out how the estate should eventually be distributed.
There is no compulsory government database containing every living person’s will in England and Wales. The signed original may be stored at home, with a solicitor or will-writing firm, with a bank or specialist storage provider, or with HM Courts & Tribunals Service.
The most efficient search usually starts with the deceased person’s own records. Look not only for the original will, but also for copies, solicitor correspondence, invoices for will-writing services, storage confirmations, emails arranging appointments or notes left for executors. These can reveal who prepared the document or where the original is held even if the will itself is not found.
If a solicitor or will-writing firm can be identified, contact it directly. The firm will normally need evidence of the death and will need to establish the identity and authority of the person requesting information.
If a solicitor’s practice has merged with or been acquired by another firm, the successor practice may hold its wills and client files. Where the Solicitors Regulation Authority has formally intervened in a firm, the SRA takes possession of client papers and provides a process for authorised people to request them. See SRA guidance on claiming papers from a closed firm.
HM Courts & Tribunals Service also provides a service through which a person can store a signed will during their lifetime. See HMCTS guidance on storing a will. Another option is the National Will Register, a commercial will-registration and search service rather than a compulsory government register. The Law Society describes it as its preferred provider of nationwide will-registration and search services.
In practice, the most productive search is usually evidence-led. An old email, payment to a solicitor or storage receipt can turn what would otherwise be a broad search into a specific enquiry.
What If Only a Copy of the Will Is Found?
Finding a photocopy does not mean the original can simply be ignored.
In England and Wales, the original signed will is normally required when applying for probate. Where the original cannot be found, a person applying without a probate practitioner may be able to use form PA13 to explain what happened and provide evidence so that HMCTS can consider whether the application can proceed.
A missing original can also raise a legal question about whether it was simply lost or was deliberately destroyed by the person who made it because they intended to revoke it. Relevant evidence may include where the original was last kept, who had access to it, whether it remained in the deceased person’s possession, how the copy came into existence and whether there is any indication that a later will was made.
Where the original is missing, several versions exist or family members disagree about which will applies, specialist probate advice is usually sensible.
What If No Will Can Be Found?
If appropriate searches have been made and no valid will exists, the estate will normally be administered under the intestacy rules. Those rules determine both who inherits and who has priority to apply to administer the estate, following a statutory order rather than simply dividing the estate among whoever appears to be the deceased person’s closest relatives.
Where a person dies leaving a spouse or civil partner and descendants, the surviving spouse or civil partner currently receives the deceased person’s personal possessions, a statutory legacy of £322,000 and half of the remaining estate. The descendants ultimately share the other half. If there are no descendants, the surviving spouse or civil partner generally receives the whole intestate estate. An unmarried partner does not automatically inherit under the intestacy rules merely because the couple lived together, shared a home or had been in a long-term relationship.
Where there is no valid will, the person entitled to administer the estate generally applies for letters of administration rather than a grant of probate. If there is evidence that a will may once have existed, a copy has been found, somebody remembers witnessing one or relatives disagree about whether a later version was made, it is important not to assume that intestacy applies until the position has been investigated.
For current guidance, see GOV.UK: Who Inherits If Someone Dies Without a Will.
Before Probate: Build a Picture of the Estate
Finding the will establishes who has been appointed to act and how the estate should eventually be distributed. It does not establish what the estate contains. Before the estate can be valued properly, the personal representatives need to identify the deceased person’s assets and debts. GOV.UK’s estate-valuation guidance begins with this task.
For some estates, the financial picture is relatively easy to assemble. For others, the work can be considerably more involved. A financial life built over several decades may include current and savings accounts, workplace pensions from several employers, a personal pension, ISAs, investments, employee shares, life insurance, Premium Bonds, property, mortgages, credit cards, business interests and assets retained from earlier periods of employment or residence abroad. No individual provider has a complete view of those relationships, so the personal representative’s task is to bring them together into a coherent picture of the estate.
What Information Does an Executor or Administrator Need to Find?
The precise information required varies by estate, but the objective is consistent: identify the relevant assets and liabilities and obtain appropriate values as at the date of death. Depending on the circumstances, that may involve bank and building-society accounts, savings, pensions, investments, ISAs, insurance policies, property, mortgages, credit cards, loans, business interests, shares and overseas assets, together with gifts made before death, trusts and relevant professional advisers.
The provider name is often the most useful piece of information. A current balance or complete account number can help, but the more fundamental question is whether the personal representatives know that the relationship exists at all. For a fuller account of the records that should be maintained alongside a will, see What Financial Information Should You Keep Alongside a Will?. If you are dealing with an estate and do not know which accounts or providers existed, see How to Ensure Your Family Receives Your Financial Accounts. For readers approaching the issue from the opposite direction and trying to organise their own information in advance, see How to Get Your Financial Life Organised: A UK Guide to Building a Personal Financial Inventory.
What Happens to Bank Accounts, Pensions and Other Financial Accounts?
Once a financial relationship has been identified, the relevant organisation generally needs to be notified of the death. The process varies by provider: a bank may restrict an account after notification and later require probate before releasing funds; investment platforms may require a grant before transferring or selling assets; pension schemes follow their own procedures for assessing and paying death benefits; insurers require a claim under the policy terms; mortgage providers need to establish how outstanding liabilities will be dealt with. The distinction between discovering an asset and administering it is important, and detailed tracing is covered in How to Ensure Your Family Receives Your Financial Accounts.
How Do You Value an Estate for Probate?
Before probate can be applied for where it is required, the personal representatives need to establish an appropriate value for the estate. GOV.UK describes the process as identifying the assets and debts, estimating the estate’s value and then determining whether full details need to be reported to HMRC.
The estate can include property, bank accounts, savings, investments, household possessions, vehicles, overseas assets, cryptoassets, money owed to the deceased and certain payments arising on death. The personal representatives may also need to consider relevant lifetime gifts and trusts.
Different assets require different approaches: banks and investment firms provide date-of-death balances or valuations, property may need an estate agent or professional valuer, and personal possessions should be valued at open-market value rather than replacement cost.
Most estates do not pay Inheritance Tax, but valuation remains necessary because it determines the estate’s reporting requirements and informs the probate process. Where full details need to be reported to HMRC, form IHT400 is generally used. If Inheritance Tax is due, some of the tax normally needs to be paid before the grant can be issued. The current process is explained in GOV.UK: How to Value an Estate for Inheritance Tax and Report Its Value.
When Is Probate Needed?
Probate is the process through which the person dealing with an estate may obtain formal evidence of their legal authority to administer certain assets. Where there is a valid will and an executor applies, the document issued is generally a grant of probate. Where there is no valid will, the appropriate person generally applies for letters of administration. If a valid will exists but no named executor can or will apply, letters of administration with will annexed may be appropriate.
Not every estate requires a grant: whether probate is needed depends on the assets involved, how they were owned and the requirements of the organisations holding them. Property owned solely in the deceased person’s name will usually require a grant before it can be transferred, and banks and investment firms may require probate before releasing assets above their own internal limits. By contrast, certain jointly owned assets can pass automatically to the surviving owner, while some pension and insurance benefits may be dealt with outside the probate estate.
There is therefore no single estate-value threshold below which probate is always unnecessary. The more useful questions are what the deceased owned, how those assets were held and what authority each organisation requires. See GOV.UK: Applying for Probate for the current rules.
How to Apply for Probate
An executor can apply personally or instruct a solicitor or licensed probate practitioner. For individuals applying themselves, GOV.UK provides an online application service as well as paper application routes.
Before applying, the personal representatives should have established the estate values required for probate and considered the Inheritance Tax position. Where full details must be reported to HMRC, that process needs to be completed before the probate application proceeds. If there is a will, the original signed will is normally required. A photocopy cannot simply be substituted, although a separate process exists where the original has genuinely been lost.
As at October 2026, the HMCTS probate application fee for an estate worth more than £5,000 is £526. There is no application fee for an estate worth £5,000 or less. Fees can change, so check GOV.UK’s current probate fees before applying.
GOV.UK currently says that a grant of probate or letters of administration is usually received within 12 weeks of submitting the application. It can take longer where additional information is required. For the current process, see GOV.UK: Applying for Probate and GOV.UK: After You’ve Applied.
What Happens After Probate Is Granted?
Receiving the grant does not complete the estate; it gives the executor or administrator the formal authority needed to deal with assets that require proof of that authority. Copies of the probate document can then be sent to banks, investment firms and other organisations so that assets can be collected, transferred or sold. During the administration period, the personal representatives may also need to settle debts, deal with taxes, sell property or investments and pay administration expenses before distributing the remaining estate.
Distribution should not be rushed. GOV.UK warns that if the personal representative distributes the estate before outstanding liabilities have been dealt with and the estate subsequently cannot meet a debt, the representative may have to pay that debt personally. Personal representatives can also consider placing a deceased-estates notice in The Gazette. Current GOV.UK guidance says creditors should be given two months to make claims and advises against distributing the estate before that period has expired.
The administration of an estate can therefore continue for considerably longer than the probate application itself. Obtaining the grant is one stage in the wider process of collecting assets, settling liabilities and distributing what remains. See GOV.UK: Settling Debts and Taxes.
What Records Should an Executor or Administrator Keep?
Estate administration brings its own record-keeping responsibilities. HMRC says personal representatives should retain documents supporting the valuation and administration of the estate, including the will, signed Inheritance Tax forms, valuations, supporting evidence and the final estate accounts.
Estate accounts provide a record of what was collected and how it was dealt with, including which debts and expenses were paid, what tax was settled and what each beneficiary eventually received. Supporting evidence can include receipts for liabilities and administration expenses, correspondence with financial institutions and written confirmation that beneficiaries received their share. HMRC can ask to see certain estate records for up to 20 years after Inheritance Tax has been paid. See GOV.UK: Records to Keep When Valuing an Estate.
If the Will or the Right to Apply Is Disputed
Where there is a genuine disagreement about whether a will exists, whether it is legally valid or who is entitled to apply for the grant, an interested person may be able to enter a caveat. A caveat temporarily prevents a probate grant from being issued while the dispute is considered.
As at October 2026, entering a caveat costs £4 and it initially lasts for six months. It can be extended for a further six months. A caveat does not resolve the underlying disagreement; it is a procedural measure, and disputes can lead to legal proceedings and costs.
Questions involving mental capacity, undue influence, fraud, forgery, whether a will was correctly signed and witnessed, competing wills or whether the person understood and approved its contents can become contentious probate matters. Where such issues arise, specialist legal advice is normally appropriate. See GOV.UK: Challenge Someone Else’s Probate Application.
For Readers Planning Ahead
This guide deals with the position after somebody has died. For organising your own information during your lifetime, see How to Get Your Financial Life Organised: A UK Guide to Building a Personal Financial Inventory. For the specific records that are useful to maintain alongside a will, see What Financial Information Should You Keep Alongside a Will?. For guidance on making and reviewing the will itself, see When Should You Make or Update a Will in England and Wales? A Planning Guide.
Where SuccessionKeeper Fits
SuccessionKeeper does not draft wills, provide legal advice, administer estates or act as a probate practitioner. Its role is to help with the information problem that sits alongside the legal process. SuccessionKeeper is a private financial inventory designed to help people keep a structured record of what they have and where it is held, so someone they trust has a clear place to start if needed.
The record can include the location of the original will, the solicitor or will writer who prepared it, important document locations and the financial providers connected with bank accounts, pensions, investments, insurance and property. Provider names and basic context can be enough to make the record useful; account numbers, balances, notes and supporting documents are optional, and bank passwords are not required. The legal process determines who has authority to act. A financial inventory helps that person understand what exists and where to begin.
Key Terms Explained
Estate: The money, property, possessions, rights and certain other assets left by somebody who has died, together with relevant debts and liabilities.
Personal representative: The general term for a person legally responsible for administering an estate. It includes executors and administrators.
Executor: A person appointed in a valid will to administer the estate.
Administrator: A person authorised to administer an estate where there is no executor able to act, commonly because there is no valid will.
Grant of probate: The formal document confirming an executor’s authority to administer an estate where there is a valid will.
Letters of administration: A grant generally issued where somebody dies without a valid will and an administrator is authorised to deal with the estate.
Intestacy: The legal position where somebody dies without a valid will and statutory rules determine who inherits.
Statutory legacy: The fixed sum a surviving spouse or civil partner may receive under the intestacy rules before part of the remaining estate is divided with descendants. As at October 2026, the amount in England and Wales is £322,000.
Caveat: A formal step that can temporarily prevent a probate grant from being issued while a dispute is considered.
Date-of-death value: The value of an asset or liability at the date the person died for the purposes of estate valuation and administration.
Estate accounts: Records showing what the personal representatives collected, paid and ultimately distributed from the estate.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should an executor do first after someone dies?
Once the registration process is under way, an executor should establish that they are dealing with the latest valid will and begin identifying the deceased person’s assets, debts and financial providers. That initial picture informs the valuation, Inheritance Tax and probate work that follows.
Does Tell Us Once notify banks and solicitors?
No. Tell Us Once notifies a defined group of government organisations and certain public-sector pension schemes. Banks, private solicitors, will writers, insurers, mortgage providers and most private and workplace pension schemes generally need to be contacted separately.
How do I find a will after someone dies?
Start with the deceased person’s records and known professional relationships. Contact solicitors or will writers they are known to have used, consider whether the will may have been stored with HMCTS and, where appropriate, use a will-search service such as the National Will Register.
What happens if nobody can find the original will?
Probate may still be possible, but additional evidence will normally be required. A person applying without a probate practitioner may be able to use form PA13 to explain what happened to the original. Because a missing original can raise questions about whether the will was revoked, specialist legal advice may be appropriate.
What happens if there is no will?
If no valid will exists, the estate is administered under the intestacy rules. Those rules determine who inherits and who has priority to administer the estate, and the appropriate person generally applies for letters of administration rather than a grant of probate.
Is probate always needed?
No. Whether a grant is required depends on what the deceased person owned, how the assets were held and the requirements of the organisations holding them. Solely owned property will usually require a grant, while some jointly held assets and certain pension or insurance benefits may pass without one.
How much does probate cost in England and Wales?
As at October 2026, the HMCTS probate application fee is £526 for an estate worth more than £5,000. There is no application fee for an estate worth £5,000 or less. Current fees should always be checked on GOV.UK before applying.
How long does probate take?
GOV.UK currently says that a grant of probate or letters of administration is usually received within 12 weeks of submitting the application. It can take longer where additional information is required, and identifying, valuing and administering the estate can make the overall process considerably longer.
What records does an executor need to keep?
Personal representatives should keep records supporting the valuation and administration of the estate, including relevant valuations, Inheritance Tax records, estate accounts, evidence of debts and expenses paid and information showing how the estate was distributed. HMRC can ask to see certain estate records for up to 20 years after Inheritance Tax has been paid.
Related Reading
When Should You Make or Update a Will in England and Wales? A Planning Guide
How to Get Your Financial Life Organised: A UK Guide to Building a Personal Financial Inventory
What Financial Information Should You Keep Alongside a Will?
How to Ensure Your Family Receives Your Financial Accounts
Sources
GOV.UK, What to Do After Someone Dies
GOV.UK, Tell Us Once: Organisations You Need to Contact
GOV.UK, Identify Assets and Debts
GOV.UK, How to Value an Estate for Inheritance Tax and Report Its Value
GOV.UK, Records to Keep When Valuing an Estate
GOV.UK, After You’ve Applied for Probate
GOV.UK, Settling Debts and Taxes
HMCTS, Report a Lost Will: Form PA13
GOV.UK, Who Inherits If Someone Dies Without a Will
GOV.UK, Challenge Someone Else’s Probate Application
HMCTS, Store a Will With HM Courts and Tribunals Service
Solicitors Regulation Authority, Claim Your Papers From Us
About the Author
Peter Vulchev, CFA, is co-founder of SuccessionKeeper, a private financial inventory that helps people keep track of what they have and where it is held, so someone they trust knows where to start if needed. He spent his career in investment management, including roles at BlackRock and within the investment advisory teams of Apollo and Lone Star Funds, before building SuccessionKeeper with co-founder Deyan Nenov.
This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal, tax, financial, pension or estate-administration advice. It focuses on England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have different rules for wills, succession, probate and estate administration. If the estate involves a missing or disputed will, trusts, overseas assets, business interests, complex family circumstances, substantial gifts, significant tax exposure or uncertainty about who is entitled to act, consider obtaining advice from a suitably qualified probate solicitor, tax adviser or other relevant professional. SuccessionKeeper does not draft wills, provide legal advice, administer estates or act as a probate practitioner. It is a private financial record designed to help people keep track of what exists and where it is held.