Understanding PROBATE - Probate Guide & Probate Forms€¦ · Is Probate always necessary Probate...

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1 PROBATE Understanding Your guide to the Probate Process 020 8150 2010 [email protected] www.iwcprobateservices.co.uk

Transcript of Understanding PROBATE - Probate Guide & Probate Forms€¦ · Is Probate always necessary Probate...

Page 1: Understanding PROBATE - Probate Guide & Probate Forms€¦ · Is Probate always necessary Probate is not always necessary when a person dies, it really depends on the assets that

1

PROBATEUnderstanding

Your guide to the Probate Process

020 8150 2010

[email protected]

www.iwcprobateservices.co.uk

Page 2: Understanding PROBATE - Probate Guide & Probate Forms€¦ · Is Probate always necessary Probate is not always necessary when a person dies, it really depends on the assets that

Prepared by:

For help and advice:

IWC Estate Management & Planning Ltd

020 8150 2010

[email protected]

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Losing a loved one is difficult enough

without having to go through the

process of Probate as well.

This guide will help you to understand

and guide you through the process.

This guide is not intended to be

complete instructions it is an

outline of the process and cannot be

considered or used as legal advice.

This guide assumes the funeral has

already taken place, this is because

typically the funeral has been dealt

with before family members think

about Probate.

Your guide to the Probate Process

Page 4: Understanding PROBATE - Probate Guide & Probate Forms€¦ · Is Probate always necessary Probate is not always necessary when a person dies, it really depends on the assets that

This guide will help you to understand and guide you through the probate process.

Page 5: Understanding PROBATE - Probate Guide & Probate Forms€¦ · Is Probate always necessary Probate is not always necessary when a person dies, it really depends on the assets that

Before you start

Before you begin, you need to determine if this

is something you want to undertake. Whether

you are an Executor or the Next of Kin you

do have choices as to whether you wish to

act. You could decide to act but still engage a

professional to help you. Most professionals

will agree to take their fees from the estate

assets at the end as opposed to insisting that

you pay in advance. This guide has been written

by IWC Probate Services (IWC), we will help

you deal with probate without charging you in

advance. In addition, our fees are fixed and are

agreed in advance. For further information call

020 8150 2010.

Responsibility & liability

There is a lot of responsibility and liability

taking a probate matter forward. In addition,

you must keep all papers for 12 years. If you

distribute wrongly you could become personally

liable. Professionals have insurance for this

type of situation. Other options to deal with

probate apart from dealing with the matter

completely by yourself are of course engaging a

Solicitor. If you are an Executor and you do not

wish to be involved at all you can elect to sign a

deed of renunciation. This means you renounce

probate and can walk away. It is important to

note this can only be done at the beginning

before you get involved. Once you get involved

you may have intermeddled and then you

cannot walk away. For more information on a

deed of renunciation please visit our main web

page at: https://www.iwcprobateservices.co.uk/

probate-deed-of-renunciation/

“Great service very informative and excellent communication.”

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Two thirds of people appoint a

professional to help them with probate

and common reasons include:

Personal Reasons:

Not having enough time, confidence or they

simply do not wish to deal with the paperwork.

Concern about making a mistake and being

personally liable.

Concern about being the central figure in

the estate and having to answer to all the

different questions from family members and

authorities.

Practical Reasons:

Speed, professionals usually complete the

process much more swiftly.

The estate is intestate (no will) and usually

more complex.

There’s a dispute.

The estate’s insolvent.

There’s an inheritance tax bill.

There’s a deed of variation required.

The Will’s invalid.

The terms of the will are unclear.

The deceased inherited within two years.

The deceased owned a business.

The deceased owned property abroad.

Page 7: Understanding PROBATE - Probate Guide & Probate Forms€¦ · Is Probate always necessary Probate is not always necessary when a person dies, it really depends on the assets that

What is ProbateProbate is the process of dealing with a

persons estate when they have passed away.

There are typically two main types of Probate,

firstly there is Probate where the deceased

person made a Will, this type of probate

application is an application for a Grant of

Probate and is carried out by the Executors

appointed in the Will.

The second type of probate is where the

deceased person did not make a will. This is

carried out by the closest next of kin and

is referred to as applying for Letters of

Administration. If you are unsure who is the

closest next of kin speak with Fleetwood Heir

Hunters who will be able to build a family tree

for you: fleetwoodheirhunters.co.uk.

The end result for both types of the Probate

certificate are virtually identical nowadays.

Prior to 2019 the probate documents did look

very different, most typically because one of

them had a Will attached.

From 2019 onwards the Probate registry

dispensed with the process of adding a copy

of the Will to the Probate, so before sending

the Will to probate make sure you keep a copy.

We will use the term Probate throughout this

brochure, when we do we are referring to

both types of probate administration, either

with a Will or without a Will.

A quick recap: A Probate application

supported by a Will is known as applying for

a Grant of Probate, where there is no will the

procedure is known as applying for Letters of

Administration.

“Its easy to see why people

seek professional help

when dealing with Probate,

Call IWC on 020 8150 2010

for impartial help & advice.”

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Is Probate always necessaryProbate is not always necessary when a person

dies, it really depends on the assets that they

leave behind. If a person owns a property in

their sole name then probate will definitely

be required. If not, it depends on how much

money they have in the bank, overseas or may

have given away.

Every bank has its own policy on how much

they release and to whom before they insist

on probate. If there is a Will and the Executor

is a spouse then it is likely the bank will have

a higher limit before they insist on a probate

application being necessary.

You need to check with the deceased person’s

bank on their requirements. Enclosed in this

guide is an example of a letter you can send to

a bank to ascertain how much they are holding

and what their requirements are to release

the funds.

Page 9: Understanding PROBATE - Probate Guide & Probate Forms€¦ · Is Probate always necessary Probate is not always necessary when a person dies, it really depends on the assets that

Understanding the probate

process

If you have decided to undertake the task

yourself there are primarily five key stages of

Probate, typically these are known as:

The collation of the estate

The completion of the Inland Revenue forms

The Probate Application

The Estate Collection

The Estate Distribution

This guide details the key stages and will give

you an indication of how long each one should

take. Where estates have multiple properties,

businesses, overseas assets, contentious

matters or other complexities our timescales

will vary considerably.

These types of estates are beyond the scope

of this introduction and should not be handled

by the lay person. If any of these apply to the

estate you are dealing with then please call our

Probate Department on 020 8150 2010. If you

instruct us to deal with the estate we will issue

a full refund of this pack.

At varying stages along the way, it is advisable

to keep affected people aware of what

is happening however you are not legally

obligated to do so. Having said that sometimes

giving people too much information can have

the opposite effect.

Delays are common place when dealing with

probate administration, these can be minimised

by keeping a diary of what is happening and

when you have dealt with certain aspects.

Remember arguments amongst family members

often happen when bereavement occurs this

is why it is sometimes better to consider the

outsourcing the work.

“Steve went above and beyond to assist us, I’d recommend using IWC to

anyone.”

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1st Key Stage – The

collation of the Estate

This is a fact finding task, you need to collate

all of the papers belonging to the deceased.

In cases where the funeral invoice has not yet

been settled you must contact the funeral

director to confirm that you are administering

the estate and arrange for them to send the

invoice directly to you. Once received, this can

be sent directly to most financial institutions

holding the deceased’s money for payment.

Banks and buildings society’s will release this

money directly to the funeral director upon

presentation of the funeral invoice prior to

completion of probate.

There are several key factors that are very

relevant and you need to know the answers

because they will influence the probate

application:

1. Did the deceased person give away any

assets in the last seven years?

2. Did the deceased person make any changes

to a Pension in the two years before death?

3. Did the deceased person benefit from any

Trust?

4. Did the deceased person have any assets

outside of the United Kingdom?

5. Does their estate exceed the Nil rate band, if

yes, is a Transferable nil rate band available and

or is a Residence Tax allowance available?

“Absolutely A1 service all way through from start to finish. Very prompt

replies to my emails. Always kept me updated at all times. I would

definitely recommend.”

“Its easy to see why people

seek professional help

when dealing with probate

matters - Call IWC Probate

on 020 8150 2010 for

impartial help and advice.”

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Letters should be sent to companies including

both asset and liability companies i.e. banks

and credit card companies, utility companies

Pensions companies, Life Insurance companies

and of course government departments such

as the Department for Works and Pensions, and

the Inland Revenue in order to ascertain the

information listed above.

When administering an estate it is necessary to

deal with the tax affairs of the deceased, you

will need to know details of any income received

in the last tax year including dividends, salaries

or pension payments. You will therefore need to

write to share registrars, employers, pension

providers, building societies and or accountants

as necessary.

All of this information is required in order to

move on to stage 2 of the administration process.

Every probate case varies and the institutions

will be different from one organisation to the

next. Typically however you should expect these

companies or institutions to reply within six

weeks to eight weeks. However, we would suggest

if you have not heard within four weeks that you

write again. In week nine you should endeavour to

move on to Stage 2.

You should open an estate account at the bank

which all estate funds should be placed. This will

help with separating, itemising and distributing

estate money. Some banks make this especially

awkward if you have not yet obtained Probate.

“Fantastic help , friendly kind I am so happy with the help provided in

this difficult time for me. I do recommend them. Thankyou so much for

the kind help.”

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2nd Key Stage – The

Completion of the Inland

Revenue Forms

You should now review the financial information

gathered from the various institutions and

ensure that the estate is solvent and there are

sufficient funds to pay the estate debts and

pay any pecuniary legacies (if there is a Will).

lf this is not the case, you will need to look at

ways to resolve this problem.

You now need to complete the relevant

inheritance tax form, even where no

inheritance tax is payable it is still necessary

to submit information to the Inland Revenue

about the assets and liabilities of the estate.

If the estate is subject to inheritance tax,

you really need to take professional advice.

Estate’s which are subject to inheritance tax

are beyond the scope of this guide. If you

do wish to continue you should arrange for

payment of inheritance tax from one of the

assets.

This payment needs to be made before you can

apply for probate. Probate will only be granted

when the Inland Revenue have issued a stamped

form IHT421.

If inheritance tax is not applicable the form

you will require is named IHT205. This form is

enclosed within this guide however the process

is simpler if you complete the application online

here: https://www.gov.uk/applying-for-probate/

apply-for-probate

If you do not complete the process online you

will also need to complete form PA1 which is

the personal application form. If the estate

you are dealing with is valued at over £325k

and the person who died was widowed you can

also complete form IHT217 in order to claim

the transferable nil rate band of the first

person to die. Once again, it is advisable to seek

professional help if you need to.

“The service and treatment received have been excellent.”

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Once you have completed the required form

(IHT205) you send this along with form PA1 and

any relevant Power Reserved form and form

IHT217 and the required fees to the relevant

probate registry. Power reserved means that if

there is more than one Executor and you only

need one to act the other Executor(s) can be

held in reserve. We have a complete kit for Power

reserved which includes the necessary forms to

notify the other Executor that there power is

being reserved. If you are going to Power reserve

someone, to save arguments in the future, please

use our kit as this will safeguard you from any

issues, please visit here for more information:

https://www.iwcprobateservices.co.uk/probate-

power-reserved-pa25/

When making your application is advisable to

also apply for sealed copies of the grant. Sealed

copies are what will need to be sent to the banks

and other financial institutions. Sealed copies,

at the time of writing, only cost an additional

£0.50p each. Obtain at least one sealed copy for

every organisation you have had to write to. This

speeds up the overall process.

If inheritance tax is due the forms listed above

will not be relevant. You will need to look at the

forms IHT400 and all of the supplementary forms.

Once completed these must be sent to the Capital

taxes office (Inland Revenue). Note inheritance

tax accrues interest if it not paid within six

months from the end of the month that the

person died in.

“Excellent service, professional and quick.”

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3rd Key Stage - The

Probate Application

Invariably the 3rd Key stage is outside of your

control and can take three months. This is

dependent on the courts and where inheritance

tax is applicable, the Inland Revenue. The

Inland Revenue will make an initial check of

the application before issuing the signed form

necessary to complete the probate application.

Often where a property is concerned this can

involve another valuation with the district

surveyor.

Assuming the estate you are dealing with is not

an estate where tax is due, the Probate Courts

will write to you and send a statement of truth

for you to sign. The statements of truth were

introduced in 2019 and replaced the need to

swear an oath.

Every application for a Grant of Probate or

Letters of Administration must be supported

by a statement of truth signed by the acting

Executors or Personal Representative. This

is to establish your right to the Grant and

confirms the value of the estate that will be

dealt with under the authority of the Grant.

Having the correct figure here is essential as

if this is too low you may not be able to sell any

property or cash in any assets, too high and

you may be paying too much tax and may need

to file a corrective account with the Inland

Revenue. The Statement will be prepared by

the court.

Generally once you have returned the

statement of truth we would expect that

provided there are no delays and no caveats

have been filed against the estate probate

should be granted within four weeks. If a

caveat has been filed against this estate this

means that someone is disputing the Will or

distribution of the estate and you really need

professional advice. Call us on 020 8150 2010,

we may need to direct you to a Solicitor for

further advice.

4th Key Stage - The Estate

Collection

Once Probate has been granted you can then

begin the estate collection phase. This again

involves writing to all of the asset holders,

sending them the sealed copy of the grant and

asking them to pay out or transfer the assets

“It took even less time than expected. We were very pleased with how

everything was handled.”

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as applicable. Ideally you should consider

gathering the estate into an estate bank

account as this will make the collection easier.

Now that you have probate most banks will let

you open an estate account.

Statutory advertisement (known as Section

27 notices also known as Trustee Act notices)

should be placed into the London Gazette

and a local newspaper to where the deceased

lived these notices invite creditors and other

claimants to make a claim against the estate.

There are potential claims under family

provision legislation which must be made by

the claimant within 6 months from the date

of the Grant of Probate and so we advise that

the Executors delay distribution until after this

date

These advertisements also give other potential

creditors two months from the date of the

advertisement to make a claim against the

estate.

You should now complete the tax returns

for the period from the 6th April to the

date of death, together with income tax and

capital gains tax forms for the period of

administration (See Tax Section below). If

stocks and shares are being transferred; you

should now complete the necessary transfer

forms.

You should now inform the estate agent and/or

conveyancing solicitor that probate has been

received and that the sale of any property can

proceed.

If the estate is subject to inheritance tax,

you will need to apply for the inheritance tax

discharge certificate.

The timeframe for this stage is dependent

upon the response time from the companies

involved. Depending on the response from

Inland Revenue and the asset holders, this

stage will normally take between eight to ten

weeks.

“IWC were able to answer all questions and adapt to changing

circumstances on a particularly tricky matter and offer a solution that

worked for our clients.”

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5th Key Stage - The Estate

Distribution

Ongoing throughout the administration,

you should prepare and update complete

estate accounts. The final stages of estate

administration involve finalising the estate

accounts and sending them to other executors

or administrators or other beneficiaries as

necessary. You must obtain their approval prior

to any distribution.

Once the estate accounts have been confirmed,

accepted and returned you can then begin the

distribution of the estate. In order to protect

the executors/administrators bankruptcy

searches and Identity checks should be carried

out on each beneficiary. Under the Proceeds

of Crime Act 2002 and the Money Laundering

Regulations 2003 you are obliged to have

procedures in place to verify the identity of all

executors or administrators and beneficiaries.

Where a bankrupt has been identified no

monies for that particular beneficiary will

be payable. In that instance you will need to

make contact with the bankruptcy court as

necessary.

This is an essential part of the process and

should not be overlooked. Family members or

other beneficiaries maybe too embarrassed

to tell you that they are made bankrupt. They

may think they will receive the money then get

themselves out of bankruptcy, do not run this

risk especially if they live overseas. You will

become personally liable if you pay them. Call

us for advice on 020 8150 2010. We can carry

out a bankruptcy search for those overseas

visit: https://www.iwcprobateservices.co.uk/

overseas-bankruptcy-search/

You should obtain receipts from all

beneficiaries for both pecuniary legacy and

residual legatees. This stage of the process

generally takes about four weeks.

Once all bills have been paid, all estate

claims settled, accounts signed and the

beneficiaries have received their inheritance

the administration process is complete all of

the papers should now be archived for the

statutory 12 years. If you need help with

this let us know as we are able to provide a

document archive solution.

“All good. Saved me a lot of stress at a difficult time.”

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TaxInheritance Tax

An estate liable to inheritance tax will

normally take several months longer, and

sometimes years longer, to wind up than a

non-taxable one.

Whether an estate is taxable, and if so the

amount payable, can depend on a number of

factors including whether the deceased:

- had assets worth more than the nil rate

band

- was widowed and their deceased spouse or

civil partner left their estate to them

- the administration has taken place within

two years of the death

- owned assets outside of the UK

- had an interest under a trust or settlement

at any time during the seven years prior to

death

- had made lifetime gifts.

The executors must fully investigate these

points.

There are numerous inheritance tax

exemptions and reliefs. In general, taxable

lifetime gifts would be those made not more

than seven years before death, certain small

gifts made each tax year being disregarded.

“Its easy to see why

people seek professional

help when dealing with

Inheritance Tax - Call IWC

on 020 8150 2010 for

impartial help and advice.”

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Tax Delays

en to:The inheritance tax position of an estate is

dealt with by a specific department in the

Inland Revenue also known as the Capital Taxes

Office (CTO). Delays in winding up a taxable

estate may be due to the time taken to:

- obtain final clearance from the Capital Taxes

Office (CTO);

- negotiate asset values with the CTO, because

some asset values cannot be fully determined

at the date of death;

- agree the income tax/capital gains tax

position at the date of death.

e.

Income Tax and Capital

Gains Tax of the Deceased

Income tax and Capital gains tax returns for

the estate will need to be declared and these

may also affect Personal Representatives and

Beneficiaries.

Information needed:

As you may appreciate, the executors are

obliged to account to the appropriate

Inspectors of Taxes for income received

and capital gains made during the period of

administration. They also need to provide

certain information to that Inspector for each

residuary beneficiary who receives income

from the estate, including his full name and

address, tax district, reference and national

insurance number.

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“I cannot praise this company highly enough. They have helped me to

solve a problem so efficiently and professionally yet with a personal

touch .”

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Distributing income during

the administration period

The income which is received from an estate

counts towards the person’s total income for

the purpose of calculating whether they pay

income tax and, if so, whether at the basic

rate or the higher rate. Under the present

income tax regime as it affects Executors

and beneficiaries, it is important (so far as

practicable) for the Executors to distribute

income to the appropriate beneficiaries

within the tax year in which it arises. Failure

to do this by accumulating income may cause

‘bunching’ of a beneficiary’s income in a given

tax year, incurring an avoidable higher rate tax

liability. The risk of this occurring will depend

on whether, in a given tax year, a beneficiary’s

existing income and the amount of income from

the estate to which he is entitled places him

close to the higher rate income tax threshold.

Advice to beneficiaries

receiving income during

the administration period

A beneficiary should, whenever receiving a

distribution of income (weather as part of

a distribution comprising capital as well)

receive an income tax deduction certificate

form R185E. They should immediately send it

to their tax adviser, if any. Failing this, if they

complete an annual tax returns or claims, they

may either send the form to their inspector of

Taxes immediately, or when next submitting a

tax return or claim, declaring the net income

received in the appropriate section of that

return or claim form.

Tax

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ProbateThe Estate of

No. Overview of Probate Notes

01. Register the death and obtain Death Certificate.

02. Attend to the funeral, burial, cremation, etc.

03. Find Will or establish who is entitled under intestacy.

04. Establish who the personal representatives are.

05. Obtain the requisite forms.

06. Secure the house and/or property; insure the house, car and other valuable property.

07. Organise for valuing assets; keep financial records. Open executor’s bank account.

08. Write to financial and business organisations.

09. List the deceased's assets and liabilities. Is probate necessary?

10. Is the estate worth more than £325,000?

11. Fill out probate forms.

12. Attend the Probate Registry.

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No. Overview of Probate Notes

13. Pay Inheritance Tax at time of application and arrange for instalments payments.

14. Receipt of probate.

15. Send copies of probate to financial institutions.

16. Advertise for creditors if necessary.

17. Respond to any queries from HMRC.

18. When assets are collected, pay liabilities.

19. Request HMRC Income Tax return or repayment form.

20. Ask HMRC for IHT30- clearance certificate.

21. Check that no potential claims under Inheritance (Provisions for Family & Dependants) Act 1975..

22. Prepare estate accounts for approval.

23. Once all liabilities paid, distribute legacies and residuary estate. Obtain receipts.

24. When cheques cleared, close executor’s account.

25. Administration of the estate is now complete. Keep accounts for 12 years.

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Understanding the Intestacy Rules will help you ascertain who inherits the Estate if the deceased died intestate (no Will).

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Surviving relatives in

order of priority

Where spouse survives intestate by

period of 28 days

Where no surviving

spouse

Children. Spouse takes

1. All personal chattels

2. £250,000 net free of inheritance

tax and costs, plus interest at Bank of

England base rate at date of death 3.

Half of remainder estate over statutory

legacy absolutely.

The children take the other half of the

remainder of the estate absolutely on

the statutory trusts.

All to the children on the

statutory trusts

If no children survive but

Parents.

Spouse takes all the estate where no

other ‘descendants’

All to the parents (in equal

shares if both survive)

If no children or parents

survive but

Brothers and/or sisters

of the whole blood

(Including the children

of any such brothers or

sisters who predeceased the

intestate)

Spouse takes everything. All to the brothers and sis-

ters and children of prede-

ceased brothers and sisters

on statutory trusts.

If no full blood siblings

but -

Brothers and/or sisters

of the half blood

(Including the children

of any such brothers and

sisters who predeceased the

intestate)

All to the surviving spouse absolutely. All to the half-brothers and

half- sisters and children of

predeceased half-brothers

and half-sisters on the

Statutory trusts.

If no siblings but –

Grandparents

All to the surviving spouse absolutely. All to the grandparents (if

more than one, equally)

If no grandparents but -

Uncles and/or aunts of

the whole blood (including

the children of any such

uncles or aunts who

predeceased).

All to the surviving spouse absolutely All to the uncles and aunts

and children of predeceased

uncles and aunts on the stat-

utory trusts.

If no full blood uncles/

aunts-

Uncles and/or aunts of

the half blood

(Including the children of

any such uncles or aunts

who predeceased).

All to the surviving spouse absolutely. All to the half uncles and half

aunts and children of prede-

ceased such uncles and aunts

on the statutory trusts.

No relative in any of the

above classes who attains

an absolute vested

interest.

All to the surviving spouse absolutely. All to the Crown, Duchy of

Lancaster or the Duke of

Cornwall.

Intestacy Rules from 1st October 2014

NB. Whatever the size of the estate, no kin more remote than children of brothers/sisters of the whole blood take any interest in the estate where

the deceased left a surviving spouse.

Page 25: Understanding PROBATE - Probate Guide & Probate Forms€¦ · Is Probate always necessary Probate is not always necessary when a person dies, it really depends on the assets that

Intestacy Rules from 6th February 2020

Surviving relatives in

order of priority

Where spouse survives intestate by

period of 28 days

Where no surviving

spouse

Children. Spouse takes

1. All personal chattels

2. £270,000 net free of inheritance

tax and costs, plus interest at Bank of

England base rate at date of death

3. Half of remainder estate over

statutory legacy absolutely.

The children take the other half of the

remainder of the estate absolutely on

the statutory trusts.

All to the children on the

statutory trusts

If no children survive but

Parents.

Spouse takes all the estate where no

other ‘descendants’

All to the parents (in equal

shares if both survive)

If no children or parents

survive but

Brothers and/or sisters

of the whole blood

(Including the children

of any such brothers or

sisters who predeceased the

intestate)

Spouse takes everything. All to the brothers and sis-

ters and children of prede-

ceased brothers and sisters

on statutory trusts.

If no full blood siblings

but -

Brothers and/or sisters

of the half blood

(Including the children

of any such brothers and

sisters who predeceased the

intestate)

All to the surviving spouse absolutely. All to the half-brothers and

half- sisters and children of

predeceased half-brothers

and half-sisters on the

Statutory trusts.

If no siblings but –

Grandparents

All to the surviving spouse absolutely. All to the grandparents (if

more than one, equally)

If no grandparents but -

Uncles and/or aunts of

the whole blood (including

the children of any such

uncles or aunts who

predeceased).

All to the surviving spouse absolutely All to the uncles and aunts

and children of predeceased

uncles and aunts on the stat-

utory trusts.

If no full blood uncles/

aunts-

Uncles and/or aunts of

the half blood

(Including the children of

any such uncles or aunts

who predeceased).

All to the surviving spouse absolutely. All to the half uncles and half

aunts and children of prede-

ceased such uncles and aunts

on the statutory trusts.

No relative in any of the

above classes who attains

an absolute vested

interest.

All to the surviving spouse absolutely. All to the Crown, Duchy of

Lancaster or the Duke of

Cornwall.

NB. Whatever the size of the estate, no kin more remote than children of brothers/sisters of the whole blood take any interest in the estate where

the deceased left a surviving spouse.

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Distributing an Estate

Under Intestacy?

If you are dealing with an estate that must

be distributed according to intestacy then

you may need help calculating how the estate

should be divided. Do not rely on family

rumour or supposition, a family tree should be

checked and the expense is a legitimate estate

expense. With second marriages and broken

families many people call their family brothers

or sisters even though they may not actually

be siblings. Fleetwood can help you work out

the tree correctly and help provide a complete

distribution schedule.

Intestacy? Who is the next

of kin?

Although it may seem obvious who the official

next of kin is, and in many cases it is, mistakes

can be made. Families can be disjointed in

addition, a person may declare their close

friend as their next of kin according to the

Doctor or the Hospital but this can cause even

more confusion. Fleetwood will help you to find

the rightful and correct administrator. .

Call Fleetwood for instant help or impartial advice...020 8970 7486

Email: [email protected]

Visit: www.fleetwoodheirhunters.co.uk

Page 27: Understanding PROBATE - Probate Guide & Probate Forms€¦ · Is Probate always necessary Probate is not always necessary when a person dies, it really depends on the assets that

Assuming you have read

this through as opposed

to jumping in, you can now

begin however if you would

like assistant call us free of

charge on 0800 612 6105

alternatively our land line

number is 020 8150 2010.

We will give you a full refund

of this pack if you decide

to instruct our probate

department to assist you.

Did you know that we also

provide the following services:

Probate

Wills & Estate Planning

Overseas Probate

Inheritance Tax Planning

Medallion guarantee

Funeral planning

Overseas Bankruptcy Searches

Share Valuations

House Clearances

Valuation of Chattels

Whats next

Call us for instant help or impartial advice...020 8150 2010

Email: [email protected]

Visit: www.iwcprobateservices.co.uk

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