Practical guidance from Simon Jenkins, Director at Curtis Legal.
The executor’s year is a long-standing rule giving executors at least twelve months from the date of death before beneficiaries can force them to distribute…
Read more →From 13 July 2026 the probate application fee is £526 for estates over £5,000, with no fee for smaller estates. Here is what you pay, when, and how to avoid extra copy charges.
Read more →Unused nil-rate band and residence nil-rate band can be transferred between spouses and civil partners, potentially sheltering up to £1 million from inheritance tax. Here is how the claim works.
Read more →Executors can reclaim genuine out-of-pocket expenses from the estate, including the new 55p-a-mile HMRC rate, but not payment for their own time unless the will allows it.
Read more →When someone dies intestate with no traceable relatives, their estate becomes bona vacantia and passes to the Crown. Here is how that process works, and who can still make a claim.
Read more →Premium Bonds must be cashed in, not transferred, and remain eligible for prizes for a year after death. ISAs can keep their tax-free status during administration. Here is how both work.
Read more →Executors must correctly value shares for probate, decide whether to sell or transfer them, and account for capital gains tax. Here is how the process works in practice.
Read more →The loser usually pays the other side’s costs in a contested will claim, but probate disputes have long-recognised exceptions. Here is how the costs risk actually works.
Read more →An EPA made before October 2007 is still valid, but it never covers health and welfare decisions. Here is how it compares to a lasting power of attorney and when it must be registered.
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