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Estate Administration Service
If you need help to deal with the estate and affairs of someone who has died, we can take the weight off your shoulders.
A personal service you can rely on
If you need a professional probate service to take care of the estate, whether to apply for Grant of Representation, also known as Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration, we can help.
You do not need to be a Lloyds Bank customer to use our services.
If we are already named as the executor in the Will, please get in touch as soon as possible so we can assume our legal responsibilities.
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Have you recently lost someone close to you, maybe a friend or family member, and been left to apply for probate and deal with their estate?
Do you feel unable to take on the responsibility, perhaps due to grief, distance, complexity, or time constraints?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, we have an impartial, professional and sensitive service to support you.
For over 100 years, our Estate Administration Service team has been helping bereaved families deal with a variety of legal, financial and practical matters.
From helping you obtain probate - to taking on the role of executor, we can be involved as little or as much as you need.
Our experienced team can provide you with professional expertise, as well as step-by-step advice to guide you through the entire process.
And it’s available to anyone, not just our customers.
To start, we invite you for a free, no obligation conversation with one of our bereavement advisors.
During this call they’ll discuss your individual needs and work out how best we can support you.
Where appropriate, we’ll also follow up with a meeting in person.
There isn’t a one size fits all approach to applying for probate and dealing with someone’s estate, so we make sure to provide you with a service that’s built around you.
For example, Jim needed the authority to manage his late father’s estate.
Our team helped Jim obtain the grant of probate so he could legally sell his father’s house and settle any outstanding debts.
And when Meg’s uncle passed away and she was left in charge of his estate, she wasn’t sure what to do.
She lived a long distance away and didn’t have time to deal with paperwork or sort through his personal belongings.
Meg notified Lloyds Bank of her uncle’s death and was put in touch with Nick, one of our bereavement advisors.
Following her call with Nick, Meg agreed for Lloyds Bank to obtain probate and be the executor of her uncle’s estate.
This gave her time to grieve knowing everything was taken care of.
Over the years, the Lloyds Bank Estate Administration Service has helped thousands of bereaved families.
Why not speak to one of our bereavement advisors today?
Call us on 0800 096 8560
Taking care of it all
Once you’ve appointed us, we’ll assume legal responsibility for the estate.
Working with you and any co-executors, our aim is to administer all financial, legal and personal matters impartially and sensitively so you don’t have to. From completing paperwork, to securing property and distributing assets.
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Estate Administration Services include:
- organising and completing all paperwork
- paying funeral costs
- safeguarding and valuing all estate assets, including heirlooms
- applying for a Grant of Representation (Confirmation in Scotland)
- securing, insuring and, where required, arranging the sale of estate property
- re-homing pets
- collecting, transferring and, where required, arranging the sale of estate assets
- finalising any income tax liability and collecting any due rebates
- calculating and paying all tax, working with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)
- managing and settling any estate debts, including loans, mortgages and utility bills
- distributing funds and preparing a clear and detailed estate administration report.
When we can act for you
Our service is the same whether we’re named as executor under the terms of a Will, we’re appointed to act on behalf of another executor, or where someone has died without leaving a Will.
For legal reasons, in Scotland we can only help in cases where the deceased has made a Will.
You don’t have to be an existing customer to use our service. We can act if you need to apply for the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration. The estate can be made of one or several assets, such as property, investments, money and chattels (personal items).
Once appointed, we’ll deal with the Probate process and obtain a Grant of Representation in the name of Lloyds Bank plc. This gives us legal authority to administer the estate. We also offer other options if you wish to administer the estate yourself.
We can’t act for estates where another professional is already acting on your behalf or a Grant of Probate has already been applied for.
Getting started
The first stage is talking to you about the estate, your options and next steps. We complete this initial conversation by phone.
If you think our service is right for you, or we’re appointed as the executor of a Will, please contact us.
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Depending on your circumstances, we’ll arrange a meeting for you with a Bereavement Manager. This could be a meeting in person, or over an audio or video call.
There’s no charge for this call, and you’re under no obligation to use our Estate Administration Service. The aim is simply to help you understand your options and how we can help.
If you do go on to use our service, the next stage will be collecting relevant paperwork, identifying beneficiaries, and contacting everyone involved to outline their positions.
Working with you
Once appointed, you can rely on us to administer the estate with care, keeping you informed at each stage. You’ll have a dedicated contact and phone number should you have any questions, but you’ll also receive communications by post and online.
We'll be here to support anyone associated with the estate, both now and in the future.
Why choose our service?
You may become involved in the administration of an estate either as an Executor or Co-executor under the terms of a Will, or as an Administrator where there is no Will. You may feel obliged to take on this responsibility, however there is no legal obligation for you to deal with the estate.
If you choose to administer an estate yourself, you will be responsible for all stages of the administration.
As the Executor or Administrator of an Estate you may be involved in:
- applying for Probate (Confirmation in Scotland)
- approving HMRC forms for IHT purposes
- making decisions on raising funds and paying legacies and distributions to Beneficiaries
- the sale of a property where this applies
- signing Building Society, insurance claim and stock transfer forms
- approving the Estate accounts.
Our role in the process
Where Lloyds Bank is appointed as the Executor or Administrator of an Estate, we will deal with all of the stages above and more as required.
And if you are entitled to and wish to be involved, you will be fully consulted and included in the decision-making process. But you may also wish to consider the level of involvement that is right for you.
Legacies to executors: if you are a named Executor and also receive a bequest in a Will, we can discuss how your involvement may affect your entitlement.
Choosing the level of involvement that is right for you
Less involvement
If we are appointed with you as a Co-executor (in England and Wales), you can ask us to be the main acting Executor.
We can then apply for the Grant of Probate to be issued to us with ‘power reserved’ to you and any other named Co-executors.
You will not be responsible for the Estate administration or need to sign any documents but will remain consulted in any decisions that arise.
Estate Administration Service fees
We won’t ask you to pay anything upfront as fees will be charged to the estate.
This fee information is for our estate administration service but we have other probate service options that we can discuss with you.
We calculate fees using the gross estate value:
- at the date of death where we’re named as executor of a Will
- at the date of signature of the fee agreement where we’re appointed by another executor.
Value added tax (VAT) at the current rate is added where applicable.
Additional fees may be charged to the Estate such as Probate Registry fees, valuers, agents or the Land Registry where applicable.
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Estate Administration Service Fees Estate Value
Fee
Estate Value
Up to £1,000,000
Fee
2.5%
Estate Value
On the remainder over £1,000,000
Fee
1.25%
Our minimum fee (excluding VAT) is £2,000.
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.
When Lloyds Bank plc, is acting as executor or administrator in relation to an estate, our service is governed by a full set of terms and conditions.
Where next?
Download and keep
Estate Administration Service brochure (PDF, 1.09MB)
Estate Administration Service fees and terms (PDF, 72KB)
Estate Administration Services are not regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority or the Financial Conduct Authority.