An executor has many duties to perform following the passing of a loved one. 

Some people are happy to carry these out personally – others prefer to appoint a third party professional to ensure that they are completed correctly and quickly.

However involved you wish to become, brains solicitors have service levels can give you as much – or as little – support as you want, to fulfil your duties without unnecessary pain, delay or expense.

A guide to an executor’s primary responsibilities:

• Firstly, find the Will, and establish that it does indeed name you as executor. Decide whether you wish to carry out the duties yourself or appoint a solicitor to perform them by proxy.
  
  
• If nobody has done so, register the death within five days.  
  
  
• Arrange the funeral according to the wishes of the deceased or their family.
  
  
• Notify the Department for Work and Pensions if in receipt of a pension .
  
  
• Gather together financial and important personal effects. This includes death certificate, Wills, life insurance, passport, driving license, chequebook, bank cards, cash, building society books, address book, mobile telephone and anything related to bills or outstanding debts, and notify the various institutions so as to stop further payments.  
  
  
• Do not dispose of any financial records, including old wage slips and bank statements – you may need them to settle tax disputes.
  
  
• If the deceased has left unoccupied property, ensure that it is locked, that the facilities (e.g. water or gas) are safe and that deliveries are stopped or redirected. If there are any insurance documents related to the property or its contents, consult these.|
  
  
• If the deceased person owned a business, gain access to the business accounts and tax returns, as it will be necessary to finalise the deceased business and financial tax affairs.
  
  
• Contact the tax office to finalise the deceased’s tax affairs.

• Determine where the estate sits in relation to Inheritance Tax (IHT). It does not, at the time of writing, need to be paid on estates worth under £325,000. It is advisable to seek professional help to value the estate.
  
  
• Determine whether you will need probate. If you do, prepare forms available from the Probate Registry to obtain a Grant of Representation. Make sure that you obtain several copies of this document.
  
  
• Pay any applicable Inheritance Tax to the Inland Revenue.
  
  
• Send copies of the Grant of Representation to any asset-holders with instructions.
  
  
• If any assets have not been mentioned in the Will, encash them.
  
  
• Pay off the deceased’s outstanding debts, if there are any. 
  
  
• Transfer any bequests (property mentioned in the Will) to the beneficiaries named. 
  
  
• Prepare estate accounts with any remaining property and transfer them to residual beneficiaries, providing them with Estate Income Tax forms.

Whether anything further is required will depend upon your personal situation. If you are in any doubt at all of your full duties as executor, contact us to at least advise you of anything you may be missing.

Alternatively, it takes just 2 minutes to complete a questionnaire, enabling one of our highly experienced probate solicitors to contact you within one working day, to advise you of what you need to do – and the various ways we can help you do it.

Please, don’t struggle on alone – let us help.

Call brains today on 01726 68111 for professional, expert advice.