Bereavement support

Based at head office in Skipton, our team supports bereaved next of kin and personal representatives. They'll guide you through our process of notifying us of the death of a customer and closing the accounts. You can call the team directly on 0345 266 1209 between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.

When you call, you'll need to answer a few security questions but you'll only need to go through the details once per call. There might be a limit on the amount of information we'll be able to give you at this time, unless you can prove you're an executor (if there is a Will) or legal next of kin (if there is no Will) or you're the solicitor acting for the estate.

If there's a Will, we'll be able to provide account information to the named executor(s) or the solicitor acting on their behalf. We might ask to see the Will to make sure we're giving information to the right person. If there isn't a Will, see the FAQ below, 'What happens if they didn't make a Will?'.

If it was written using Skipton's Will service, please contact the Bereavement team, who will be able to confirm whether we have details of where the Will is being stored. If you're sure the deceased made a Will via Redstone Wills Ltd, please get in touch with them on 0808 168 2560. Please note, only the executor is entitled to receive the Will.

If someone hasn't made a Will, this is called being 'intestate'. In this case, we can only give information to certain people. First we speak to the spouse or civil partner, or the solicitor appointed to act on behalf of the estate. If there's no surviving spouse, we might be able to deal with adult children or parents.

A GOP (or a Certificate of Confirmation in Scotland) gives the appointed executor authority to distribute the assets of the estate. Where total balances held with Skipton Building Society are over £30,000 the executor will need a GOP (or Letters of Administration if there is no Will), which is issued by your local District Probate Office. If total balances are £30,000 or less, we may be able to release the funds if you provide us with a completed Letter of Indemnity and/or a Statutory Declaration.

These documents have particular requirements (See 'What documents do I need if the total held with Skipton is £30,000 or less?"). If you can't meet the requirements for any reason, even if the estate is worth £30,000 or less, you'll need a GOP (or Letters of Administration if there is no Will).

You can apply to the Probate Registry yourself (details can be found on the government website). Please note, the government website also uses the term 'Grant of Representation' for GOP or Letters of Administration.

Alternatively, you can pay a fee for someone to handle this for you, like a solicitor or other professional. Our partners, Skipton Trustees Limited (STL), can do this for you through their Estate ad Trust service (administered by abrdn Financial Planning and Advice Ltd). You can call our Bereavement team on 0345 266 1209 who can refer you to STL.

If you live in Scotland, you would have to apply for a Certificate of Confirmation. To find out more, please visit the Scottish government website.

If the total balances held with Skipton are less than £30,000 we may be able to close the account(s) without a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration (Certificate of Confirmation in Scotland). In all cases, there must be no assets held elsewhere that require GOP or Letters of Administration. If you have or will need to obtain a Grant of Probate, Letters of Administration, or Certificate of Confirmation, we’ll need to see it regardless of the balance(s) in the account(s).

Balance of £1,000 or less

If the balance is £1,000 or less, we can accept a Letter of Indemnity, as long as the beneficiaries are the ones solely entitled to the funds held with us and are the spouse, civil partner, child or parent of the deceased. If you're a beneficiary we can accept a Statutory Declaration form witnessed by a solicitor or commissioner for oaths, or justice of the peace.

• Letter of Indemnity form (£1,000 or less)
• Statutory Declaration form

Balance between £1,001 to £4,999

If the funds are between £1,001 and £4,999, we can accept a Statutory Declaration form that has been completed by the beneficiaries in the presence of a solicitor, commissioner for oaths or justice of the peace and signed by the executor(s), as long as the beneficiaries are the ones solely entitles to the funds held with us.

• Statutory Declaration form

Balance between £5,000 to £30,000

If the balance is between £5,000 and £30,000, we can accept a Letter of Indemnity, as long as the beneficiaries are the ones solely entitled to the funds held with us and are the spouse, civil partner, child or parent of the deceased. This must be provided along with a Statutory Declaration form that has been completed by the beneficiaries in the presence of a solicitor, commissioner for oaths, or justice of the peace and signed by the executor(s).

• Letter of Indemnity (£5,000 to £30,000)
• Statutory Declaration form

In all cases, if you don't have a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration (or Certificate of Confirmation in Scotland), we'll also need you to complete our Registrations – closure or transfer form.

Beneficiaries who don't have accounts at Skipton Building Society will need to provide identification along with the above documents. View or download Proving your identity [PDF] to see what you'll need.

Yes, we can release funds to pay for funeral expenses once the death has been registered with us. We'll need the invoice from the funeral directors so we can issue an electronic payment or cheque, made payable to the funeral company. We can also release any amount that's on an HMRC inheritance tax calculation form, subject to the balance of the account, even if this means closing the account. This is called 'withdrawal before probate'. To do this, you'll need to complete the 'Withdrawal before probate' form, which can be downloaded here.

• Withdrawal before probate form

Please complete and take this document to your nearest branch or post it to:

If the deceased held a Skipton Funeral Plan provided by Dignity, please call them on 0800 804 8071 or visit the Dignity Funerals website.

Once the death has been registered, if you are the personal representative of the deceased we can talk to you about what will happen next, which depends on the whether the mortgage was held jointly, or in the sole name of the deceased. In the meantime, it’s important for the personal representatives to make the monthly mortgage payments and pay for buildings insurance. If making payments is difficult, please call our Credit Management team on 0345 850 1766. They can talk through the options open to you. Find out more on our Bereavement mortgage page.

If the mortgage was held in the sole name of the deceased, it is a debt of their estate and must be repaid in full. The money to do this usually comes from a life policy, the estate, or from selling the property.

Bereavement Advice Centre

0800 634 94 94
www.bereavementadvice.org

Citizens Advice Bureau

www.citizensadvice.org.uk

The Bereavement Register

Reduce the amount of unwanted marketing post being sent to people who have passed away
www.thebereavementregister.org.uk

The General Register Office

(includes links to the Scottish and Northern Ireland register offices)
www.gov.uk/general-register-office

Applying for Grant of Probate, Letters of Administration or Confirmation:

England & Wales

www.gov.uk/applying-for-probate

Scotland

0131 444 3300
www.scotcourts.gov.uk

Northern Ireland

www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/applying-probate

Find a solicitor on the Law Society's website

020 7320 5650
www.lawsociety.org.uk/for-the-public/using-a-solicitor/find-a-solicitor

Fraud Prevention - CIFAS

A not-for-profit organisation working to reduce fraud and financial crime.
www.cifas.org.uk

Cruse Bereavement Care

www.cruse.org.uk

UK Government

www.gov.uk

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)

www.hmrc.gov.uk

HMRC Probate and Inheritance Tax Helpline

0300 123 1072

Tell Us Once Service

Report a death to most government organisations in one go
www.gov.uk/after-a-death/organisations-you-need-to-contact-and-tell-us-once