Bereavement support

We know this is a difficult time, so we're here to guide you through the next steps.

Supporting you through difficult times

We know you must have a million and one things to think about at the moment, so we’re here to help make this process as straight forward as possible. If your loved one had an account or product with us, take a look at the options below to find out what to do next. If you would like to make any changes to our service, whether it be a preference for how we communicate with you or receiving our letters in large print, please contact us.

Coping with the loss of a loved one is never going to be easy. And whilst we’re here to help you through this journey, Cruse Bereavement Support can provide help with any emotional needs for you and your loved ones. They can also provide information for financial help and any benefits you could be entitled to. Please visit Cruse Bereavement Support or call on 0808 808 1677.

What do I need to do first?

Register the death with the Government

You'll need to register the death with the Register Office

Notify our Bereavement team

Call us on 0345 266 1209 between 9am-5pm Monday to Friday, or email us at skiptondirect-bereavementnotification@skipton.co.uk.

You can also write to us on the following address:

Bereavement team
Principal Office
The Bailey
Skipton
North Yorkshire
BD23 1DN

We'll get in touch

We will freeze outgoing payments from savings accounts and let you know what documents we need to see and how to send these to us.

We'll always need to see the original death certificate or original Coroner's interim certificate. Depending on the personal circumstances of the person who’s died, we may also need to see other documents such as:

  • Grant of representation
  • Grant of Probate (UK)
  • Certificate of Confirmation (Scotland)
  • A letter of administration

Skipton Trustees Limited Executor Services

If a loved one has appointed Skipton Trustees as an Executor, please note that these services are provided by abrdn Financial Planning and Advice Ltd.

You can contact abrdn on 0345 646 0256.

Help with accounts

What happens with savings depends on the types of account held, the amount of money in the accounts and if there's a Will.

Once we've been told about someone’s death, payments from savings accounts held only in their name are frozen. If it's a joint account, control automatically passes to the other account holder(s) once we’ve registered the death.

Disclosure of information

We may need to carry out some checks to prove your identity before we can disclose any account information. To do this we might be able to perform an electronic search, instead of requiring original documentation. We'd need your permission first though, so call us on 0345 266 1209 to find out more. These checks are not necessary if you are already a Skipton mortgage or savings customer.

If you are named as an executor of the estate in the Will, we can tell you the account balance(s) and interest owed up until the date of death. If there is no Will, this is what’s known as being 'intestate'. In this situation, we can only give information to certain people. First, we speak to the spouse or civil partner, or the solicitor who is acting on behalf of the estate. If there's no surviving spouse or civil partner, we might be able to deal with adult children or parents.

So that we can release the information, we’ll need one of the following:

  • Original death certificate.
  • Original coroner’s interim certificate.
  • Death certificate verification form.
  • A Grant of Representation (if already available) – this can include a Grant of Probate, Letters of Administration, or Certificate of Confirmation in Scotland.

You can send this document to us by post, along with written confirmation of how you’re related to the person who’s died. Please also provide your contact details so we can get in touch if we need more information. 

Transfer of ISA allowance

If you’re the spouse or civil partner of the person who’s died, you can inherit the ISA allowance left behind by them. This is called an Additional Permitted Subscription (APS) scheme.

Additional Permitted Subscription

If there's a mortgage, it’s important to continue to make the monthly payments to avoid falling behind with payments and other potential complications. This is because the mortgage is classed as a debt of the estate. If managing the mortgage is going to be challenging, our Credit Management team can talk you through your options. You can call them on 0345 850 1766.

You also need to make sure any buildings insurance is kept in place. Once you've registered the death with us, we can help you with the next steps.

If the person who’s died had investments through our financial advice service, we are here to help. We have a dedicated team who can register the death with the various investment providers and process claims. They are also on hand to answer any questions or concerns you have.

Call our Financial Advice Probate team on 0800 085 0459 or email sfsprobateandlegalservicingmailbox@skipton.co.uk.

If there’s a Will which was created through our Will service (provided by Skipton Trustees Limited and administered by Redstone Wills Limited), please call them directly on 0808 168 2560. It’s important to know that only the executor of the estate is entitled to receive the Will.

If the Will was created under the old service (provided by Irwin Mitchell), please contact us directly on 0345 266 1209.

If the person who’s died had a Skipton Funeral Plan provided by Dignity, you can call them on 0345 607 9711 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Frequently Asked Questions

General enquiries

Based at our head office in Skipton, our specially trained 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 what happens next. 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 these 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 of the estate (if there is a Will), or the next of kin (where there isn't a will).

If there's a Will, once we have registered the death, we'll provide account information to the named executor(s) of the estate 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 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 acting on behalf of the estate. If there's no surviving spouse, we might be able to deal with adult children or parents.

A Grant of Probate (or a Certificate of Confirmation in Scotland) gives the executor of the estate authority to distribute the assets of the estate. If the person who’s died had more than £30,000 with Skipton, the executor will need a Grant of Probate (or Letters of Administration if there is no Will), which is issued by your local District Probate Office. If they had £30,000 or less, we may be able to release the funds if you provide us with a completed Letter of Indemnity [PDF] and/or a Statutory Declaration [PDF].

These documents have particular requirements, which you can find out more about further down, under the questions: 'What documents do I need if the total held in savings accounts 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 Grant of Probate (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 Grant of Probate 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 and 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.

Yes, if there is enough money in the account, we can release funds to pay towards 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.

Subject to the balance held with Skipton, we can also release any amount that's on an HMRC inheritance tax calculation form, even if this means closing the account. This is called 'withdrawal before probate' and you will need to complete the form below.

Withdrawal Before Probate form [PDF]

Please complete the form and drop it off at your nearest branch or post it to: 

Bereavement team
Principal Office
The Bailey
Skipton
North Yorkshire
BD23 1DN

What happens to savings accounts?

If the person who’s died had less than £30,000 with Skipton, we may be able to close the account(s) without a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration (Certificate of Confirmation in Scotland). For us to do this, there must not be any other assets held elsewhere that require a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration. If you need to get 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.

Balance between £1,001 to £4,999

If the balance is between £1,001 and £4,999, we’ll accept a Statutory Declaration form. This form should be completed by the beneficiaries and signed by the executor(s) of the estate, either in front of a solicitor, commissioner for oaths or justice of the peace. This is only valid if the beneficiaries are the sole people entitled to the funds held with us.

Balance between £5,000 to £30,000

If the balance is between £5,000 and £30,000, we can accept a Letter of Indemnity, providing the beneficiaries are the only people entitled to the funds held with us and are either the spouse, civil partner, child or parent of the person who’s died. The Letter of Indemnity must be provided along with a Statutory Declaration form that’s been completed by the beneficiaries and signed by the executor(s) of the estate in front of either a solicitor, commissioner for oaths, or justice of the peace. 

Beneficiaries will need to provide identification along with the above documents unless they are already Skipton customers. See our Proving your identity leaflet [PDF] to find out what you'll need.

If a savings account is held in joint names, it automatically passes to the other account holder(s) (in accordance with our Savings Account Terms and Conditions). If you’re not the other account holder, you’ll need to let us know why you need the information, then we can check what information we’re able to give you, if any.

If the person who has died was a trustee on an account, we can’t release any information because Trust Accounts don’t form part of their estate. If there are other trustees, we’ll get in touch with them. If there are no other trustees, the executor may need to seek legal advice about appointing a replacement.

If you're the beneficiary, you can’t transfer accounts into your name, but in some circumstances, you may be able to close the accounts and transfer the money into a new account of your choosing. Membership rights of the person who’s died will not transfer to you – you’d become a Skipton member in your own right.

If the person who’s died had a cash ISA, the funds will remain in the ISA and will continue to earn tax-free interest until the first of the following occurs:

  • administration of the estate is complete

  • the ISA is closed

  • three years after the date of death. 

 If you’re the spouse or civil partner of the person who’s died, you can inherit the ISA allowance left behind by them. This is called an Additional Permitted Subscription (APS) scheme. You can find out more on our Addition Permitted Subscriptions page.

If the person who’s died had a Fixed Rate Bond account in their name, you can close it early and get paid the interest that’s built up. Or if you prefer, you can keep it open until it reaches the end of its fixed term. 

If you keep the account open, it has to be left in their name. However, the title of the account will change to ‘personal representative of (name)’, and you won’t be able to withdraw money (including interest) from the balance until the fixed term ends, except for settling inheritance tax, funeral or probate costs.

If the account is held in joint names, it automatically passes to the other account holder and it will stay in the bond until it reaches the end of its fixed term.

What happens to mortgages accounts?

It's really important to remember that the monthly payments still need to be paid, to make sure the account doesn't fall into arrears. We understand the difficulties this may cause, so if you think you're unable to make these payments you can contact our team on 0345 850 1766 to explore your options. It is also important to make sure any buildings insurance is kept in place for the property.

If the mortgage was only in the name of the person who’s died, they’re known as the sole borrower. This means the mortgage 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.

We can’t release full information about the mortgage to you until we’ve seen either the original Grant of Probate (if there was a will), Letters of Administration (if there wasn't a will), or Certificate of Confirmation (Scotland).

However, we can let you know the balance and monthly payment amount so you can seek Probate and continue to make the mortgage payments. To get this information (which will be sent to the address for the mortgage), you’ll need to show us either the original death certificate, the original coroner’s interim certificate, or a solicitor’s death certificate verification form.

We can’t transfer the mortgage to anyone else. If you’re a beneficiary, you or someone else can apply for a new mortgage for the property, but we can’t guarantee to accept the application, which would be subject to our affordability and lending criteria. 

If the mortgage was in the name of the person who’s died with one or more other people, they are known as a joint borrower. There are two ways joint property can be held (joint tenants or tenants in common), and what happens to the property differs for each.

If you're the joint borrower and you're unsure how the property was held, we can let you know what our records say. If you need any advice about how the property was held, you will need to seek legal advice.

The name of the person who’s died will be taken off the mortgage and their share of the property will transfer to the other joint borrower. If the person who’s died was bankrupt, their share passes to the trustee in bankruptcy.

You don’t need a Grant of Probate for this to happen – just the death certificate, which you should also register at the Land Registry to remove the person who’s died from the property title.

The share of the property belonging to the person who’s died won’t transfer automatically to the other joint borrower(s). Instead, it will pass according to the instructions they left in their Will. If there is no Will, the property is passed on according to the rules of intestacy (rules that come into effect when someone dies without leaving a Will).

To make a claim on any life assurance policies, you’ll need to get in touch with the policy provider. If the policy is linked to a Skipton mortgage, we’ll deal with the claim once you have either a Grant of Probate (if there was a Will), Letters of Administration (if there wasn't a Will) or Certificate of Confirmation (Scotland). We’ll then use the proceeds to reduce or repay the mortgage account.

If a policy is held through Skipton and it is in the sole name of the person who’s died, it will stop. For joint policies held through Skipton, we’ll let you know what the next steps are. If the mortgage payment protection insurance is not with Skipton, please contact the provider for next steps.

It’s really important you make sure the property’s protected until the mortgage is repaid. If the building insurance policy is only in the name of the person who’s died, you need to transfer it to the names of the personal representatives to ensure the cover continues. If the buildings insurance is with Skipton, we can help you with the next steps once we've registered the death.

If this insurance isn’t with us, you’ll need to contact the provider directly. Please remember that if the property is empty for more than 30 days, most buildings insurance will fall through. You might need a solicitor or a specialist broker to help you set up a policy that’s suitable for empty properties.

Important Information

Skipton Estate & Trust Administration Service is provided by Skipton Trustees Limited, registered office: The Bailey, Skipton, North Yorkshire, BD23 1DN, registered in England no. 6258324, and administered by abrdn Financial Planning and Advice Ltd. abrdn Financial Planning and Advice Ltd is registered in England (01447544) at Bow Bells House, 1 Bread Street. London, EC4M 9HH and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. © 2021 abrdn, All rights reserved. Please note that Estate & Trust Administration is not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.