Will

[lookingforward]

Lost my Mum yesterday. Mum told me that my brother and I have been left the money in her bank a/c and my sister the house.
Brother and I are joint executors of the will. The will is at a solicitor but there's a copy at the house I've seen. My sister has power of attourney so can she simply write my brother and I a cheque each and we can write to someone to change the house deeds over (no mortgage) or does it have to get all legal with probate/solicitors costs etc. I'm going to see about funeral today but unless my sister can access Mum's money I don't know how we are able to pay for one.

Thanks for any advice

[PlanB]

Re: Will

Lost my Mum yesterday.

. . . . I'm going to see about funeral today but unless my sister can access Mum's money I don't know how we are able to pay for one.

I'm sorry for your loss lookingforward

This is no time to be worrying about money.

Depending on your circumstances you may be able to get a grant or loan to cover her funeral expenes which will be paid back once probate and so on has been sorted in the months to come https://www.gov.uk/funeral-payments/overview

[IF]

Re: Will

I'm sorry for your loss too LF

[SA Gold]

Re: Will

Sorry to hear of your loss. thoughts and prayers with you at this sad time.

[Sapphire]

Re: Will

Sorry to hear your news, we lost a friend yesterday too, sad at anytime, but this time of year even harder eh.

Re the will, if I were you I'd wait until the funeral is over, and if you pay anything out ie funeral costs from mums account then keep the receipts, it can all be settled after the probate is sorted out.

[nightwatch]

Re: Will

So sorry for your loss LF, my thoughts are with you at this sad time xx

[julian]

Re: Will

Sad news. It will be tough even though there is a will.

You will need to go through Probate, they will work out with the tax man whether there is anything to pay in Death Duties. The forms are online and you can do everything from your home, apart from the swearing of an Affidavit at a solicitors (£5-ish). Probate takes at least 6 weeks, when there are no complications and the amounts are relatively small. You can do it yourself, unless there is loads of money in the pot and the possibility of feuds. If there is a will registered, it is quite straightforward.

From experience a couple of years ago, the bank account will be sealed when you notify them of the death and reopened when a Letter of Probate is available. However, the banks can pay for the funeral expenses from the account. On presentation of the invoice, they should pay the undertaker for the funeral expenses from the account. Most undertakers will wait for payment for a couple of months.

They threaten you that if you withdraw money from the deceased bank account you could be prosecuted for fraud (after all it is their money not yours). As you will realize, it is difficult to manage a house from a sealed account, and when there are deposits, Direct Debits and Standing Orders attempting to access the account they will be bounced. So if your sister has official access to the bank accounts, I suggest that she talks to the banks, but after working out what monies are required and what she believes her responsibilities of Power of Attorney stretch to e.g. is she a joint bank account holder of merely allowed to manage her money. I had authority to pay carers from one of the accounts, but not to access another. So I paid the carers.

[cymruambyth]

Re: Will

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss, it is a terrible time. As you have been told don't worry about money; if your mum had savings then these can be used for all the bills when her finances are sorted.

[lookingforward]

Re: Will

Thank you everyone, we're getting used to losing loved one's in the month of Dec sadly :-(

I sorted the funeral today, spoke to 2 and both said that as we hadn't notified the bank sister could write a cheque for the deposit so we can get a date booked as we want the funeral before Xmas then the remainder isn't due until after the funeral has taken place and the bank should release the money on presentation of an invoice. I must be naive as I didn't realise there was probate etc to go through as the 3 of us knew of the will and were all happy with it.

[cymruambyth]

Re: Will

If your mum's affairs were straightforward and you can find all the paperwork it is quite easy to complete.

[lookingforward]

Re: Will

Thank you, as you say money isn't important at the moment, I've got the funeral sorted and that's all that matters is to give her a fitting send off.

[nanna58]

Re: Will

How sad for you all thoughts are with you xxxxxx

[Undercover Elsa]

Re: Will

So sorry to hear of your loss, looking forward

[lookingforward]

Re: Will

Will is being handled by solicitors for probate all straight forward apparently and probate should be applied for this week. My sister rang me toniht however and she's rec'd a letter from the pensions dept who were very apologetic in saying that they paid an extra weeks pension to Mum's PO account in error and they want it back.

I haven't mentioned this account to the solicitor because there was nothing in it as Mum always got my sister to draw it out for her each week, she still has the passcode etc would it be ok to go to the post office to draw the money out and write the pensions service a cheque to repay them or does it need to go through the solicitor?

Just don't want anything to hold things up now that it's all moving along nicely

Thx.

[nightwatch]

Re: Will

is it just a pension account?
my mum has one that her pension goes into and heating allowance, if so I believe that the pension service can claim it back themselves,.
She can see if the PO account will let her take it out and send them a cheque, they don't care where it comes from as long as they get it back.if any money is in the account tell her to check that DWP haven't already reclaimed it.