Bereavement and Probate Services and Package

Losing someone you love changes everything, and the days that follow are filled with letters, forms and organisations all wanting something from you. That is the last thing you need when you are grieving.

The AIB Estate Planning Bereavement and Probate Package exists to take that weight off you. We hold your hand every step of the way, we deal with the administration on your behalf, and we speak to the people who need speaking to so that you do not have to.

When Relatives Are Contesting or Chasing You

Grief and money rarely sit comfortably together. Relatives might be unhappy with the will, might be questioning what the person who died intended, or might simply be ringing you every few days asking how far along things are. As the executor, you can find yourself acting as referee at the very moment you have least to give.

We take that burden away from you. We become the point of contact, so updates come from us instead of from you. We explain to family members what an executor is allowed to do and what the law requires, which very often settles matters on its own, because most disagreements come from not understanding the process.

Where a genuine dispute needs legal representation, we work with a local solicitor and are able to cover any and all of your requirements, so nothing falls between the cracks. If in doubt, call us on 0800 048 7320 and ask.

The Probate Process Explained

Most families have never seen probate from the inside, so here is the whole journey in order. We take on as much or as little of it as you want us to, and we tell you where things stand at every stage.

1. Register the death, obtain the certified copies of the death certificate you will need, and notify the banks, pension providers, utilities and government departments in the right order.
2. Find the will, confirm who the executors are and check what it says about who inherits, or establish who is entitled under the intestacy rules where there is no will.
3. Value the estate. We build the picture of what is owned and what is owed, including property, savings, investments, pensions, life policies, possessions, debts and funeral costs.
4. Deal with HMRC. We complete the inheritance tax forms, claim the reliefs and allowances the estate is entitled to, and tell you clearly whether tax is due and when it has to be paid.
5. Apply for the grant of probate, or letters of administration where there is no will, and answer any queries the Probate Registry raises before the grant is issued.
6. Collect in the assets once the grant arrives. Accounts are closed, policies claimed, and property sold or transferred as the will directs.
7. Settle the debts, expenses and any legacies, then prepare estate accounts you can actually read, showing every payment in and out.
8. Distribute what remains to the beneficiaries, with a written record of how each figure was reached so nobody is left wondering.

No two estates run identically. Some stages overlap, others fall away, and where the estate is simple enough that no grant is needed at all, we will tell you so rather than put you through a process you do not need.

Starting the Conversation

There is no wrong time to ring us. Some families call us within days, others months later when the post has piled up and it all feels too much. Either is fine.

Our first conversation costs nothing. Tell us what has happened, what you have already done and what is worrying you most, and we will tell you honestly what needs doing, what we can take on and what it will cost. If the estate is simple enough for you to handle yourself, we will say so.

Call us on 0800 048 7320, or use the contact form on our home page and we will come back to you.