Bank of Scotland Probate Limit: Confirmation and How It Works

There is no figure set in law, and Bank of Scotland does not print one on its own bereavement pages. The commonly quoted figure of around £50,000 is a secondary-source convention, so treat it as a guide rather than a guarantee. Bank of Scotland assesses each estate individually.

In Scotland, the legal process uses Confirmation rather than Probate. A Certificate of Confirmation, granted by the Sheriff Court, is the Scottish equivalent of a Grant of Probate. Although Bank of Scotland, Lloyds Bank and Halifax are all part of Lloyds Banking Group, each brand applies its own threshold and the balances are not combined across them. A joint account usually passes to the surviving account holder by survivorship, whatever the balance.

For a smaller estate, Bank of Scotland can usually release funds against its bereavement form and supporting documents rather than a Certificate of Confirmation or Grant. You complete the notification and provide the paperwork below.

For a smaller estate you will usually need:

• A certified copy of the death certificate
• Identification for the person dealing with the estate
• Bank of Scotland's completed bereavement form, and any small-estate declaration it provides

If you are not sure which side of the line the estate falls, the Probate Checker shows Bank of Scotland's current position in a couple of clicks.

Where the balance is higher, or the estate is more involved, Bank of Scotland asks to see a Certificate of Confirmation (in Scotland) or a Grant of Probate (in England, Wales and Northern Ireland) before it releases the money. Confirmation is obtained from the Sheriff Court in Scotland rather than a Probate Registry.

Our guide to how to apply for probate walks through the forms, fees and timelines, and probate in Scotland covers the Confirmation process if the death was registered there.

Bank of Scotland can consider paying a funeral director's invoice directly from the account before a Grant or Confirmation is obtained, reviewed case by case. Ask the bereavement team to confirm what it can release toward the funeral, and provide the invoice rather than an estimate.

You notify Bank of Scotland's bereavement team, who open a case and confirm what they need for the accounts involved.

• Phone: 0800 015 0012 (Monday to Friday (please confirm current hours on the Bank of Scotland bereavement page))
• Online: bankofscotland.co.uk bereavement support

Bank of Scotland is part of Lloyds Banking Group alongside Lloyds Bank and Halifax. Each brand applies its own figure independently; balances at one are not added to balances at another. If the person held accounts with Lloyds Bank or Halifax as well, notify each separately.

For the full picture on what to send and what to expect back, see our guide to notifying banks after a death.

1. Register the death and order extra certified copies of the death certificate.
2. In Scotland, consider whether Confirmation will be needed and whether to instruct a solicitor, as the Sheriff Court process can be involved.
3. Call Bank of Scotland's bereavement team to open a case and ask what the current figure and forms are for the accounts involved.
4. Gather the documents: a death certificate, your own identification, and the completed bereavement form.
5. If a funeral is being arranged, ask whether Bank of Scotland can pay the funeral director's invoice from the account.
6. Keep a note of your case reference and what Bank of Scotland has asked for next.

• Probate Checker: check, per bank, whether you will need probate to release the money.
• Bank probate thresholds: the full table for every major UK bank and building society.
• Notifying banks after a death: the step-by-step notification process.
• Other banks in the same group: Lloyds Bank probate limit, Halifax probate limit.