Bank Probate
Thresholds UK 2026

Barclays has a well-structured bereavement process and is one of the few banks that lets you notify them online. If the total balance across all the deceased's sole Barclays accounts is under £50,000, you won't usually need probate. Funeral costs can be paid directly from the account before probate - just provide the funeral director's invoice (not an estimate).

What you'll need: Death certificate (original, certified copy, or interim), your photo ID, and the Barclays closure form (downloadable from their website).

Barclays is a member of the Death Notification Service (DNS), which lets you notify multiple financial institutions at once.

NatWest doesn't publish a fixed number on its website - it assesses each case individually. In practice, multiple reliable sources confirm they'll typically release funds without probate for balances up to £50,000. This appears to have increased from around £25,000 in 2024.

NatWest can pay funeral invoices, probate fees, and care home fees directly from the estate account. If the deceased had accounts with more than one brand in the group (e.g. NatWest and RBS), you'll need to notify each separately, but the group's bereavement team can guide you through this.

Nationwide is refreshingly clear about its threshold: if the deceased's Nationwide accounts contained less than £50,000, you won't need probate. They have specially trained bereavement staff in branches, and they can release up to £8,000 in-branch for funeral expenses - one of the more generous interim payment policies.

If the deceased also held accounts with Virgin Money (now owned by Nationwide), you'll need to notify each brand separately - they don't share bereavement notifications yet.

What you'll need: Death certificate and a completed Bereavement Request to Close Accounts form.

TSB doesn't state a specific threshold on its website, which makes it harder to confirm. Multiple aggregator sources list £50,000, and this is consistent with the general industry trend. TSB uses a digital DocuSign-based bereavement form, which makes the paperwork side relatively straightforward.

TSB can pay final funeral invoices (not estimates) directly from the account. They've partnered with Farewill for probate services. Forum reports suggest TSB can be one of the faster banks to release funds - around 3 working days from receiving a Grant of Probate.

We'd recommend confirming the threshold directly with TSB's bereavement team before relying on the £50,000 figure.

Lloyds Banking Group operates the UK's largest branch network, and its bereavement threshold applies across Lloyds Bank, Halifax, Bank of Scotland, and Scottish Widows. The group raised its threshold from £25,000 to £50,000 during the COVID pandemic, and this higher figure remains in place.

Like NatWest, they assess each case individually but £50,000 is the practical threshold in straightforward cases. Each brand within the group has its own bereavement team and phone number.

Santander's UK website is clear: probate is required when the total value of all sole-name accounts exceeds £50,000. This also covers the Cahoot brand (a Santander subsidiary).

Important: If the deceased held accounts with Santander International (Isle of Man or Jersey), the threshold there is just £10,000 - much lower than the UK figure. This difference has caused confusion on some comparison sites.

Santander can pay funeral costs, IHT, and probate fees from the account before probate is granted.

The Co-op Bank's website is explicit: probate is only required when the total value of the deceased's Co-operative Bank and Smile accounts exceeds £50,000. This includes Britannia-branded accounts.

The bank can release funds for funeral expenses, repatriation costs, IHT payments, and probate application fees. They've partnered with Co-op Legal Services for probate advice.

Worth noting: Coventry Building Society is in the process of acquiring the Co-operative Bank (announced 2024). The threshold may change after the merger completes.

Principality uses a tiered approach. For balances under £20,000, the process is straightforward - a simple form and death certificate. Between £20,000 and £39,999, they require a solicitor-witnessed form. Above £40,000, a Grant of Probate is needed.

Virgin Money's bereavement page confirms that probate is needed when the balance is £35,000 or more. This applies across all Virgin Money brands, including the former Clydesdale Bank and Yorkshire Bank.

Following Nationwide's acquisition of Virgin Money (completed 2024), the two organisations still operate separate bereavement processes. If the deceased held accounts with both, you'll need to notify each one independently.

Post Office financial products are actually provided by different banks behind the scenes. Savings accounts, mortgages, and loans are run by Bank of Ireland UK, while Post Office Card Accounts were managed by JP Morgan. This means the bereavement process can differ depending on the product.

User reports suggest that the Bank of Ireland-operated accounts can sometimes be slower to process than average.

YBS's official forms confirm that probate is required for balances of £30,000.01 or more. The YBS Group also includes Chelsea Building Society and Norwich & Peterborough Building Society - the bereavement team handles all three brands.

Interest continues to accrue on the account until it's closed. If the deceased had a fixed-rate bond, it can be kept open until maturity if the executor prefers.

Chase launched in the UK in 2021 and is a digital-first bank backed by JP Morgan. Their bereavement threshold is £25,000, with phone support available for the process.

Metro Bank's Deceased Estates Indemnity Form covers balances between £5,000.01 and £25,000 - above that, a Grant of Probate is required. You can email or post scanned documents, and in-store visits usually aren't necessary for the bereavement process. Funeral expenses can be paid from the account with an original invoice.

If the deceased had a safe deposit box, accessing it will require a store visit and likely a Grant of Probate.

Monzo's threshold is the most confusing of any UK bank. Their own official blog post describes a three-tier system: balances under £100 need only ID, balances between £100 and £25,000 need ID plus an indemnity form, and balances over £25,000 require a Grant of Probate. This clearly suggests the probate threshold is £25,000.

However, almost every comparison site lists Monzo's threshold as £5,000. It's possible that some sources are confusing the indemnity form requirement with a probate requirement.

Processing typically takes around 5 working days once all documentation is received.

We'd recommend contacting Monzo directly to clarify how they'll handle your specific situation.

Aldermore is primarily a savings and business bank. Processing typically takes around 5 working days. They offer a Freepost address for documents.

First Direct is a subsidiary of HSBC, but operates its own bereavement process. Like HSBC, they assess each case individually rather than publishing a firm threshold, though around £20,000 appears to be the practical figure.

If the deceased held accounts with both First Direct and HSBC, you'll need to notify both, but First Direct will share the notification with HSBC on your behalf.

Marcus is a savings-only bank. One important quirk: Marcus only accepts original death certificates - not certified copies. Given that you often need to send originals to multiple organisations simultaneously, this can create delays. Post is the only option for document submission.

Marcus also operates Saga Savings accounts under the same threshold and process.

HSBC is deliberately different from most banks in that it doesn't publish a probate threshold at all. Their official position is that each case is assessed individually, and the decision won't be made solely on the account balance. Factors like the complexity of the estate, the relationship of the claimant, and whether there's a will all play a role.

This means there's no way to know in advance whether probate will be required. You'll need to contact HSBC's bereavement team, who will tell you what they need for your specific case.

HSBC can pay funeral bills, IHT, and probate application fees directly from the estate account before probate is granted - which is helpful given the uncertainty.

Starling's threshold is lower than most high-street banks at £10,000, but they make up for it with speed - once documents are received, funds are typically transferred within 2 working days, making them one of the fastest banks to deal with.

Starling is digital-only, so there are no branches to visit. All contact is by post, email, or through their partner service Settld. Funeral costs can be paid directly to the funeral director.

NS&I is government-backed and includes Premium Bonds, Direct Saver accounts, Income Bonds, and other savings products. The £5,000 threshold applies to the combined total across all NS&I products - so someone with £3,000 in Premium Bonds and £3,000 in a Direct Saver would exceed it.

NS&I processes documents by post only and typically responds within 11 working days. They will provide a balance statement confirming what the deceased held.

Premium Bonds: These stay in the monthly prize draw for up to 12 months after death. Any prizes won after death are paid to the estate and are tax-free. Executors can choose to cash in immediately or keep them in the draw.

Atom Bank is digital-only with limited publicly available bereavement information. Notifications can be submitted through partner services like Life Ledger or Settld.

Revolut handles bereavement by email only - there's no phone line or postal address for this process. An indemnity form is available as a PDF download. Given the email-only approach, allow extra time for responses.

Shawbrook participates in the Death Notification Service. Their bereavement process is handled by email.