The short answer
Yorkshire Building Society (YBS) sets out two routes on its bereavement page. For balances under £50,000 you complete a declaration and indemnity form. For balances over £50,000 you complete the closure form and include a copy of the grant of representation (the Grant of Probate, Letters of Administration, or a Certificate of Confirmation in Scotland). Accounts held under the Chelsea Building Society and Norwich & Peterborough Building Society names are within YBS and handled under the same bereavement process. Older guides quote £30,000; that is out of date.
Probate Checker
Will you need probate for Yorkshire Building Society?
Answer a few questions about the accounts, sole or joint, the balance, and whether there is a will, and get the verdict for Yorkshire Building Society and your next steps. Verified May 2026.
How Yorkshire Building Society's limit works
There is no figure set in law, but YBS is one of the societies that states its own. Its bereavement page and its January 2026 bereavement leaflet both put the line at £50,000: a declaration and indemnity form under that, the closure form plus the grant above it. This is the same figure as most high-street banks. YBS was widely listed at £30,000 in third-party guides, including ours until August 2026, so treat that number as out of date.
YBS acquired Chelsea Building Society in 2010 and Norwich & Peterborough Building Society in 2011. Accounts held under any of those three trading names are all within YBS and handled under the same bereavement process. Where a figure is applied, the total across all sole YBS-group accounts is what matters. A joint account usually passes to the surviving account holder by survivorship, whatever the balance.
Below the limit: what you need
For balances under £50,000, YBS releases funds against its declaration and indemnity form and the documents below, rather than a Grant. You complete the notification and provide the paperwork.
For a smaller estate you will usually need:
- A certified copy of the death certificate
- Identification for the person dealing with the estate
- Yorkshire Building Society'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 Yorkshire Building Society's current position in a couple of clicks.
Above the limit: what changes
For balances over £50,000, YBS asks you to complete its closure form and include a copy of the grant of representation before it releases the money. In Scotland the equivalent is a Certificate of Confirmation.
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.
Funeral costs before probate
YBS can consider paying a funeral director's invoice directly from the account before probate, 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.
How to notify Yorkshire Building Society
You notify Yorkshire Building Society's bereavement team, who open a case and confirm what they need for the accounts involved.
- Phone: 0345 166 9229 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm)
- Online: ybs.co.uk bereavement support
Yorkshire Building Society also includes the Chelsea Building Society brand (merged 2010) and the Norwich & Peterborough Building Society brand (merged 2011). Accounts held under any of those three names are handled under the same bereavement process and the total across all three is what the team reviews.
For the full picture on what to send and what to expect back, see our guide to notifying banks after a death.
Step by step
- Register the death and order extra certified copies of the death certificate, as several organisations will want one.
- Note which brand the accounts are held under: Yorkshire Building Society, Chelsea BS or Norwich & Peterborough BS. All are handled together.
- Call YBS's bereavement team to open a case and ask what the current figure and forms are for the accounts involved.
- Gather the documents: a death certificate, your own identification, and the completed bereavement form.
- If a funeral is being arranged, ask whether YBS can pay the funeral director's invoice from the account.
- Keep a note of your case reference and what YBS has asked for next.
Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland
In Scotland there is no Grant of Probate. The equivalent is a Certificate of Confirmation from the sheriff court. Where Yorkshire Building Society would otherwise ask for a Grant, it asks for Confirmation instead.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland follows a process close to England and Wales, with a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration issued by the Probate Office. Several Northern Ireland banks assess release case by case, so confirm the position with the bereavement team.