Probate, property and possessions
For more information or assistance, the HMRC Probate and Inheritance Tax Helpline number is 0300 123 1072. Additional information can be found by visiting the Wills, probate and inheritance information at www.gov.uk/wills-probate-inheritance. If you have any difficulty in dealing with the deceased’s estate or guardianship of their children, you should get advice from a solicitor or the Citizens Advice Bureau as soon as possible. You may already have a solicitor your family uses. If not, ask friends and family if they can recommend one. When you contact them, remember to ask about their fees and charges. What to do after you have registered the death
can pay for certificates by debit/credit card.
You will need these certificates to deal with the deceased’s finances. For example, banks and insurance companies will probably need a death certificate to allow you to close and access accounts and funds. Most organisations will ask you to send an original certificate to them and will not accept a photocopy. Please note that you must request that the certificate is returned to you after they have processed it, otherwise it may be destroyed. Please also see page 7. If you later decide that you need additional copies of the death certificate, you can purchase more at www.surreycc.gov.uk/birth- death-and-ceremonies. If you discover an error on the certificates: A death registration is a legal document and therefore it is important that it is accurate. During the registration the Registrar will have clearly read back the information you have provided. Errors discovered after registration may have to be corrected. This could cause delays to funeral arrangements and processing of the deceased’s estate. There will be a statutory fee of £75 – £90 for all correction considerations. In addition to the correction fee, you will be charged for certificates. Please contact Surrey Registration Service on 0300 200 1002 or Textphone (via Text Relay): 18001 0300 200 1002 if you have any correction enquiries.
When someone dies, somebody must organise their estate. This person is known as the personal representative (also known as the executor if they are named as such in the will). It is important to find out if the deceased left a will, and if so, who the executor is. The will says what should happen to the deceased’s money, property and possessions (known as the estate). The personal representative is responsible for paying all the deceased’s debts, taxes and expenses. They make the payments from the estate, not from their own income or savings. Only when these duties are finished, can the personal representative share out to the people entitled to it, the rest of the estate. Please note: if a person has power of attorney for someone, this ends at the time of death. If you are the personal representative, you may have to apply for probate. The Probate office will give you a “Grant of Probate” if the deceased left a will, or grant “Letters of Administration” if there is no will. You can download the forms with notes and guidance on what you need to do from the inheritance tax and probate process section of the HM Revenues and Customs website, www.gov. uk/wills-probate-inheritance. You can now access Probate Records to obtain a copy Will or Grant at www.gov.uk/ search-will-probate. Winchester is the nearest District Probate Registry to Surrey. It is open to the public from Monday to Friday between 9:30am and 4:00pm with appointments offered between 10:00am and 3:30pm, depending on demand. Other offices can be found by using a search browser. The Winchester District Probate Office is located at: 1 st Floor Southside Offices The Law Courts
Registration documents
Once you have completed the registration, the Registrar will:
• Issue a green form (called a form 9) to arrange the funeral (unless the coroner has already issued one). • Report the deceased’s death to the Council Tax Office. Certificates You will also be able to purchase any number of death certificates from the Registrar. You
Winchester Hampshire SO23 9EL Tel: 01962 814100
Web: www.courttribunalfinder.service. gov.uk/courts/winchester-district-probate- registry
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Bereavement Guide
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