Required Information After Someone Passes Away

When someone passes away the last thing most people want to think about is paperwork. We can help you collect and gather the information you need to deal with the deceased affairs.

If you do decide to instruct Lovedays Solicitors following the death of a loved one, we will help you to collect information about the following;

• the value at the date of death of all assets – these include houses, other property, household goods, bank accounts, shares, cars, jewellery, personal belongings etc…
• details of any money owed to the deceased
• any debts owed by the deceased, including any tax due to HM Revenue & Customs
• whether or not there is a Will
• obtaining a death certificate

Some of this information is needed to calculate whether any inheritance tax is payable. This is a very important calculation. Many estates are not large enough to be liable for inheritance tax and recent changes in the law have further increased the number of estates that fall below the nil-rate band for inheritance tax purposes. Don’t worry we will assist you in establishing the tax position of an estate.

The process of collecting all the relevant information and valuing the assets can take some time. We will be able to guide you through the process and will explain it to you step by step.

One thing to be aware of is that the valuations for the purposes of inheritance tax are from the date of death, not the date on which the assets are transferred.

If any assets are jointly owned these may not fall within the estate and may automatically pass to the surviving owners.

To apply for probate, we will need to know if the deceased has a Will and to have a copy of the original death certificate. We will have already helped you assess the value of the deceased’s assets.

To find out more about the process with or without a Will then please click on the links below

• Grant of probate (with a will)
• Letters of Administration (without a will)

If you would like to find out more about what information is required or get advice on probate law, then we will be able to help. We offer a free initial enquiry where we can point you in the right direction.