Bank bereavement thresholds › NatWest

NatWest · bereavement threshold

£50,000released without a grant of probate

Released to a bereaved executor or next of kin without waiting for a grant of probate — subject to NatWest's own conditions below.

Checked against NatWest — Account Closure Form NWB201430 (13/07/2026), linked from its "What to do when someone dies" bereavement page (natwest.com) on 10 Oct 2026

§1What it means

£50,000, released without probate.

NatWest's Account Closure Form (NWB201430, dated 13/07/2026, linked from its bereavement page) says that if the person had under £50,000 left in accounts in their name only, NatWest does not need a Grant of Representation; at £50,000 or over in sole-name accounts it needs a Grant of Probate, Letters of Administration or, in Scotland, a Certificate of Confirmation. The form counts the total left in all the person's sole accounts. Under £50,000 the executor named in the will signs the form, or the immediate next of kin if there is no will. Joint accounts move into the surviving holder's name.

What you'll need

Death certificate (or the death certificate number if the physical certificate isn't yet available, at notification stage)

Will/Codicil

Grant of Representation (England & Wales) or Certificate of Confirmation (Scotland) — 'We'll let you know if we need to see a Grant of Probate/Certificate of Confirmation in the condolence letter'

Completed Account Closure Form, signed by next of kin or executor(s)

Photo ID and proof of address, if the person notifying/dealing with the estate is not themselves a NatWest customer

Identity verification (photo ID upload / selfie match) for online notification

For an Executor Account: a Grant of Probate, Letters of Administration, or Grant of Confirmation (collectively 'Grant of Representation') before NatWest will open the account or discuss the estate in detail

How to notify NatWest

Online form (natwest.com bereavement guide — 'Complete online form now', with document/ID upload, 'it's ok if you don't have them right now'); phone on 0800 161 5903, lines open 9am–5pm Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays (international: +44 1204 684658; Relay UK: 18001 0800 161 5903); webchat (Mon–Fri 8am–5pm per the page); in branch. NatWest also accepts notification via the industry Death Notification Service (DNS) — the page asks 'Already used the Death Notification Service (DNS) to let us know about this death?' — described as 'notification only', letting one form notify multiple participating banks/building societies at once. Note: this is the DNS run by the banking industry (via Experian), not the government's 'Tell Us Once' service — NatWest's page does not describe accepting Tell Us Once directly; it's DNS that's explicitly referenced.

What they'll pay before probate

Funeral invoice: 'We can pay the funeral company directly from the deceased's account' — paid directly to the funeral director (not to the family), typically taking about 3–5 working days, in full or in part depending on funds available in the account(s) — before probate is granted

UK Grant of Probate application fee, paid directly from the deceased's account

Inheritance tax payable to HMRC via a completed IHT423 form, paid directly from the deceased's account before the grant is issued

Worth knowing

NatWest's own bereavement-page glossary prints the limit for an unwitnessed 'Indemnifying Letter' as "under £50", while its Account Closure Form gives £50,000 for sole-name accounts; the glossary also describes a signed, witnessed '(Indemnity) Agreement'. NatWest offers a paid full Estate Administration Service delivered via a named external solicitor firm, Hugh James, rather than an in-house legal team. Text alerts can misfire briefly after death is reported — the guide warns you may get an automated 'change of address' text a few days after notifying them, because address-related system messages weren't fully suppressed. Any NatWest Rewards/MyRewards balance must be claimed within 90 days of the account closing or it's lost. Safe custody items (documents held in a branch) require a separate dedicated collection form rather than being handled through the main bereavement process.

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§2Common questions

NatWest, answered.

NatWest will release up to £50,000 to a bereaved executor or next of kin without seeing a grant of probate.

Under £50,000 the executor named in the will signs the form, or the immediate next of kin if there is no will. Joint accounts move into the surviving holder's name.

NatWest's published threshold is £50,000. Checked against NatWest — Account Closure Form NWB201430 (13/07/2026), linked from its "What to do when someone dies" bereavement page (natwest.com) on 10 Oct 2026.

NatWest also accepts notification via the industry Death Notification Service (DNS) — the page asks 'Already used the Death Notification Service (DNS) to let us know about this death?' — described as 'notification only', letting one form notify multiple participating banks/building societies at once.

Note: this is the DNS run by the banking industry (via Experian), not the government's 'Tell Us Once' service — NatWest's page does not describe accepting Tell Us Once directly; it's DNS that's explicitly referenced.

Yes. NatWest will typically pay: Funeral invoice: 'We can pay the funeral company directly from the deceased's account' — paid directly to the funeral director (not to the family), typically taking about 3–5 working days, in full or in part depending on funds available in the account(s) — before probate is granted; UK Grant of Probate application fee, paid directly from the deceased's account; Inheritance tax payable to HMRC via a completed IHT423 form, paid directly from the deceased's account before the grant is issued.

§3Related next steps

Informational, not advice — NatWest may change its policy at any time. Confirm against NatWest — Account Closure Form NWB201430 (13/07/2026), linked from its "What to do when someone dies" bereavement page (natwest.com) before acting. Checked 10 Oct 2026.

Cite this figure: Valoren, “NatWest — Bereavement Release Threshold,” https://valoren.uk/figures/bank-bereavement-thresholds/natwest (checked 10 Oct 2026).