Bank bereavement thresholds › NS&I (National Savings and Investments)

NS&I (National Savings and Investments) · bereavement threshold

£5,000released without a grant of probate

Released to a bereaved executor or next of kin without waiting for a grant of probate — subject to NS&I (National Savings and Investments)'s own conditions below.

Checked against NS&I Help — "What to do if an NS&I customer has died" (corroborated by NS&I's official "Guidance after a bereavement" PDF brochure) on 30 Aug 2026

§1What it means

£5,000, released without probate.

NS&I DOES publish a figure: their own guidance states "We may ask for a Grant of Representation if the customer's NS&I savings are £5,000 or over." Below £5,000 a grant is typically not required. However this is a guide threshold, not an absolute rule — the same NS&I source adds "The Director of Savings also reserves the right to request a Grant of Representation for a claim of any value," and NS&I explicitly notes it has "different legal obligations to other financial institutions."

What you'll need

Registrar's copy of the death certificate (original or certified copy) — always required

Completed claim form NS&I 904 ("claim after the death of an NS&I customer")

If there is a Will: the Will itself (original or a copy certified by a solicitor)

If total NS&I savings are £5,000 or over: Grant of Probate (or Confirmation of Executor Nominate in Scotland) where there's a Will; Grant of Letters of Administration (or Confirmation of Executor Dative in Scotland) where there isn't

Below £5,000, a Grant of Representation is typically not required — but NS&I reserves the right to demand one for any value

Any passbooks, Bonds or Certificates the deceased held, plus account/holder/customer numbers if known

Joint accounts/trusts: surviving holder or trustee completes the relevant claim-form section; a grant "is not usually required"

Pre-May-1981 Nomination Form (legacy mechanism) lets a nominated person claim directly with just the form + death certificate

Original legal documents are returned once NS&I has copied them for its records

How to notify NS&I (National Savings and Investments)

NOT covered by Tell Us Once — NS&I must be notified directly. Channels: phone 08085 007 007 (free from the UK, staffed Mon-Fri 8am-8pm and Sat-Sun 8am-6pm per NS&I's contact page); the online claim process at nsandi.com/death-claims-form; or by post to NS&I, Sunderland SR43 2SB. NS&I has no retail branches, so there is no in-branch route. If the customer lived outside the UK, NS&I asks that you call rather than claim online.

What they'll pay before probate

Funeral expenses: NS&I will usually pay part of the claim upfront direct to the funeral director against the unpaid funeral bill, even before a Grant of Representation is obtained — the amount is later deducted from the final claim once the grant arrives

Inheritance tax: NS&I will similarly pay part of the claim upfront direct to HMRC against a letter/statement confirming the amount due, deducted from the final claim once the grant arrives

Requestor must confirm no other funds are available to cover the expense, and the Executor/Administrator must sign a repayment form agreeing the amount will be repaid from the claim

Worth knowing

Two notable NS&I-specific quirks. (1) Premium Bonds are not automatically cashed out on death — by default they stay live in the monthly prize draw for up to 12 months after the date of death (bonds can't be transferred to a new owner, but any prizes won are paid by warrant to whoever is legally entitled). (2) NS&I is currently the subject of an active, self-disclosed bereavement failure: its own press release (nsandi.com, PR260519, May 2026) confirms roughly 34,000 bereaved families are collectively owed about £367 million because NS&I's account-tracing process failed to identify all of a deceased customer's holdings; NS&I began writing to affected estates from 27 May 2026 and expects to finish contacting them in 2027. Partly as a consequence, NS&I's own "Bereavement claims update" page states its current response time has stretched to roughly 8 weeks, versus the 11-working-day figure quoted in its standard brochure.

§2Common questions

NS&I (National Savings and Investments), answered.

NS&I (National Savings and Investments) will release up to £5,000 to a bereaved executor or next of kin without seeing a grant of probate. NS&I DOES publish a figure: their own guidance states "We may ask for a Grant of Representation if the customer's NS&I savings are £5,000 or over." Below £5,000 a grant is typically not required. However this is a guide threshold, not an absolute rule — the same NS&I source adds "The Director of Savings also reserves the right to request a Grant of Representation for a claim of any value," and NS&I explicitly notes it has "different legal obligations to other financial institutions."

NS&I (National Savings and Investments)'s published threshold is £5,000. Checked against NS&I Help — "What to do if an NS&I customer has died" (corroborated by NS&I's official "Guidance after a bereavement" PDF brochure) on 30 Aug 2026.

Yes. NS&I (National Savings and Investments) will typically pay: Funeral expenses: NS&I will usually pay part of the claim upfront direct to the funeral director against the unpaid funeral bill, even before a Grant of Representation is obtained — the amount is later deducted from the final claim once the grant arrives; Inheritance tax: NS&I will similarly pay part of the claim upfront direct to HMRC against a letter/statement confirming the amount due, deducted from the final claim once the grant arrives; Requestor must confirm no other funds are available to cover the expense, and the Executor/Administrator must sign a repayment form agreeing the amount will be repaid from the claim.

§3Related next steps

Informational, not advice — NS&I (National Savings and Investments) may change its policy at any time. Confirm against NS&I Help — "What to do if an NS&I customer has died" (corroborated by NS&I's official "Guidance after a bereavement" PDF brochure) before acting. Checked 30 Aug 2026.

Cite this figure: Valoren, “NS&I (National Savings and Investments) — Bereavement Release Threshold,” https://valoren.uk/figures/bank-bereavement-thresholds/nsi (checked 30 Aug 2026).