How to transfer inherited shares using the J30 stock transfer form
If the deceased held paper share certificates — particularly in older UK companies or small private companies — those shares cannot be sold or transferred without completing a J30 stock transfer form and sending it to the company's share registrar.
This walkthrough covers how to find which registrar holds the register, what the J30 requires, the stamp duty exemption for inherited shares, and what to do if the original share certificate is missing.
United Kingdom·Informational, not legal or financial advice·Official source: GOV.UK
There is no form to download
There is no J30 to download from GOV.UK. The stock transfer form is issued by the company’s share registrar, not by government — HMRC publishes only the guidance on completing one and on the stamp duty that may be due.
This walkthrough takes the J30 stock transfer form field by field, in plain English. Filling in the form is the easy part; the work is finding the original paper certificate, tracking down which registrar holds the company's register, and certifying the right stamp-duty exemption so an inherited shareholding passes across for free.
The original certificate is the part you cannot replace
Losing the original paper share certificate.
The J30 must be submitted with the original share certificate to the company's registrar — a photocopy is not accepted.
If the certificate has been lost, the executor must apply to the registrar for a letter of indemnity (which usually requires an indemnity bond, costing 0.5–1.5% of the share value).
This can take weeks to resolve.
Finding and safeguarding original certificates is one of the first tasks an executor should carry out.
The form, in summary
The J30 form, in summary.
Valoren
J30·2 pages·16 fields guided
With Valoren15 minutes
Without Valoren30 minutes
per company · tracking down share certificates and registrar details adds time
Deadline
No deadlineinheritance transfers exempt from stamp duty
The J30 is the statutory form used to transfer certificated (paper) shares that are registered in the name of the deceased and need to be re-registered in the name of a beneficiary or transferred to a third party for sale.
The J30 is required for shares held in a company's own register (not CREST/nominee).
Most shares in publicly listed UK companies are now held electronically in nominee accounts — but older shareholdings, particularly inherited ones, may still exist as certificated paper shares requiring J30 transfers.
·Who Files — The executor(s) or administrator(s), as transferors, together with the recipient beneficiary or buyer as transferee
·2 pages · 16 fields guided
·Draws from your Estate File — Financial Accounts, Legal Instruments
Section01
§11
Section 1
Are the shares certificated? — checking before completing J30
Most modern UK public company shares are held electronically in CREST or in a nominee account (e.g. through a stockbroker or investment platform).
These shares do not require a J30 — the platform handles the transfer. J30 is only needed for certificated (paper) shares.
01
How to tell if shares are certificated
Look for paper share certificates in the deceased's files.
A share certificate is typically an A5 or A4 document headed with the company name, stating the number of shares and the certificate number.
If you find certificates, those shares are certificated.
If the deceased held shares through a broker (Hargreaves Lansdown, AJ Bell, Interactive Investor, etc.) or a nominee service, those shares are held electronically and the broker handles the transfer.
02
Shares in smaller or private companies
Shares in private companies (not listed on a stock exchange) are always certificated — there is no CREST system for private companies.
Transferring shares in a private company may also require consent from the board of directors and a review of the company's articles of association and any shareholders' agreement.
This is more complex than a listed company transfer.
03
Finding the registrar
For listed UK companies, the share registrar is the organisation that maintains the company's register of members.
The main registrars are Computershare, Link Group (formerly Capita Asset Services), and Equiniti.
The registrar's name and contact details are usually printed on the share certificate itself.
If not, check the company's investor relations page on their website.
Most modern UK public company shares are held electronically in CREST or in a nominee account (e.g. through a stockbroker or investment platform).
Stock Transfer (Companies Registry / Registrar) · J30❦
Section02
§22
Section 2
Completing the J30 form
The J30 is obtained from the company's registrar or downloaded from their website.
There is one form per company — if the deceased held shares in five different companies, you need five J30 forms sent to five different registrars.
01
Part 1 — the name of the company
Enter the full registered name of the company whose shares are being transferred.
Use the name exactly as it appears on the share certificate.
02
Part 2 — the type and number of shares
Describe the class of share (e.g. 'Ordinary shares of 25p each') and the number being transferred.
For an estate transfer, this will typically be all the shares in that company.
03
Part 3 — consideration
For an inheritance transfer to a beneficiary: enter 'nil' or 'inheritance'.
For a sale from the estate to a buyer: enter the sale price.
The consideration determines whether stamp duty applies: inheritance = exempt; sale above £1,000 = 0.5% stamp duty on the sale price (which must be rounded up to the nearest £5 and paid before the registrar will register the transfer).
04
Part 4 — the transferor (executor)
The full name(s) and address(es) of the executor(s) or administrator(s) who are signing as transferors.
If there are multiple executors, all must sign.
The capacity should be stated: 'executor of the estate of [full name], deceased'.
05
Part 5 — the transferee (beneficiary or buyer)
The full name and address of the person receiving the shares.
For a beneficiary: their name and home address.
For a nominee account: the nominee's name (e.g. 'HL Nominees Ltd') and their designated account reference.
06
Submitting the J30
Send the completed J30 together with the original share certificate(s) to the registrar.
Send by recorded delivery — the originals cannot easily be replaced if lost in the post.
The registrar will cancel the old certificate and issue a new certificate in the transferee's name, or (if the shares are being dematerialised into a CREST account) arrange the electronic transfer.
The J30 is obtained from the company's registrar or downloaded from their website.
Stock Transfer (Companies Registry / Registrar) · J30❦
Section03
§33
Section 3
Stamp duty exemption — how to certify it
Share transfers from estates to beneficiaries are exempt from stamp duty. But the exemption is not automatic — it must be certified on the J30 form.
01
The Certificate of Exemption
On the back of the J30 form, there is a section for certifying the instrument under the Stamp Duty (Exempt Instruments) Regulations 1987.
For an estate transfer to a beneficiary, tick Category L: 'The instrument is an assent or appropriation by a personal representative in relation to settled property (other than relevant property within the meaning of section 58 of the 1984 Act) for no consideration in money or money's worth.'
Sign and date this certificate.
02
If the shares are being sold
If the estate is selling the shares (rather than passing them to a beneficiary), the sale price is the consideration and stamp duty at 0.5% applies to the amount above £1,000.
For example, a sale of shares at £5,000 attracts stamp duty of £25 (0.5% of £5,000).
Pay using HMRC's online stamp duty payment service and attach the payment reference to the J30 before sending to the registrar.
Share transfers from estates to beneficiaries are exempt from stamp duty. But the exemption is not automatic — it must be certified on the J30 form.
Stock Transfer (Companies Registry / Registrar) · J30❦
Many people file J30 themselves — that is what this walkthrough is for. If the estate behind it has stopped being simple — inheritance tax to pay, a trust, foreign assets, a dispute — Signum, Valoren’s own specialist desk, can take it on, and we say so plainly: it starts with a free intake, and if you do not need us, we will tell you. Prefer an independent adviser? STEP and the Chartered Institute of Taxation both keep public member directories, and neither pays Valoren a referral fee.
FAQ
J30 questions, answered.
The J30 is the stock transfer form used to move certificated (paper) shares that are registered in the name of the deceased — re-registering them into a beneficiary's name, or transferring them to a buyer so the estate can sell them.
It is only needed for shares held on a company's own register with a paper certificate.
Shares held through a broker, an investment platform, or a CREST nominee account are transferred by the platform and do not need a J30.
The executor(s) or administrator(s) sign as the transferors, in the capacity 'executor of the estate of [name], deceased'.
Where there is more than one personal representative, all of them must sign.
The person receiving the shares — the beneficiary or buyer — is named as the transferee.
There is one form per company, sent to that company's share registrar.
There is no fixed statutory deadline for the transfer itself, and an inheritance transfer is exempt from stamp duty whenever it is done.
In practice you usually wait until the grant of probate or letters of administration has been issued, because the registrar needs to see that authority before re-registering the shares.
No. A transfer from a personal representative to a beneficiary for no money is exempt under the Stamp Duty (Exempt Instruments) Regulations 1987 (SI 1987/516), Category L — but the exemption is not automatic.
You tick the Category L certificate on the back of the J30 and sign and date it.
If the estate instead sells the shares for more than £1,000, stamp duty of 0.5% of the sale price applies (rounded up to the nearest £5) and must be paid before the registrar will register the transfer.
The original paper share certificate (a photocopy is not accepted); the full company name and the class of shares exactly as printed on the certificate; the registrar's name and address (usually Computershare, Link Group, or Equiniti, often printed on the certificate); the grant of probate or letters of administration showing your authority as executor or administrator; and the full name and address of the beneficiary or buyer receiving the shares.
Losing — or never finding — the original share certificate.
The J30 must travel to the registrar with the original certificate; a copy will not do.
If the certificate is missing, you have to apply to the registrar for a replacement, which usually means buying a letter of indemnity (the bond fee typically runs at around 0.5–1.5% of the share value, but it varies by registrar and insurer) and can add weeks.
Finding and safeguarding original certificates is one of the first jobs an executor should do; for a high-value or disputed shareholding, consider professional advice.
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Where this fits
J30 is one form. The file behind it is the rest.
Forms are easier when the records are ready.
For J30, that means the original paper share certificate, the company name and class of shares exactly as printed on it, the registrar's name and address, the grant of probate or letters of administration that proves you can sign as transferor, and the full name and address of the beneficiary or buyer.
When you're ready — not before — our £179 Executor's First Hour walks you through registering the death, notifying banks and pensions, and getting probate started, in the right order. The free checklist above covers the essentials; this is for when you'd rather have a hand to hold. Executor's First Hour — £179 →
Stock Transfer (Companies Registry / Registrar)·16 fields·No stamp duty on inheritance transfers (Exempt under the Stamp Duty (Exempt Instruments) Regulations 1987 — Category L). A stock transfer between unconnected parties would attract 0.5% stamp duty on consideration above £1,000.·15 minutes with Valoren
Where this fits
This is one piece of a longer sequence. The Executor's Companion lays out probate step by step, in the order it actually unfolds.
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