When someone dies, their sole bank accounts are usually frozen as soon as the bank is told, and the money is held safely until the estate is dealt with. Accounts held jointly normally pass straight to the surviving account holder and are not frozen.
The money in a sole account does not disappear and it is not taken by the bank. It becomes part of the estate, and it is released to the person legally responsible for the estate, the executor named in the will or an administrator where there is no will. Depending on how much is held, the bank will release it either on sight of the death certificate or after a grant of probate. This guide walks through each step, with current figures for England and Wales. Figures are as at August 2026 and are subject to change.
What happens to the account straight away
The bank does nothing until it is notified. Once it is told that the account holder has died, it treats a sole account and a joint account very differently.
| Type of account | What normally happens |
|---|---|
| Sole account (in one name) | Frozen. Card, cheque book and online access stop. The balance is held as part of the estate and released to the executor or administrator. |
| Joint account | Passes automatically to the surviving account holder by survivorship, so it is not frozen and the survivor keeps using it (gov.uk, as at August 2026, subject to change). |
| Cash ISAs and savings | Treated like a sole account and frozen, though a surviving spouse or civil partner may inherit an additional ISA allowance. |
A joint account passing to the survivor is a matter of who can use the money. It does not always settle the question of who the money belonged to for inheritance tax, and a share of a joint balance can still count towards the estate. Where large sums or unequal contributions are involved, that distinction can matter, and a clear up to date will helps set out who is entitled to what.
What "frozen" actually means
A frozen account is not closed. The balance stays where it is and the bank stops the day to day movement in and out. Some payments still stop, and a few important ones can still be made.
| Stops on freezing | Can often still be paid from the account |
|---|---|
| Debit card, cheque book and online payments | The funeral bill, paid to the funeral director |
| Standing orders and most direct debits | Inheritance tax due to HMRC, through a set scheme (see below) |
| Incoming payments such as salary or state pension | Certain probate costs, at the bank's discretion |
Pension and benefit payments that arrive after the date of death often have to be repaid, so it helps to stop them early. The Tell Us Once service (gov.uk, as at August 2026, subject to change) reports a death to most government departments at the same time, including HMRC, the DWP and the DVLA. It does not contact banks, so each bank has to be told separately.
How to tell the bank
You register the death first, because everything else follows from the death certificate. A death in England and Wales must normally be registered within five days (gov.uk, as at August 2026, subject to change). Once registered, you contact the bank and provide the death certificate and proof of your own identity. Many banks and building societies accept a single notification through a shared industry service, so telling one can update several, and any account the deceased held with them is flagged at once.
It is worth asking the bank, at the point of notifying it, for a written balance as at the date of death and for its own rules on releasing the money. Those rules decide whether probate is needed, which is the next question most families ask.
Do you need probate to release the money?
Not always. Whether the bank asks for a grant of probate before it releases a sole account depends on how much is held and on the bank's own limit. As gov.uk puts it, you need to contact each organisation the person held money with, because "every organisation has its own rules" on when probate is required (gov.uk, applying for probate, as at August 2026, subject to change). Each bank sets its own threshold, so the same balance might be released on the death certificate alone at one bank and need probate at another.
- Below the bank's limit. The bank may release the balance to the executor or administrator on sight of the death certificate and a completed form, without probate.
- Above the bank's limit. The bank will usually wait for a grant of probate, which is the legal document confirming who has authority to deal with the estate.
- Joint accounts. No probate is needed for the account itself, as it passes to the surviving holder.
If a grant is needed, the executor applies for it. Our guide to what probate is and how to apply sets out the steps and forms in full.
Paying the funeral and any inheritance tax first
A frozen account can still meet two priority costs before probate is granted. Most banks will pay a funeral director's invoice directly from the account, and inheritance tax can be paid to HMRC straight from the deceased's bank and savings accounts under the Direct Payment Scheme, using form IHT423 (gov.uk, as at August 2026, subject to change). That matters because a grant of probate is not usually issued until any inheritance tax due has been dealt with, so the scheme breaks what would otherwise be a deadlock.
Inheritance tax has its own deadline. It must be paid by the end of the sixth month after the person died, and HMRC charges interest on anything paid after that date (gov.uk, as at August 2026, subject to change). Planning ahead can reduce how much is due in the first place, which is covered in our guide to inheritance tax.
What it costs to apply for probate
Where probate is required to release the account, the court charges an application fee. The bank does not charge for releasing the funds themselves, though it may complete its own form.
| Item | Fee (August 2026) |
|---|---|
| Probate application, estate over £5,000 | £526 |
| Probate application, estate £5,000 or less | No fee |
| Extra copies of the grant, ordered with the application | £2 each |
| Extra copies ordered later | £16 each |
Source: gov.uk, applying for probate fees, as at August 2026, subject to change. Extra sealed copies are useful because different banks and organisations often each want to see one.
Scotland and Northern Ireland
This guide describes England and Wales. In Scotland the equivalent of probate is called confirmation, obtained through the sheriff court, and a death is registered within eight days (gov.uk, as at August 2026, subject to change). Northern Ireland has its own probate process through its courts, broadly similar to England and Wales but administered separately. Banks operating across the UK apply the process for the nation where the estate is administered. Thinking about this in advance is part of wider estate planning, which can make the whole process simpler for the people left to deal with it.
- Sole accounts are frozen once the bank is told; joint accounts pass to the surviving holder (gov.uk).
- A death must be registered within five days (gov.uk).
- The probate application fee is £526 for estates over £5,000, with no fee at £5,000 or less (gov.uk).
- Inheritance tax is payable by the end of the sixth month after death (gov.uk).
Frequently asked questions
Is a bank account frozen as soon as someone dies?
No, not automatically. A sole account is frozen once the bank is notified of the death, not at the moment of death itself. Until the bank is told, standing orders and direct debits can keep running. This is why registering the death and notifying the bank early tends to help, so payments that arrive after death, such as a state pension, can be stopped and any overpayments avoided (gov.uk, as at August 2026, subject to change).
What happens to a joint bank account when one holder dies?
A joint account normally passes to the surviving account holder automatically, by a rule called survivorship, so it is not frozen and the survivor can keep using it (gov.uk, as at August 2026, subject to change). The account passing to the survivor is separate from the inheritance tax position, because a share of the balance can still form part of the estate that died. The details depend on the circumstances.
Can money be taken out of a deceased person's account for the funeral?
Usually yes. Most banks will release funds from a frozen sole account to pay a funeral director's invoice directly, even before probate is granted, as the funeral is treated as a priority cost of the estate. The bank will normally pay the funeral director rather than release cash. Its own form and evidence, such as the invoice and death certificate, will be needed.
Do you always need probate to close a bank account?
No. Whether probate is needed depends on how much is in the account and on the individual bank's threshold. gov.uk explains that "every organisation has its own rules" on when a grant is required (gov.uk, as at August 2026, subject to change). Smaller balances are often released on the death certificate alone, while larger ones usually need a grant of probate.
How long does it take to release money from a bank after death?
It varies. Where no probate is needed, a bank may release a smaller balance within a few weeks of receiving the death certificate and its completed form. Where probate is required, the money is not released until the grant is issued, and the time to obtain a grant depends on the estate and current court timescales (gov.uk, as at August 2026, subject to change). Any inheritance tax due usually has to be dealt with first.
What happens to direct debits and an overdraft when someone dies?
Direct debits and standing orders on a sole account generally stop once the bank is notified, so ongoing subscriptions and bills are not paid automatically after that point and should be arranged separately. A debt such as an overdraft does not pass to the family personally; it is a debt of the estate and is settled from the estate's assets before anything is distributed to beneficiaries.