This week (2 December to 8 December 2024) is National Grief Awareness Week.
The annual event is organised by the Good Grief Trust to raise awareness of grief and provide support for those who are grieving.
This year’s theme is ‘Shine a Light’, when people across the UK are encouraged to light the country orange to remember those who have died and recognise those affected by bereavement.
As part of the campaign, the Good Grief Trust are asking that people around the UK light buildings orange or simply light a candle at 6pm on the 8th of December.
For more information about the initiative, click here.
Dealing with the loss of a loved one is extremely difficult. In addition to coping with your grief, there are often practical arrangements that need to be made, and the situation can easily feel overwhelming.
Our friendly and compassionate team at Bowsers Solicitors can help. We support relatives through the aftermath of a loved one’s death and can take care of many of the practical demands that follow someone’s passing.
If you have lost a loved one and need some legal advice, get in touch with Bowsers Solicitors. You can call us on 01945 583194 (Wisbech) or 01354 652606 (March), or email reception@bowsers.co.uk.
Solicitors for Probate Cambridgeshire
To mark Grief Awareness Week, in this blog our experienced Probate Solicitors explain the main steps you need to take following the death of a loved one.
Step one: Register the death.
In England and Wales, deaths usually need to be registered within five days of the date of death. This can be done by making an appointment at a local register office.
Step two: Inform relevant parties.
In addition to telling friends and family about the deceased’s passing, you will also need to inform the government, banks, mortgage providers, utility companies and other relevant parties about the death.
Using the Tell Us Once service will allow you to inform various government departments in one go.
Step three: Locate the deceased’s Will.
A Will names an executor the deceased wants to administer their estate and sets out what they want to happen to their assets.
It may also include details about what they want to happen at their funeral.
Step four: Arrange the funeral.
When you register a death, you will receive a certificate for burial or cremation (the ‘green form’) that you will need to give to the funeral director or crematorium.
Step five: Consider your benefits.
You might be entitled to financial support depending on your relationship with the deceased. Benefits include statutory parental bereavement pay and bereavement support payments.
You should also check whether your tax, benefits and pension entitlements have changed following the death.
Step six: Value the estate.
The next step is to estimate the value of the deceased’s estate to see whether inheritance tax (IHT) is due. This can take several months, and sometimes longer, depending on the complexity of the estate.
There is normally no IHT to pay if either the value of your estate is below the £325,000 threshold or you leave everything above the £325,000 threshold to your spouse, civil partner, a charity or a community amateur sports club.
If the estate owes IHT, you will need to start paying tax by the end of the sixth month after the person died, and before you apply for probate.
Step seven: Apply for probate.
Probate is the legal right to deal with the administration of a deceased person’s property, money, and possessions (their estate) when they die.
If there is a Will, the executor named in the Will must apply for a grant of probate to administer the estate.
In cases where there is no Will, an administrator will be appointed following the rules of intestacy, who will apply for a grant of letters of administration, which gives the legal authority to administer the estate.
Step eight: Administer the estate.
The tasks involved in estate administration vary according to the specific assets and their value in each case, but usually include preparing Inheritance Tax (IHT) forms, closing bank accounts, selling property, and distributing assets.
Probate Solicitors Near Me
At Bowsers, we have extensive experience in Wills and probate issues, and our specialist solicitors can advise on all aspects of estate administration.
Being responsible for administering a person’s estate is overwhelming, particularly at an already emotional and distressing time. Seeking the advice of a trusted legal professional can help.
Our estate administration legal services include:
- Completing inheritance tax forms.
- Inheritance tax advice.
- Estate account preparation with the executor(s) for the beneficiaries upon completion of estate administration.
- Accounting for income tax during the administration period.
- Deed of variation preparation.
- Obtaining a grant of probate.
- Payments of debts and expenses.
- Distribution of the estate to beneficiaries.
If you are looking for legal advice on probate or other aspects of estate administration, please contact our experienced private client solicitors and chartered legal executives today on 01945 583194 (Wisbech) or 01354 652606 (March), or email reception@bowsers.co.uk.
Alternatively, you can fill in our contact form.
