Processing estates under $15,000

If you’ve already notified us about a bereavement, next we’ll need certain details and documents from the executor, administrator, lawyer, or claimant.

A claimant is a person eligible to claim funds from estates worth $15,000 or less, when there is no valid will. Claimants are often the life partner or children of the deceased.

Here’s what we need if the estate has assets^ worth $15,000 or less.

What we need

• Deceased estates indemnity and claim form (PDF 86KB) — completed by the executor (if a will exists) or the claimant (if no will exists)
• photo ID and proof of physical address for executor or claimant (certified by a trusted referee less than 3 months ago, and including the referee’s phone number or email address).

For more information about using a trusted referee to prove ID and address, visit our identification requirements page.

If more than one executor, administrator, lawyer, or claimant exists

To close the person’s accounts, each executor, administrator, lawyer, or claimant must sign a Letter of Authority^ or a Deceased estates indemnity and claim form (PDF 86KB). If only one has signed, we need:

• a letter from the others giving permission for the person who’s signed to act for them
• photo ID for each of them.

Transferring funds

You will still be able to deposit money into the person’s frozen accounts if you need to. However, you can’t move any funds from the deceased’s accounts into their other accounts, or into new term deposits until their estate is paid out to the correct people. You also won’t be able to change the IRD number of the deceased. This is to avoid tax issues for the estate and so we meet our legal obligations under the relevant estate laws.

We may be able to release some funds earlier for funeral costs.

Bereavement support

For support and information about our process of managing an estate, visit our bereavement assistance page.