Executor checklist and probate organiser (Northern Ireland)
For executors and administrators in Northern Ireland: registering the death, probate, tax, debts and accounts, on A4. Here is a practical way to organise the estate paperwork so you, the other executors, the beneficiaries and anyone advising you can find everything quickly.
Checked against official sources on 3 November 2026.
The quick version
- Keep every estate paper in one binder, split into the sections below.
- Write down every date and deadline as it is set.
- Record every payment into and out of the estate as it happens.
- Keep a list of everyone you have told, with their reference numbers.
The first few weeks
- Register the death with the district registrar (five days is the guide)
- Buy short or full death certificates at registration
- Contact the Bereavement Service for Northern Ireland
- Tell close family, the employer and the GP or care home
- Keep keys, post and small valuables somewhere safe
- Contact insurers early and confirm policies are still in force
- Return any Blue Badge to the Blue Badge Unit
- Tell the Motability dealership within 2 weeks, if relevant
- Look for the original will and any codicils
- Gather bank statements, pension papers and insurance policies
- Gather the National Insurance, NHS and tax reference numbers
- Note any funeral plan or written funeral wishes
- Open a separate estate account so every payment is recorded
- Ask banks for balances at the date of death
- Keep every receipt for funeral and estate costs
- Consider protective registration with CIFAS against identity fraud
Documents to gather
Gather these before you value the estate or apply for the grant. Tick each one off as you find it.
- Full name, date of birth and last address
- Death certificate (short or full)
- Birth and marriage or civil partnership certificates
- National Insurance, NHS, Child Benefit and tax reference numbers
- Passport and driving licence
- Original will and any codicils
- Details of the solicitor who holds or wrote the will
- Funeral plan, invoice and receipts
- Any written wishes or letters left behind
- Bank and building society statements and balances at date of death
- Savings and investment statements
- Life insurance policies and receipts for any cashed in
- Details of any cash held or forgotten savings
- Tax rebates due
- Title or Land Registry details
- How each property was owned (alone or jointly)
- Mortgage statements
- Valuation of the home and any other property
- Valuations of vehicles, jewellery and valuables
- State Pension and benefit letters
- Workplace and private pension statements, and any ex-spouse rights
- Northern Ireland Pension Centre letters
- Benefit letters (for example Disability Living Allowance or PIP)
- Credit card and store card statements
- Loan, hire purchase and mortgage statements
- Rates, utility and phone bills
- Money owed to the person
- Copies of the creditor notices placed
- HMRC letters and tax reference
- Recent tax returns and P60s
- National Insurance Contributions Office letters, if self-employed
- Form NIPF7, IHT400 and IHT421, as needed
- Records of any asset sales during administration
- Probate application form NIPF1 or NIPF2, or online account details
- Certified copy of your photo ID, if applying personally
- Renunciation or reservation of power forms, if relevant
- Business accounts, trusts, or foreign grants or wills, if any
Dates and deadlines to track
- Date of death
- Death registered (5 days)
- Will located (or no will)
- Estate value estimated
- Inheritance Tax paid by (end of month 6)
- Grant applied for
- Grant issued
- Debts notice period ends
Use the exact dates on the letters, forms and notices you receive.
How to section your binder
What this binder is for
Case Ready is a document organisation tool for executors and administrators. This edition is designed with reference to estate administration and probate in Northern Ireland, using nidirect, the Probate Office and HMRC guidance.
- Keep the estate paperwork in one place
- Track deadlines and who you have told
- Keep clear accounts for the beneficiaries
What this binder is not
Case Ready:
- Does not provide legal or tax advice
- Does not value assets or work out tax
- Does not replace the instructions of the registry or court
If you need advice, speak to a solicitor (the Law Society of Northern Ireland has a directory), the Probate Office for administrative questions, or Citizens Advice.
The first few weeks
Register the death with the district registrar. nidirect says a death should be registered within five days so funeral arrangements can be made, unless it is referred to the coroner.
- Registration is free. You can buy short or full death certificates at the time.
- The doctor or hospital sends the medical certificate electronically to the registration office.
- nidirect's checklist lists who to tell. Work through it yourself, as you can't assume Tell Us Once applies.
- Contact the Bereavement Service for Northern Ireland. It tells benefit offices and checks support for the bereaved.
- Return any Blue Badge to the Blue Badge Unit. Tell the Motability dealership within 2 weeks, if relevant.
- Tell the Child Benefit Office within eight weeks at the latest, if relevant.
- Open a separate estate account so every payment is recorded.
nidirect has a full 'what to do when someone dies' checklist you can work through.
How probate works here
With a valid will the executor applies for a grant of probate. With no valid will an administrator applies for letters of administration. The Probate Office in Belfast handles all applications.
- Value the estate and check whether Inheritance Tax applies.
- Report the value to HMRC and pay any tax due, which may be needed before the grant.
- Apply online through a probate account, or by post using form NIPF1 (will) or NIPF2 (no will).
- Collect in the money, pay the debts and taxes, then share out the estate.
- Publish a notice for creditors and wait out the notice period.
- Keep accounts showing everything that came in and went out.
- Applicants must be 18 or over and give name, address and occupation.
Legal professionals use the NIDA portal. The Probate Office gives administrative advice only.
When you may not need a grant
A grant is usually needed for larger estates. Each bank or institution sets its own rules for smaller sums, so ask each one.
- nidirect says a bank may release funds without a grant for estates of roughly £20,000 or less.
- Each institution sets its own limit and may ask you to sign an indemnity.
- Property held as beneficial joint tenants passes automatically to the surviving owner.
- Releasing funds this way can help with funeral bills, mortgage or house insurance.
There is no single official limit. Check with each institution.
Tax
Check whether Inheritance Tax applies and contact HMRC early. This organiser doesn't calculate tax.
- Deaths on or after 1 January 2022: an excepted estate sends the Estate Summary Form NIPF7 with the application.
- Where tax is due or full details are needed, send HMRC form IHT400. IHT421 is the probate summary sent with it.
- For deaths on or before 31 December 2021, excepted estates used form IHT205.
- Pay Inheritance Tax by the end of the sixth month after death to avoid interest.
- HMRC will say whether a Self Assessment return is needed for the person.
- Capital Gains Tax may apply if you sell an asset for more than its value at death.
Use GOV.UK to check the type of estate and the current thresholds.
Debts and timing
You have a legal responsibility to pay the person's debts before sharing out the estate.
- Publish a notice in the Belfast edition of The Gazette and in a local paper.
- For property, also use a local paper where the property is.
- Claimants have two months and one day from publication to come forward.
- Skipping this step could leave you personally liable if a claim appears later.
- Aim to settle the estate within a year of death. After that, interest may be due on undistributed assets.
Consider protective registration with CIFAS to guard against identity fraud.
Terms used in this organiser
- Executor: named in a valid will. Administrator: appointed when there is no valid will.
- Grant of probate: issued where there is a valid will. Letters of administration: issued where there isn't.
- Estate: everything the person owned and owed at death. Beneficiary: someone who inherits.
- Intestate: dying without a valid will, so the law decides who inherits.
- NIPF1 and NIPF2: probate application forms. NIPF7: the Estate Summary Form.
- IHT400: the full Inheritance Tax account. IHT421: the probate summary.
- GRONI: the General Register Office Northern Ireland.
Unmarried partners don't inherit automatically. A solicitor can explain the options.
Who this is for and where to get help
Anyone dealing with an estate in Northern Ireland, with or without a solicitor. It is general information, not legal or tax advice. England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland have different rules, so use their editions.
- Probate Office (Belfast): 0300 200 7812 or probate@courtsni.gov.uk.
- Londonderry accepts applications for people who lived in Fermanagh, Londonderry or Tyrone.
- HMRC Inheritance Tax helpline: 0300 123 1072.
- A solicitor is advised if the matter is complex. Use the Law Society of Northern Ireland's directory.
- GOV.UK lists bereavement support from Cruse, Marie Curie, Sue Ryder and AtaLoss.
Second or later grants need a solicitor in Northern Ireland. Phone numbers are as listed by the official sites.
Before you apply for the grant
- Original will found, or confirmed there is no will
- Death registered and certificates to hand
- Bereavement Service for Northern Ireland told
- Estate value estimated (assets and debts listed)
- Inheritance Tax checked: NIPF7, IHT400 or neither
- Tax paid or arranged, if due before the grant
- Applicants' photo ID copies certified, if applying personally
- Original will initialled by every applying executor
- Executor's Log up to date
Save time with Case Ready
Case Ready is a printable, fillable executor binder for Northern Ireland: first weeks checklist, assets, debts and estate account pages, a list of organisations to tell and an estate accounts workbook for Excel and Google Sheets, with the estate details on every page. Type into it on screen or print it at home.
This binder is a general organisational aid. The process varies by country, state and estate. You are responsible for following the rules and instructions that apply to the estate you are dealing with. Nothing in this binder is legal or tax advice.