UK bank probate thresholds 2026: the £50,000 limit at Barclays, Nationwide & more

Quick answer: most large UK banks and building societies will release a deceased customer’s sole-name balance without a grant of probate if it’s below £50,000 – but this isn’t a legal rule, it’s a policy each institution sets for itself, and it varies. Starling’s limit is £30,000. First direct splits the figure depending on whether there’s a will. Several major banks, including Lloyds, Halifax, NatWest, HSBC and Chase UK, don’t publish a fixed figure at all and decide case by case. The table below lists the exact position at each institution, sourced directly from that institution’s own bereavement page, with the date we last checked it.

If you’re dealing with a death and trying to work out whether you need probate at all – not just at one bank – see our companion guide, do I need probate?

What a “probate threshold” actually is

When someone dies, the bank or building society holding their money won’t simply hand it to whoever asks. They need proof that the person contacting them has the legal right to deal with the estate. For larger balances, that proof is a grant of probate (if there’s a will) or letters of administration (if there isn’t) – together known as a grant of representation. In Scotland, the equivalent document is called confirmation.

Getting a grant takes time and, in many cases, money. So banks build in an exception: below a certain balance, they’ll release the funds on a simpler basis – usually a signed indemnity form, a death certificate, and proof of your identity – without waiting for a grant. That balance is what’s meant by a “probate threshold.”

It’s worth being clear about what this figure is not. It is not a legal limit set by government, and it has nothing to do with the £325,000 inheritance tax nil-rate band. It’s an internal risk decision each bank makes about how much it’s willing to release without formal legal proof of your authority. Because it’s internal policy rather than law, a bank can change its threshold at any time, and can still ask for a grant even on a small balance if something about the case looks unusual – a dispute between family members, for example, or signs the account was opened fraudulently.

The threshold applies per institution, not per estate

This is the detail that catches people out. The threshold is assessed separately at each bank – it is not a total across everything the person owned. If someone held £40,000 at Barclays and £40,000 at Nationwide, neither balance individually exceeds either bank’s £50,000 threshold, so probate may not be needed at all, even though the combined estate is £80,000. Conversely, if someone held £60,000 in a single account at one bank with a £50,000 limit, that one account alone will need a grant – regardless of how modest the rest of the estate is.

Joint accounts are a separate matter entirely. Money in a joint account normally passes to the surviving holder automatically, under the right of survivorship, and doesn’t count towards any threshold. The threshold only applies to accounts held solely in the name of the person who died.

UK bank and building society probate thresholds

The table below shows the threshold as stated on each institution’s own bereavement or “information for lawyers” page. Where an institution has told us – in writing, on its own site – that it doesn’t publish a fixed figure and assesses each case individually, we’ve recorded that rather than repeating a number that other sites use but the bank itself doesn’t confirm. All figures were checked directly against the source URL shown; see “last verified” for the date.

Banks that don’t publish a fixed threshold

Several major banks told us, on their own bereavement pages, that they don’t work to a fixed published figure – they assess each estate on its own facts and let the executor or next of kin know what’s needed once they’ve reviewed the case. We’ve listed them separately rather than attaching a number to them, because repeating a figure that isn’t actually stated on the bank’s own page is exactly the kind of unsourced claim we won’t publish.

• Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland (all part of Lloyds Banking Group) – each brand’s own page describes a case-by-case review rather than a published limit. If you see £50,000 quoted for these brands elsewhere, treat it as an unconfirmed estimate, not a stated policy – call the bereavement team to check your specific case.
• NatWest – NatWest’s own estate administration page doesn’t state a threshold; it explains the documents needed but leaves the balance question to individual assessment.
• HSBC – HSBC’s bereavement FAQ says its Bereavement Support Team “will let you know if we also need to see” a grant, rather than naming a figure for UK-resident sole accounts. HSBC does publish fixed figures for non-UK residents (£10,000 across all UK accounts) and for Jersey-held accounts (under £30,000, subject to Jersey Probate Court rules) – but not for the mainstream UK current and savings accounts most executors are dealing with.
• Monzo – Monzo’s own help page states it will always need a signed indemnity form above £100, but does not state a separate, higher balance above which a grant of probate itself becomes mandatory rather than optional.
• Chase UK – Chase’s bereavement page explains what a grant of representation is and when it might be needed, without stating a specific balance that triggers the requirement.
• TSB – TSB’s bereavement page lists a grant of probate, confirmation, or letters of administration among documents that may be needed, without giving a threshold balance.

If you’re dealing with an account at any of these institutions, the safest approach is to call their bereavement line early – before you’ve gathered every document – and ask directly whether a grant will be required for this specific balance. Several of these banks can tell you over the phone once they know the account balance and whether there’s a will.

What if you can’t find a bank in this list?

We’ve covered the banks and building societies with the highest search volume for bereavement queries, verified directly against each one’s own published bereavement guidance. If the bank you need isn’t listed here, two things are worth knowing:

1. Every UK deposit-taking bank and building society has a dedicated bereavement team, even if it isn’t well publicised. Search “[bank name] bereavement” on the bank’s own website, or call the main customer service number and ask to be put through.
2. There is no default threshold that applies if a bank doesn’t state one. Don’t assume £50,000 applies everywhere just because it’s common – confirm with that specific institution.

Common questions

Does the £50,000 figure apply across every account someone had?

No. It applies separately at each bank. A person could hold £45,000 at Barclays and £45,000 at Nationwide – £90,000 in total – and still not need probate at either bank, because neither individual balance crosses that bank’s own £50,000 line. The overall size of the estate for inheritance tax purposes is a completely separate calculation from any single bank’s release threshold.

Does a joint account count towards the threshold?

No. Money in a joint account passes automatically to the surviving account holder by the right of survivorship and isn’t counted towards the sole-name threshold at any bank. You’ll usually still need to give the bank a death certificate to update the account into the survivor’s sole name, but a grant of probate isn’t required for the joint balance itself.

Can a bank still ask for probate even if the balance is under the threshold?

Yes. Every bank we checked reserves the right to ask for a grant of representation regardless of balance if something about the case is unusual – a dispute between potential beneficiaries, doubts about a will’s validity, or a request from another party with a competing claim on the funds. The published threshold describes the normal case, not an absolute guarantee.

Is the threshold the same as the amount a bank will release for funeral costs?

No – these are two different things, and it’s easy to conflate them. Many banks, including Nationwide, will release a limited sum specifically to pay a funeral bill before the wider bereavement process is complete, on production of the invoice – this is usually a smaller, separate figure from the general probate threshold, and is meant to stop a family being out of pocket while the rest of the estate is sorted out.

Why do these thresholds keep changing?

Banks review their bereavement processes periodically and can raise or lower the figure without public announcement – several UK banks raised their thresholds during the pandemic to reduce the burden on bereaved families waiting for court processing delays, and some of those higher figures have stayed in place since. Because there’s no requirement to publish changes in advance, always check the bank’s current page rather than relying on a figure you’ve seen quoted elsewhere, including on this page – we review ours periodically, but the date at the top of each row is the only guarantee of when it was last confirmed.

What should I do if a bank’s threshold isn’t published anywhere?

Call their bereavement line and ask directly, giving them the account balance and whether there’s a will. Several banks that don’t publish a fixed figure – including Lloyds, NatWest, HSBC and Halifax – will still tell you over the phone, once they’ve reviewed the specific account, whether a grant will be needed. Get the answer in writing or take a note of who you spoke to and when.

If probate is needed

If one or more of the deceased’s accounts sits above the relevant threshold, you’ll need to apply for a grant of probate (with a will) or letters of administration (without one) before that bank will release the funds. Our guides cover the full process:

• Do I need probate? – the wider question of when probate applies, beyond just bank accounts
• How to apply for probate – the step-by-step application process, forms, and fees
• How long does probate take? – realistic timelines from application to grant
• Grant of probate vs letters of administration – which one applies to your situation and why it matters
• Probate costs – court fees, solicitor fees, and how to reduce what you pay

If the estate owes inheritance tax and the money to pay it is sitting in one of these frozen accounts, most of the banks above participate in HMRC’s Direct Payment Scheme (form IHT423), which lets the bank pay the tax directly to HMRC before the grant is issued – our Barclays guide walks through that process in detail, and it works in broadly the same way at other participating banks.

Sources

• gov.uk – Applying for probate – the general probate process, last verified 14 July 2026
• gov.uk – Wills, probate and inheritance – grants of representation explained, last verified 14 July 2026
• Barclays, Tesco Bank, Santander, Nationwide, The Co-operative Bank, Virgin Money, Coventry Building Society, Yorkshire Building Society, Skipton Building Society, first direct and Starling Bank – each institution’s own published bereavement or “information for lawyers” page, individually fetched and checked on 14 July 2026 (see source links in the table above)
• Lloyds Bank, Halifax, Bank of Scotland, NatWest, HSBC, Monzo, Chase UK and TSB – each institution’s own bereavement page, checked on 14 July 2026, confirming no fixed threshold is published for standard UK sole accounts

This page will be reviewed periodically, as bank policies change without notice. If you notice a figure here that no longer matches what a bank tells you, we’d rather hear about it – our guides are only useful if they stay accurate.