Barclays bereavement: 0800 068 2238 – no probate under £50,000

Dealing with a loved one’s bank accounts is one of the more pressing practical tasks after a death – bills still need paying, and other organisations often ask for proof that the bank has been notified. This guide walks you through notifying Barclays step by step: the right phone number, what documents to have ready, what happens to sole and joint accounts, when you’ll need probate, and two things many executors miss – paying inheritance tax straight from the deceased’s account before probate (the IHT423 scheme), and the extra ISA allowance a surviving spouse can claim.

Quick reference:

• Phone: 0800 068 2238 (see menu options below)
• Hours: Monday–Friday 8am–5pm, Saturday 9am–2pm
• Probate required if: sole accounts total more than £50,000
• Pay IHT before probate: Barclays supports the IHT423 direct payment scheme (see below)
• Online: barclays.co.uk/what-to-do-when-someone-dies

How to notify Barclays of a death

Call 0800 068 2238 – this is Barclays’ central bereavement line, covering all products across the Barclays Group. Lines are open Monday to Friday 8am–5pm and Saturday 9am–2pm.

The phone menu routes you to the right team based on your situation:

Source: Barclays bereavement service, verified June 2026.

You don’t need all your documents to hand before you call. Barclays will take the basic details – the deceased’s name, address, and date of birth – and give you a reference number beginning with BRV. Use this number in every subsequent contact to avoid repeating the same information.

There are three other ways to notify Barclays if calling isn’t convenient:

Barclays also accepts notifications through the Death Notification Service – see the dedicated section below on how that differs from Tell Us Once.

What documents you’ll need

Barclays requires documents in two categories: proof of the death, and proof of your identity. A settlement details form follows at a later stage.

Proof of death – one of the following:

• Certified copy of the death certificate from the register office
• Interim death certificate issued by a coroner
• Coroner’s certificate (where the full certificate is delayed)
• Non-UK death certificate translated into English

Proof of your identity – one of the following:

• Valid driving licence
• Valid passport
• Blue disabled driver pass
• Benefits entitlement letter or book
• Tax credit letter
• Immigration status documents
• UK armed forces card

You don’t need originals for everything – Barclays accepts certified copies of the death certificate. If you’re dealing with multiple organisations at the same time, order several certified copies from the register office (each costs £11 in England and Wales; source: gov.uk/order-copy-birth-death-marriage-certificate, verified June 2026).

Once Barclays has reviewed your notification, they’ll send you a settlement details form (previously called the closure form). This is where you confirm what should happen to each account – whether to close it, transfer funds, or in the case of ISAs, keep them open during administration. You can complete this online, post it back, or do it at a branch.

Documents at a glance

Different situations need different paperwork. This table summarises what Barclays will typically ask for.

What happens to the accounts

What happens next depends on whether the accounts were held solely in the deceased’s name or jointly with someone else.

Sole accounts

Barclays will freeze any accounts held solely in the deceased’s name within 24 hours of notification. This means:

• All direct debits and standing orders are cancelled (though any payments already processing on the day of notification may still clear)
• All cards are cancelled
• Interest charges and fees are stopped
• The balance is held until the estate is settled

This matters practically. If direct debits were paying shared bills – utilities, council tax, insurance – you’ll need to contact those providers separately and set up new payment arrangements. Barclays’ freezing of the account is a legal obligation, not a discretionary step, and it happens quickly.

Any outstanding loans or overdrafts on the deceased’s accounts are recovered from the account balance before the remainder is released to the executor or administrator of the estate.

Joint accounts

If the deceased held a joint current account or savings account with someone else, the surviving account holder becomes the sole owner of the account and the money in it automatically, under the right of survivorship – no probate is required for the account to pass. Barclays will update the account to the surviving holder’s name only and issue new stationery.

Regular payments on joint accounts are not cancelled. Direct debits and standing orders continue as before. If any of those payments were set up in the deceased’s name and need to change, the surviving account holder will need to contact each company separately.

A joint account is not frozen on the death of one holder. The surviving holder keeps full access throughout. The balance still counts towards the deceased’s estate for inheritance tax purposes in proportion to their contribution, even though the account itself passes outside probate – so keep a record of the balance on the date of death.

For a full explanation of how joint accounts work after a death – including the right of survivorship, overdraft liability, inheritance tax, and Scotland’s different rules – see what happens to a joint bank account when someone dies.

Probate and the £50,000 threshold

Probate (or, in Scotland, confirmation) is the legal process that gives an executor authority to deal with an estate. Barclays requires it in certain circumstances.

If the sole accounts total more than £50,000, Barclays will ask for either:

• A grant of probate (if there is a will), or
• Letters of administration (if there is no will), or
• In Scotland, a certificate of confirmation

Source: Barclays – What’s a grant of probate?, last verified June 2026.

If the sole accounts total £50,000 or less, Barclays may release funds without probate – typically using a small estate indemnity process. The BRV reference holder will be guided through this when they call.

The £50,000 figure matches several other major UK banks and building societies, but not all of them use the same limit, and some don’t publish a fixed figure at all – see our full comparison of UK bank probate thresholds for the exact position at each one. Each bank assesses only its own accounts, though, so an estate can sit under £50,000 at Barclays but still need probate elsewhere if another bank holds more.

Joint accounts pass to the surviving holder automatically and are not counted in this threshold.

If you do need probate, Barclays has a partnership with Co-op Legal Services, which offers free probate resources and tools as well as fixed-fee probate services. Call them on 0330 041 7819 (option 4 on the Barclays bereavement number also connects you). Using them is entirely optional – you can apply for probate yourself at gov.uk/applying-for-probate, or use any solicitor.

Paying inheritance tax before probate: the IHT423 scheme

This is one of the most useful things to know if the estate owes inheritance tax (IHT), and many executors don’t realise it’s possible.

Inheritance tax usually has to be paid before HMRC will issue the documents needed to obtain probate. That creates a problem: the money to pay the tax is often sitting in the deceased’s bank account, which you can’t access until you have probate. The Direct Payment Scheme, using form IHT423, breaks that deadlock. It lets a bank, building society, or NS&I pay inheritance tax straight to HMRC from the deceased’s account before probate is granted.

Barclays participates in the Direct Payment Scheme. Here’s how the process works.

Step by step

1. Work out the IHT due. You’ll establish this when completing the full inheritance tax return, form IHT400. Source: gov.uk – Inheritance Tax forms, verified June 2026.
2. Get an inheritance tax reference number from HMRC. Apply at least three weeks before you intend to pay, online or by post using form IHT422. HMRC uses this reference to match the payment to the estate. Source: gov.uk – Pay your Inheritance Tax bill, verified June 2026.
3. Complete form IHT423 for Barclays. Fill in one IHT423 per institution holding the deceased’s money – so if there are accounts at more than one bank, each gets its own form. Enter the amount you want Barclays to pay to HMRC.
4. Send the IHT423 to Barclays, not to HMRC. Include a certified copy of the death certificate and the IHT reference number. Barclays then transfers the requested amount directly to HMRC.
5. HMRC processes the payment and the rest of your application. Once the tax is paid, HMRC issues the receipt you need to apply for the grant.

A few points worth knowing:

• The amount Barclays can pay is limited to the funds available in the deceased’s accounts. If there isn’t enough, you may need to combine the IHT423 route with payments from other institutions or other arrangements with HMRC.
• The scheme covers the inheritance tax itself. Always check the current IHT423 form for what it does and doesn’t include.
• Form IHT423 was updated by HMRC in 2025 to cover transfers from investment accounts as well as bank and building society accounts.

Source: gov.uk – Direct Payment Schemes for Inheritance Tax (IHT423), verified June 2026. This is a general process; for a complex or high-value estate, take advice from a probate solicitor before submitting forms.

ISAs: what happens on death

ISA rules at death are more complex than for ordinary savings accounts, and there are two distinct aspects to understand: what happens to the ISA itself, and whether a surviving spouse or civil partner can claim an additional allowance.

The continuing account rule

When you complete the settlement details form, Barclays will ask whether you want to close the ISA immediately or keep it open as a continuing account. You can keep a Barclays ISA open for up to three years from the date of death, or until the administration of the estate is completed if that happens sooner.

During this period:

• No new money can be paid in
• The account continues to earn interest or investment returns
• The ISA wrapper and its tax benefits remain intact for that period

This is worth doing if the estate is complex or probate is taking time, as it preserves the tax-free status of the funds throughout. Source: gov.uk – Individual Savings Accounts: death of an investor, verified June 2026.

Additional Permitted Subscription (APS) for surviving spouses and civil partners

If you were married to or in a civil partnership with the person who died, you may be entitled to an Additional Permitted Subscription (APS) – an extra one-off ISA allowance equal to the value of your spouse or civil partner’s ISA at the time of their death.

Key points:

• Who qualifies: Surviving spouses and civil partners who were living together (not separated under a court order or in circumstances likely to become permanent) at the time of death. Available for deaths since 3 December 2014.
• How much: Equal to the value of the deceased’s ISA at the date of death – separate from your own annual £20,000 ISA allowance.
• Time limit: Three years from the date of death, or 180 days after the completion of administration of the estate, whichever is later.
• Multiple ISAs: If the deceased held ISAs with several providers, you get a separate APS allowance with each provider. You can use your APS at a different ISA provider from where the original ISA was held.
• The assets don’t have to transfer: You can fund the APS with your own cash even if the ISA assets pass to other beneficiaries. The allowance is independent of where the money itself ends up.

For Barclays Cash ISA APS: Call 0800 279 3667 and ask for the APS application forms, or download them from barclays.co.uk.

For Barclays Smart Investor ISA APS: Call 0800 068 2238 and select option 5, or see the Smart Investor APS page.

You can use the APS in a cash ISA, a stocks and shares ISA, an innovative finance ISA, a lifetime ISA, or a combination – it doesn’t have to match the type of ISA the deceased held.

Source: Barclays – Additional ISA allowance for the spouse or civil partner of someone who has passed away, verified June 2026.

Savings accounts and fixed-rate products

Barclays offers several savings products, and each is handled via the same bereavement notification process.

Cash savings accounts (Everyday Saver, Rainy Day Saver, Instant Cash ISA, and similar variable-rate accounts) are frozen along with current accounts on notification. The balance is held as part of the estate.

Fixed Rate Bonds that have not yet matured are held open until the administration of the estate is complete. Barclays will not impose early closure penalties because of a death. The accrued interest to the date of death forms part of the estate; interest earned afterward during the administration period may also accrue in the usual way for an estate.

Cash ISAs are covered in the ISA section above, which sets out both the three-year continuing account rule and the Additional Permitted Subscription allowance for surviving spouses.

For any savings product query, call the main bereavement line on 0800 068 2238 and select option 2 (if you’ve already notified Barclays).

Barclays Smart Investor (investment accounts)

If the deceased held a Barclays Smart Investor account – which may contain stocks and shares ISAs, investment accounts, or Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs) – this is handled separately from the main bank accounts.

Call 0800 068 2238 and select option 5 to reach the Smart Investor bereavement team.

What to expect:

• Barclays will freeze the Smart Investor account and stop any automated activity once notified
• You’ll need to provide a death certificate and, for accounts over the probate threshold, a grant of probate or letters of administration
• If investments were held in a stocks and shares ISA, a probate valuation of the portfolio will be needed – this can take a couple of weeks to produce
• On the settlement details form, you can choose to close the investment ISA or keep it open as a continuing account (same three-year rule as cash ISAs)
• As the surviving spouse or civil partner, you may be eligible for the Smart Investor ISA APS allowance (see the ISA section above)

Source: Barclays – What happens to my account when I pass away (Smart Investor), verified June 2026.

Barclays mortgages

If the deceased had a Barclays mortgage, what happens depends on how the property was owned and whether the mortgage was in one name or two.

You can raise a mortgage bereavement through the main bereavement line on 0800 068 2238 (option 2), or use the dedicated Barclays mortgage line on 0800 022 4022. Documents may need to be certified in branch, after which Barclays can confirm the balance at the date of death and switch a joint mortgage to a sole account.

Joint mortgages

• Joint tenants: The property passes automatically to the surviving owner under the right of survivorship, and Barclays changes the mortgage into the surviving borrower’s sole name. The mortgage is not cleared by this – the surviving borrower remains responsible for the payments.
• Tenants in common: The deceased’s share passes under their will or the rules of intestacy rather than automatically to the co-owner. Barclays will contact you to explain the options for the account.

There is no automatic “freeze” or payment holiday on a mortgage after a death. Interest continues to be charged on the outstanding balance for as long as the account is open, so it’s important to keep payments going where possible while the estate is sorted out.

Worried about the payments?

If a mortgage is now in your sole name and you’re concerned about meeting the payments, call Barclays on 0333 202 7407. They can talk you through the ways they can support you – this is a separate conversation from notifying them of the death. Source: Barclays – What to do when someone dies, verified June 2026.

Mortgage life insurance

Many borrowers take out a separate mortgage protection or life insurance policy that pays off some or all of the mortgage on death. This is not a Barclays banking product and Barclays won’t trigger it for you – it’s a claim you make to the insurer named on the policy. Check the deceased’s paperwork for any life cover, decreasing term assurance, or mortgage protection policy, and contact that insurer directly. If a policy pays out, the proceeds can be used to reduce or clear the Barclays mortgage.

Barclays Premier and Private Banking

If the deceased was a Barclays Premier customer (typically a higher-income personal banking customer), the same bereavement line handles notification – call 0800 068 2238. Premier customers are usually assigned a relationship manager, and the bereavement team will coordinate with them on your behalf.

For Barclays Private Bank customers (typically those with £500,000 or more in assets), the bereavement process is handled through the Private Bank’s dedicated client service team. If you have a contact number from the Private Bank, use that in the first instance. If not, the main bereavement line (0800 068 2238) will route you correctly. Private Bank estates are often more complex, involving investment portfolios, trusts, or international holdings, so expect the relationship team to coordinate the various elements rather than handling everything down a single phone line.

Business accounts

If the deceased ran a business and held a Barclays Business account, the process depends on the business structure. Call 0800 068 2238 and select option 3 for all business account bereavements.

Sole trader accounts

A sole trader’s business account is legally the same as the individual’s personal account – there is no separate legal entity. Barclays will:

• Freeze the sole trader account on notification
• Guide you through what documentation is needed to settle the account
• Recover any outstanding business overdraft or loan from the account balance before releasing funds to the estate

Outstanding invoices owed to the sole trader become assets of the estate. Outstanding invoices the business owed to suppliers become liabilities. Both pass to the executor to resolve.

Partnership accounts

If the business was a partnership, the death of a partner does not automatically close the business account, but it can have significant consequences depending on the partnership agreement. The surviving partners should contact Barclays Business banking to update the mandate and remove the deceased’s authority. If there’s no partnership agreement, the default position under the Partnership Act 1890 is that the partnership is dissolved on a partner’s death, so take legal advice on where you stand. Source: Partnership Act 1890, verified June 2026.

Limited company accounts

If the business was a limited company, the death of a director or shareholder does not close or freeze the company account – the company is a separate legal entity that continues to exist. The surviving directors should contact Barclays Business banking to update the account mandate and remove the deceased’s signatory authority. The deceased’s shares pass through their estate under their will or intestacy.

For Barclays Business banking: call 0800 068 2238 (option 3), or visit barclays.co.uk/business-banking.

Tell Us Once and the Death Notification Service: what’s the difference?

These are two separate services that are easy to confuse, and getting them straight saves a lot of duplicated effort.

Tell Us Once does not cover banks

Tell Us Once is a free government service (available at gov.uk/after-a-death) that notifies public-sector organisations in one go: HMRC, DWP, DVLA, the Passport Office, your local council, and some public sector pension schemes.

Tell Us Once does not notify Barclays or any other bank, and never has. It only ever covered government departments. Every bank, building society, and card provider has to be told separately. So even after you’ve used Tell Us Once, you still need to contact Barclays directly – and any other bank the deceased held an account with, one at a time. Source: GOV.UK – Tell Us Once, verified June 2026.

The Death Notification Service does cover Barclays

The Death Notification Service (deathnotificationservice.co.uk) is a separate, free service specifically for financial institutions, run with support from UK Finance. It lets you notify multiple banks and building societies in a single submission, and Barclays is a member – along with other major institutions such as HSBC, Lloyds, Santander, and Nationwide.

The Death Notification Service handles the initial notification only. It tells Barclays that the person has died and starts the process, but it doesn’t complete the account closure or release any funds – you’ll still deal with Barclays directly to provide documents, complete the settlement form, and settle the accounts. It’s a useful first step if the deceased banked with several institutions, because it saves making the same first call several times over.

Source: UK Finance – the financial services Death Notification Service, verified June 2026.

Scotland

If the deceased lived in Scotland, the legal process differs from England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Instead of probate, Scotland uses confirmation – a court process that gives the executor authority to deal with the estate. You apply to the local sheriff court, and the document Barclays will ask for is a certificate of confirmation rather than a grant of probate.

For small estates, Scotland has a simpler route. An estate valued at £36,000 or less is treated as a “small estate”, and the sheriff clerk’s office can help the executor prepare the application without a solicitor. Above £36,000, it’s a “large estate” and the process is more involved. Source: mygov.scot – Dealing with a deceased’s estate in Scotland, verified June 2026.

Barclays’ £50,000 threshold for requiring confirmation works the same way as elsewhere – it’s about the value held with Barclays, separate from the Scottish small-estate court threshold. For sole accounts above £50,000, Barclays will ask for a certificate of confirmation before releasing funds.

Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland the process is close to England and Wales but handled through a different court. Probate is granted by the Probate Office of the High Court in Belfast (or the district probate registry), and the documents are a grant of probate (with a will) or letters of administration (without one). Barclays accepts these in the same way as it accepts the England and Wales equivalents.

The £50,000 threshold applies the same way. You can apply for a grant of probate in Northern Ireland through nidirect.gov.uk – Applying for probate, verified June 2026.

How long does it take?

The timeline depends on whether probate is needed.

Without probate (sole accounts under £50,000, or joint accounts only): Straightforward cases are typically resolved in 2–4 weeks from the point where all documents have been received. Joint accounts are often updated within a few days of notification.

With probate: The probate process itself takes an average of around 16 weeks in England and Wales once the application is submitted (source: gov.uk/applying-for-probate, verified June 2026). For a full breakdown of timelines, see our guide to how long probate takes. Once Barclays receives the grant of probate, account closure and fund release typically follows within 2–4 weeks.

For Smart Investor accounts with investments: Allow additional time for a probate valuation of the portfolio before the estate can be settled – typically a couple of weeks once notified.

There is no way to speed up Barclays’ internal processing, but providing complete documents from the start avoids the back-and-forth that most delays come from. Always call with your BRV reference number rather than starting from scratch.

Barclays loans, credit cards, and other products

For personal loans and overdrafts, outstanding balances are recovered from the estate. Raise these through the bereavement line on 0800 068 2238 (option 2 if you’ve already notified).

For foreign currency accounts, call 03459 757 575.

If the deceased had a Barclaycard credit card, this is handled separately from the bank. See our full guide to notifying Barclaycard when someone dies for the phone number, documents, and what happens to any credit card debt. Barclaycard is also a member of the Death Notification Service in its own right.

Things to watch out for

Sole account direct debits stop immediately. If a direct debit was covering a shared household bill, that bill will go unpaid once Barclays freezes the account. Check which bills were being paid from which accounts before you call, and have a plan for keeping essential services running.

The BRV reference number is essential. Write it down on the first call. Every subsequent contact is faster and less distressing if you lead with this reference rather than explaining the situation from scratch.

You don’t need everything to start. Barclays lets you notify them before you have all the documents. You can call with just the basic details and add documents later online or by post.

Debt doesn’t disappear. Loans and overdrafts in the deceased’s name are settled from the estate before any money is distributed to beneficiaries. If the estate has more debts than assets, the estate is insolvent – beneficiaries do not personally inherit the debt, but they also receive nothing.

The IHT423 route can unlock the tax payment. If the estate owes inheritance tax and the cash is sitting in a Barclays account you can’t yet reach, ask about the Direct Payment Scheme rather than borrowing to pay the bill.

ISA APS has a time limit. If you were married to or in a civil partnership with the person who died and they held ISAs, don’t overlook the APS allowance. You have three years from the date of death (or 180 days after estate administration completes, if later) to use it. Missing this window means losing the allowance permanently.

Safe custody items. If Barclays was holding any documents, valuables, or items in safe custody for the deceased, you can arrange an inspection. Raise this when you call.

Step-by-step summary

1. Gather the basics. You need the deceased’s full name, address, and date of birth to make the first call. You don’t need every document yet.
2. Notify Barclays. Call 0800 068 2238 (option 1), use the online form, or notify through the Death Notification Service. Note your BRV reference number.
3. Send the documents. Provide a certified copy of the death certificate and your own ID. For sole accounts over £50,000, you’ll also need a grant of probate (or certificate of confirmation in Scotland).
4. Complete the settlement details form. Barclays sends this after notification. Decide what happens to each account – close, transfer, or keep an ISA open as a continuing account.
5. Handle inheritance tax if due. If the estate owes IHT, get an HMRC reference number, complete form IHT423, and send it to Barclays to pay the tax directly before probate.
6. Claim the ISA APS if you’re the spouse or civil partner. Call 0800 279 3667 for cash ISAs (or 0800 068 2238 option 5 for Smart Investor) within the three-year / 180-day window.
7. Deal with mortgages, business accounts, and Barclaycard separately using the relevant numbers above.
8. Wait for settlement. Without probate, typically 2–4 weeks once documents are in; with probate, allow for the grant first.

If you were married to or in a civil partnership with the person who died, you may also be entitled to Bereavement Support Payment – a tax-free government benefit worth up to £9,800. Claim within three months to receive the full amount.

Tesco Bank and Barclays. Since November 2024, Tesco Bank’s retail banking operations (credit cards, savings, personal loans, Clubcard Pay+) have been owned by Barclays. If you are also dealing with a Tesco Bank account, you must notify the two bereavement teams separately – they do not communicate automatically. See our Tesco Bank bereavement guide for the full process, phone number, and documents.

For guides to other UK banks, see our pages on notifying Santander, notifying Lloyds, notifying NatWest, and notifying HSBC. If the deceased held an MBNA credit card, see our MBNA bereavement guide – MBNA is part of Lloyds Banking Group and operates its own separate bereavement process.