Fidelity International is one of the UK’s largest investment platforms, managing billions of pounds in ISAs, self-invested personal pensions (SIPPs), and investment accounts for UK retail clients. When someone who held a Fidelity account dies, there is a formal bereavement process to notify Fidelity, freeze the accounts, and arrange for assets to pass to the estate or nominated beneficiaries.
The process is more complex than notifying a bank. Different account types – ISAs, SIPPs, and investment accounts – are all governed by different rules, handled by separate processes, and carry distinct tax implications. This guide explains each step clearly, so you know what to expect and what to prioritise.
Quick reference:
- Bereavement phone: 0800 41 41 16 (Monday–Friday, 8:30am–5:30pm)
- Online notification: fidelity.co.uk/what-to-do-when-someone-dies
- Postal address: Fidelity International, PO Box 391, Tadworth, KT20 9FU
- Small estate threshold: £50,000 for non-pension assets (no probate required below this)
Source: Fidelity International – bereavement process, verified May 2026.
How to notify Fidelity
There are three ways to notify Fidelity of a death. You do not need to have all documents in hand before you make contact. The initial notification can be made with basic details, and Fidelity will guide you through what is required next.
By phone
Call 0800 41 41 16 to reach Fidelity’s dedicated bereavement team. The line is open Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5:30pm. 0800 numbers are free to call from UK mobiles and landlines.
When you call, have the following to hand if possible:
- The deceased’s full name, date of birth, and last known address
- Their date of death
- Their Fidelity account number or customer reference number (CRN) – found on any annual statement or correspondence from Fidelity
- Your own full name, address, and your relationship to the deceased
If you do not have account or reference numbers, Fidelity can search their records using the deceased’s name and date of birth. If the deceased held more than one type of account – for example, both an ISA and a SIPP – tell the team at the outset so that all accounts are flagged.
Online
Fidelity provides an online bereavement notification at fidelity.co.uk/what-to-do-when-someone-dies. The online process allows you to create a bereavement portal, enter the details of the deceased, upload supporting documents such as a scan of the death certificate, and track progress without needing to call during business hours.
This option is useful if you want to begin the process outside Fidelity’s phone lines or if you find it easier to gather information at your own pace.
By post
If you prefer to correspond by letter, write to:
Fidelity International
PO Box 391
Tadworth
KT20 9FU
Include a covering letter with your full name, address, and your relationship to the deceased, and enclose an original or certified copy of the death certificate. Fidelity will return the death certificate to you.
What happens immediately after notification
Once Fidelity is notified, a hold is placed on all of the deceased’s accounts. No further dealing, withdrawals, or new instructions can take place. Any income generated by investments – dividends or interest – will continue to be applied, but adviser ongoing fees, regular savings, and withdrawal plan transactions cease.
Fidelity will send a death acknowledgement letter and an information pack setting out the next steps.
What documents you will need
The documents required depend on which products the deceased held and the total value of non-pension assets. Use this table as a starting point.
| Document | When required |
|---|---|
| Death certificate (original or certified copy) | Always – required for all accounts |
| Fidelity account number or CRN | Helpful but not essential for initial contact |
| Your name, address, and relationship to the deceased | Always |
| Grant of probate or letters of administration | For non-pension assets above £50,000 |
| Certified copy of the Will | For small estates below £50,000 in lieu of probate |
| Expression of wishes or nomination form | For SIPP death benefits – if completed by the deceased |
Death certificate copies. Each financial institution requires its own original or certified copy of the death certificate. You cannot pass a single copy between organisations. If the deceased held accounts with several banks, platforms, or pension providers, order four to six certified copies when you register the death. Certified copies cost £11 each from the register office in England and Wales. Source: gov.uk – order a death certificate.
Who can certify documents. Where Fidelity requires a certified copy rather than an original, the certification can be provided by a solicitor, bank official, notary public, or other authorised professional. The certifier must sign and date the copy and add their professional details.
Probate or letters of administration. Where the total value of non-pension assets held at Fidelity exceeds £50,000, Fidelity will require the original Grant of Probate (in England and Wales) or Confirmation (in Scotland) before releasing assets. If the deceased died intestate and no Will exists, Letters of Administration are required in place of probate.
If a coroner’s inquest is underway, an interim death certificate can be used to begin the notification process. Fidelity may need to await the final certificate before releasing funds.
Source: Fidelity International – bereavement process, verified May 2026.
What happens to the accounts
Stocks and shares ISA
A Fidelity ISA forms part of the deceased’s estate. Once Fidelity is notified, the account is frozen and no new subscriptions can be made. However, the investments themselves do not lose their tax shelter immediately: they remain protected from income tax and capital gains tax during the administration period.
HMRC rules specify that an ISA continues as a “continuing account” until whichever of these occurs first: the executor closes it, the estate administration is complete, or three years and one day pass from the date of death. At that point, the tax wrapper ends and normal tax rules apply. Source: gov.uk – ISA allowance when someone dies.
The value of ISA holdings does form part of the estate for inheritance tax purposes.
Additional Permitted Subscription (APS) for surviving spouses
A surviving spouse or civil partner who was living with the deceased at the time of death is entitled to an Additional Permitted Subscription (APS). This is an extra ISA allowance – on top of the standard annual allowance of £20,000 in 2025/26 – equal to the value of the deceased’s Fidelity ISA at the date of death.
The APS means the surviving spouse can invest the equivalent of the deceased’s ISA without it counting against their own annual allowance. Deadlines apply:
- Cash contributions: within three years of the date of death, or within 180 days of the completion of estate administration, whichever is later
- In-specie transfers (transferring investments directly rather than cash): within 180 days of beneficial ownership passing to the surviving spouse
Fidelity provides an Inherited ISA Allowance form for this purpose. Importantly, if the surviving spouse wishes to transfer investments in-specie rather than cash, both accounts must be held with Fidelity – in-specie transfers cannot be made to a different ISA provider. Source: gov.uk – manage additional permitted subscriptions into an ISA, verified May 2026.
For broader context, see our guide to what happens to an ISA when someone dies.
SIPP (self-invested personal pension)
This is the most significant area for many Fidelity clients, and the rules are fundamentally different from other account types.
The pension sits outside the estate
A Fidelity SIPP is held in a discretionary trust. It does not automatically form part of the estate when the account holder dies. Instead, Fidelity’s trustees review the deceased’s expression of wishes (nomination of beneficiaries form) and use their discretion to determine who receives the pension.
Because the pension sits outside the estate, no Grant of Probate is required for Fidelity to pay SIPP death benefits to beneficiaries. If the deceased never completed a nomination form, Fidelity’s trustees will typically look to the surviving spouse or civil partner, or dependants, but they must make their own enquiries – which takes longer.
Beneficiaries of a Fidelity SIPP have three choices:
- Lump sum – the full pension value is paid as a cash payment
- Inherited drawdown – the pension remains invested and the beneficiary draws income flexibly
- Annuity – the fund is exchanged for a guaranteed income product
Tax treatment by age at death
| Age at death | Tax treatment for beneficiary |
|---|---|
| Under 75 | Lump sum and drawdown withdrawals are normally tax-free, provided the beneficiary’s entitlement begins within two years of Fidelity being notified |
| 75 or over | All death benefit payments are taxed at the beneficiary’s marginal income tax rate (20%, 40%, or 45%) |
Source: gov.uk – tax on a private pension you inherit, verified May 2026.
The two-year window for tax-free payment runs from the date Fidelity is notified of the death, not the date of death itself. If the deceased was under 75, prompt notification protects the tax-free status of the death benefit.
Upcoming change: pensions and inheritance tax from April 2027
Under current rules (for deaths before 6 April 2027), SIPP assets are generally outside the estate for inheritance tax purposes. From 6 April 2027, the government has confirmed that most unspent pension funds will be brought within the scope of inheritance tax. Estates affected by a death on or after that date may face a higher inheritance tax liability. Source: gov.uk – inheritance tax on unused pension funds and death benefits, published 2024.
For a broader explanation of how pension death benefits work, see our guide to what happens to pensions when someone dies.
Investment accounts
A Fidelity investment account (sometimes called a fund and share account) forms part of the estate and is subject to probate and estate administration rules. Once the estate process is complete, the executor or administrator can either:
- Transfer assets in kind to an investment account in the beneficiary’s own name, or
- Liquidate the holdings and distribute the proceeds as cash
Where non-pension Fidelity assets total less than £50,000 and the estate is not applying for probate, Fidelity can release funds without a full Grant of Probate.
Probate and thresholds
Whether probate is required for Fidelity assets depends on the account type and the total value of non-pension holdings.
Non-pension assets below £50,000 – small estate route
Where the total value of non-pension assets held at Fidelity falls below £50,000 and the total estate is below the inheritance tax nil-rate band (£325,000 for 2025/26), Fidelity does not require a Grant of Probate. In these cases, a certified copy of the Will (if there is one) is typically accepted instead. Fidelity will advise on the precise documentation required when you make contact.
Non-pension assets above £50,000 – Grant of Probate required
Where Fidelity non-pension holdings exceed £50,000, Fidelity will require the original Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration before acting on instructions from the executor or administrator.
SIPP – no probate required
Fidelity does not require a Grant of Probate to distribute SIPP assets. Because the pension sits in a discretionary trust outside the estate, it bypasses the probate process entirely.
If you are applying for probate, our guides on how long probate takes and how to apply for probate cover the full process.
Source: Fidelity International – bereavement process, verified May 2026.
How long it takes
Fidelity’s bereavement process runs in three broad phases:
Phase 1 – initial notification (1–5 working days)
Fidelity logs the death, places holds on all accounts, and sends a death acknowledgement letter and estates information pack to the notifier. Any original death certificate supplied will be returned at this stage.
Phase 2 – document submission and review (2–4 weeks)
You complete and return Fidelity’s forms, along with any required legal documents. For SIPP accounts, Fidelity’s trustees review the nomination and determine how the death benefit should be distributed. Complex cases – particularly where no nomination form exists or where the beneficiary situation is disputed – can take considerably longer.
Phase 3 – asset distribution (1–4 weeks)
Once Fidelity accepts the completed paperwork, assets are transferred or cash is distributed to executors or beneficiaries.
In total, from notification to final distribution, the process typically takes four to eight weeks where documents are complete and no probate is required. Where probate is needed, the timeline depends on the Probate Registry – national waiting times have varied between four and twelve months in recent years. See our guide to how long probate takes.
Tips and things to watch out for
Notify Fidelity promptly. If the deceased was under 75 and held a SIPP, the two-year tax-free window for death benefits runs from the date Fidelity is notified – not the date of death. Every week of delay is a week less in the window. Call as soon as you are able to, even before you have all the paperwork.
Check the nomination form. The expression of wishes (nomination of beneficiaries) form is the most important document for SIPP death benefits. If the deceased completed one, it tells Fidelity’s trustees who should receive the pension. Without a valid nomination, trustees must investigate independently, which takes longer and may not reflect the deceased’s intentions. The Will does not control who receives the pension. Contact Fidelity to confirm whether a nomination is on record.
Separate processes for pensions and non-pension accounts. Fidelity handles ISAs and investment accounts through one process and SIPPs through another. If the deceased held both, expect separate correspondence and potentially different timelines for each.
APS deadline matters. A surviving spouse has three years from the date of death (or 180 days after estate administration is complete, whichever is later) to use the Additional Permitted Subscription allowance. Missing this deadline permanently removes the extra ISA allowance. The Fidelity Inherited ISA Allowance form handles this application.
The pension IHT change is coming. From 6 April 2027, unspent SIPPs will be included in the estate for inheritance tax purposes. This change does not apply retrospectively to estates of people who have already died, but it is material context for estate planning. If you are dealing with the estate of someone who died on or after that date, take independent financial or legal advice before distributing pension assets. See our inheritance tax guide for wider context.
Accounts remain frozen during the process. Existing investments continue to be subject to market movements during administration – their value can rise or fall – but no new instructions can be placed. Bear this in mind if there is a time-sensitive reason to rebalance or liquidate.
For broader guidance on what happens across all account types, see our guide to what happens to pensions when someone dies and what happens to an ISA when someone dies.
Summary
Contact Fidelity’s bereavement team on 0800 41 41 16 (Monday–Friday, 8:30am–5:30pm) or start the process online at fidelity.co.uk/what-to-do-when-someone-dies. Have the deceased’s name, date of birth, date of death, and address ready. A death certificate is required – either the original or a certified copy.
Non-pension assets (ISAs and investment accounts) below £50,000 do not require a Grant of Probate. SIPPs sit outside the estate entirely and never require probate. Total timeline from notification to distribution is typically four to eight weeks where documents are complete.
For everything else involved in settling an estate, the what to do after a death hub covers each organisation you may need to notify. If the deceased also held accounts with Interactive Investor, see our guide to notifying Interactive Investor when someone dies. If they held an AJ Bell account, see our guide to notifying AJ Bell when someone dies. If they held a Vanguard account, see our guide to notifying Vanguard when someone dies.
Sources
- Fidelity International – bereavement process – verified May 2026
- gov.uk – tax on a private pension you inherit
- gov.uk – ISA allowance when someone dies
- gov.uk – manage additional permitted subscriptions into an ISA
- gov.uk – inheritance tax on unused pension funds and death benefits
- gov.uk – order a death certificate