Metro Bank bereavement: 0203 824 4815 and £25,000 probate limit

Dealing with a loved one’s bank accounts is one of the more pressing practicalities after a bereavement – other organisations often ask whether the bank has been notified, and the account needs to be secured promptly. Metro Bank has a specialist bereavement team reachable by phone, email, in person at one of their stores, or by post. This guide covers the process step by step: the right contact details, what documents you will need at each stage, what happens to sole and joint accounts, Metro Bank’s probate threshold, what the ISA situation means for spouses, and how the process works in Scotland.

Quick reference:

• Phone: 0203 824 4815 (Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm)
• Email: bereavement.services@metrobank.plc.uk (replies within 3 working days)
• In-store: Yes – Metro Bank has branches across England; no appointment needed
• Post: Metro Bank, One Southampton Row, London WC1B 5HA
• Probate required if: sole accounts total more than £25,000
• DEIF required for: sole accounts between £5,000.01 and £25,000
• Tell Us Once: does NOT cover Metro Bank
• Death Notification Service: Metro Bank is NOT a member (June 2026)

Source: Metro Bank bereavement services, last verified June 2026.

How to notify Metro Bank of a death

Metro Bank offers four ways to notify them of a bereavement: phone, email, in person at a store, or by post. Unlike fully digital challenger banks, Metro Bank has physical branches – which some families find reassuring at a difficult time.

You do not need all your documents before you make contact. Metro Bank will take the basic details first – the deceased’s name, date of birth, and date of death – and then guide you through what to send next. Starting early is sensible: accounts are then secured and direct debits flagged without delay.

Step-by-step process

1. Call or email to notify – provide the deceased’s name, date of birth, and date of death. Metro Bank will secure the accounts immediately.
2. Receive the Bereavement Notification Form (BNF) – Metro Bank will send or provide this; it covers all accounts held by the deceased.
3. Return the BNF with your documents – by email (scanned copies), post, or handing in at a branch.
4. Metro Bank assesses the estate tier – under £5,000, £5,000–£25,000 (DEIF required), or over £25,000 (probate required).
5. Funds released – once the relevant documentation is received and checked, Metro Bank transfers the balance to the estate or directly to beneficiaries.

Bereavement Notification Form

Metro Bank uses a Bereavement Notification Form (BNF), which provides details of the bereavement and helps their team locate all accounts held by the deceased. You can download this from the Metro Bank website, collect it from a store, or ask them to send one to you. Once completed, return it by email (as a scanned copy), by post, or by handing it in at a branch.

Tell Us Once – not applicable for Metro Bank

Tell Us Once is a government service that notifies HMRC, DWP, DVLA, and other government bodies simultaneously using a reference number from the death registration. It does not notify banks or building societies. You must contact Metro Bank separately.

Death Notification Service – Metro Bank is not a member

The Death Notification Service (DNS) is a free UK banking industry service that allows you to notify multiple financial institutions through a single online form. As of June 2026, Metro Bank is not a member of the DNS. You cannot use the DNS to notify Metro Bank. Contact Metro Bank directly on 0203 824 4815 or by email.

This is worth noting if the deceased banked with Metro Bank alongside other institutions – you can use the DNS to cover the other banks (Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, Nationwide, Santander, Halifax, NatWest, Monzo, and others are all members), but you will need to contact Metro Bank separately in parallel.

What documents you’ll need

Metro Bank requires different documents depending on the account balance. You will need to provide these in stages – not all at once.

Source: Metro Bank bereavement page, last verified June 2026.

Death certificates: Certified copies are accepted. If you are notifying several organisations at the same time, it is worth ordering several copies from the register office – each certified copy costs £11 in England and Wales (source: gov.uk). Original documents returned by post are sent by recorded delivery as standard.

If there is no Will: The process is the same – Metro Bank will ask you to obtain letters of administration rather than a grant of probate. This is the equivalent legal authority when someone dies intestate (without a Will). The application process goes through the same Probate Registry.

Safe deposit boxes: If the deceased held a safe deposit box at Metro Bank, a grant of probate is required to access it (with some exceptions for joint boxes opened before November 2014). The box must be closed in-store; identify all executors or next of kin before attending the appointment.

Probate and Metro Bank’s £25,000 threshold

Metro Bank’s probate threshold is £25,000 – lower than most of the major high-street banks, which typically use £50,000. This means the point at which a full grant of probate is required is reached more quickly.

Source: Metro Bank bereavement page, last verified June 2026.

These thresholds apply to the total balance across all sole accounts held at Metro Bank, not each account separately. If the deceased held a current account and a savings account at Metro Bank, the combined total determines which tier applies. Joint accounts are not included in this calculation.

For comparison with other banks, see our bank account probate threshold table.

Applying for probate

If the sole account balance exceeds £25,000, apply for a grant of probate through the Probate Registry at gov.uk/applying-for-probate. The fee is £300 for estates over £5,000, with additional copies at £1.50 each. You can apply yourself or use a solicitor or specialist probate service.

A straightforward probate application takes around 16 weeks in England and Wales, though complex estates can take considerably longer. For a full breakdown, see our guide to how long probate takes.

If there is no Will, you apply for letters of administration instead. The bank’s process is the same – they need the equivalent legal authority document.

What happens to the accounts

Sole accounts

When Metro Bank’s bereavement team is informed of the death, any accounts held solely in the deceased’s name will be secured:

• Direct debits and standing orders are cancelled
• Cards are cancelled
• The balance is held while the estate is administered

If direct debits were covering shared household bills – utilities, insurance, subscriptions – those payments will stop. Contact each provider separately to set up new payment arrangements. This is important to do promptly, as some services (particularly insurance) can lapse without notice.

Any funds remaining after debts and estate expenses are settled will be paid to the executor or administrator of the estate, or directly to the beneficiaries once Metro Bank is satisfied with the documentation.

Joint accounts

Joint accounts are handled differently. The surviving account holder becomes the sole owner of the account and its balance automatically – no probate is needed for this. Metro Bank will update the account to the surviving holder’s name and the account will continue operating as before.

Existing direct debits and standing orders on joint accounts are not cancelled. If any payments were set up in the deceased’s name and need to change, the surviving holder should contact each company separately.

ISA accounts

Metro Bank’s cash ISA tax benefits cease on the date of death – the account forms part of the estate and is dealt with alongside other sole accounts.

If the deceased’s spouse or civil partner held an ISA, they may be eligible for an Additional Permitted Subscription (APS) allowance – a one-off extra ISA allowance equal to the deceased’s ISA balance at the date of death. However, Metro Bank no longer accepts new APS applications. If you want to use this allowance, you will need to transfer it to another ISA provider. Metro Bank will confirm the balance of the deceased’s ISA to support your application with the new provider, in line with HMRC rules.

You have up to three years from the date of death – or 180 days after the estate administration completes, whichever is later – to claim the APS allowance with another provider. For a full guide to the ISA APS process, see our ISA Additional Permitted Subscription guide.

Paying for the funeral

Metro Bank can arrange to pay funeral costs directly to the funeral director from the deceased’s account, even before the estate is formally settled, provided you supply the funeral invoice on headed paper. Alternatively, if you have already paid the funeral director personally, Metro Bank can reimburse you from the account. Speak to the bereavement team when you first make contact.

Inheritance tax and IHT423

If the estate is subject to inheritance tax – broadly, estates above the nil-rate band of £325,000 (or £650,000 for married couples using both allowances) – there is a practical problem: HMRC will not issue an IHT clearance certificate until inheritance tax is paid, but the Probate Registry will not issue a grant of probate until IHT is settled. Without a grant, bank funds are frozen.

The IHT423 Direct Payment Scheme can break this deadlock by allowing a bank to transfer funds directly to HMRC from the deceased’s account before probate is granted. Contact Metro Bank’s bereavement team on 0203 824 4815 to confirm whether they participate in this scheme.

If Metro Bank does participate, the process involves:

1. Obtain form IHT400 from HMRC and complete the estate valuation.
2. Apply for an IHT reference number using form IHT422 – allow at least 3 weeks.
3. Complete form IHT423 and send it to Metro Bank (not to HMRC directly).
4. Metro Bank transfers the agreed amount direct to HMRC.
5. Once HMRC confirms receipt, the Probate Registry can issue the grant.

Note: you may need a separate IHT423 form for each institution holding estate assets. For more on how inheritance tax works after a death, see what HMRC needs when someone dies.

Direct debits and standing orders

When Metro Bank is notified of the death, all direct debits and standing orders from the deceased’s sole accounts are cancelled. Any payments taken after the date of death may be recallable – contact the bereavement team promptly if this applies.

This cancellation is automatic on sole accounts. For joint accounts, direct debits and standing orders continue unless you actively request changes. If any payments need updating because they were in the deceased’s name (for example, a subscription in their name), contact each company separately.

Mortgages

If the deceased had a Metro Bank mortgage, contact the bereavement team on 0203 824 4815 (Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm).

• Joint mortgage (joint tenants): Ownership of the property transfers to the surviving borrower automatically. Metro Bank will convert the mortgage to a sole mortgage in the survivor’s name.
• Joint mortgage (tenants in common): The deceased’s share forms part of the estate and does not automatically transfer to the survivor. The property and mortgage will need to be dealt with through the estate administration process.
• Sole mortgage: Contact the bereavement team as soon as possible to discuss next steps. For more on what happens to a property after a death, see our guide to what happens to a house when someone dies.

Business accounts

If the deceased was a sole trader or director of a business banking with Metro Bank, the bereavement team will need to see additional documentation – including a Companies House notification of death for limited companies, and new director mandates signed in-store. Contact the bereavement team early if this applies.

Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland

In Scotland, estates are administered through Confirmation rather than probate. The process works as follows:

• For estates over £36,000 (the small estate threshold for Scotland), an inventory (form C1) is submitted to the Sheriff Court. The court issues a certificate of Confirmation, which is the Scottish equivalent of a grant of probate.
• For estates under £36,000, a simplified small estate procedure applies (form C5). This removes the need for full Confirmation and allows a simpler claims process.
• Metro Bank will accept a certificate of Confirmation in place of a grant of probate for releasing funds.

For joint accounts in Scotland, the right of survivorship works differently from England and Wales – the surviving holder can operate the account, but legal ownership of the deceased’s share depends on who contributed the funds. If in doubt, take advice from a Scottish solicitor before assuming the joint balance passes freely.

Source: gov.uk guidance on Scottish estate administration, last verified June 2026.

Northern Ireland

The process in Northern Ireland follows similar principles to England and Wales, but administered through the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service (NICTS) rather than the Probate Registry in England. The grant of probate (or letters of administration) issued by NICTS is accepted by Metro Bank in the same way as a grant from England and Wales.

How long does it take?

Without probate (sole accounts under £25,000, or joint accounts): straightforward cases are typically resolved within 2–6 weeks from the point all documents have been received. Metro Bank replies to emails within 3 working days, so email is a reasonable way to track progress.

With probate: the main delay is the probate process itself, which runs independently of Metro Bank. Once Metro Bank receives the grant, they can release the funds – typically within a few weeks of receiving the completed documentation.

The most common cause of delay is incomplete documents. Having everything on the documents list ready before you make first contact speeds things up. If you contact Metro Bank by email and have not heard back within 3 working days, follow up by phone on 0203 824 4815.

Tips and things to watch out for

Metro Bank has physical stores – use them if it helps. Unlike fully digital banks, Metro Bank operates branches across England (primarily in London, the South East, and selected other cities). Visiting a branch in person is a practical option for those who find paperwork and phone calls difficult during bereavement. Staff can accept the Bereavement Notification Form and submit documents on your behalf.

The probate threshold is lower than most high-street banks. At £25,000, Metro Bank’s threshold sits well below the £50,000 level offered by Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, and Nationwide. If the deceased held significant savings at Metro Bank, start the probate process early – it runs in parallel with the bereavement notification, and there is nothing to gain from waiting.

Documents can be submitted three ways. Email (as scanned copies), post to One Southampton Row, or handed in at a branch. If posting originals, use recorded delivery and keep the tracking number.

Metro Bank no longer accepts APS for ISAs. If the deceased’s spouse or civil partner wants to use the inherited ISA allowance, they must apply with a different provider. Metro Bank will still supply the balance confirmation needed to make the APS application elsewhere.

Metro Bank is not a DNS member. You cannot use the Death Notification Service to notify Metro Bank. Contact them directly while using the DNS for other banks simultaneously.

Summary

To notify Metro Bank after a bereavement, call 0203 824 4815 (Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm) or email bereavement.services@metrobank.plc.uk. You can also visit a Metro Bank store in person or write to Metro Bank, One Southampton Row, London WC1B 5HA.

Have the death certificate and your own photo ID ready. Metro Bank will send you the Bereavement Notification Form to complete. If sole accounts hold more than £25,000, a grant of probate will be required before funds can be released. For balances between £5,000 and £25,000, a DEIF is needed instead.

Metro Bank is not a member of the Death Notification Service and Tell Us Once does not cover banks – you must contact them directly. For ISA inheritances, Metro Bank no longer accepts APS applications; the allowance must be claimed with another ISA provider instead.

For a broader guide to how bank accounts are treated after a death in the UK – including joint accounts, the Death Notification Service, and what happens to direct debits – see what happens to a bank account when someone dies. For the full checklist of organisations to notify, see what to do when someone dies.