Vanguard is one of the world’s largest investment managers, offering UK retail investors a Stocks and Shares ISA, a Personal Pension (a type of SIPP), and a General Account holding index funds and ETFs. When someone who held a Vanguard account dies, there is a formal process to notify the platform, freeze the accounts, and arrange for assets to pass to the estate or nominated beneficiaries.
Unlike notifying a bank, the process here varies by account type. A Vanguard Personal Pension sits largely outside the estate and is governed by trustee discretion. A Stocks and Shares ISA forms part of the estate but carries special rules for surviving spouses. A General Account follows the standard probate route. This guide explains what to do at each step.
Quick reference:
- Bereavement phone: 0800 587 0460 (Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm)
- Email: personalinvestors@vanguard.co.uk
- Postal address: Vanguard, PO Box 24095, 1 Tanfield, Edinburgh, EH3 1FS
- Small estate threshold: £35,000 (ISA and General Account combined); below this, no Grant of Probate is required
- Death Notification Service: Vanguard does not participate — contact them directly
How to notify Vanguard
Vanguard asks you to make the first contact before sending any documents. Once notified, a dedicated bereavement specialist is assigned and will guide you through the rest of the process. Vanguard aims to keep you with the same specialist throughout.
There are four ways to make the initial notification.
By phone
Call 0800 587 0460 to reach Vanguard’s bereavement team. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. The number is free to call from UK landlines and most mobile networks.
When you call, have the following ready:
- The deceased’s full name, date of birth, and address
- Their date of death
- Your own name, contact details, and relationship to the deceased
- Any Vanguard account or reference numbers you have, though the team can search their records without these
If the deceased held more than one Vanguard account type — for example, both a Personal Pension and a Stocks and Shares ISA — mention this at the outset. Different products follow different processes within Vanguard and may involve separate teams.
By email
You can notify Vanguard by emailing personalinvestors@vanguard.co.uk. Include the deceased’s name, date of death, and your contact details. A bereavement specialist will reply to confirm next steps.
By secure message
If you have access to the deceased’s Vanguard online account, you can send a secure message through the account portal. This is less commonly used and is not essential — the phone or email routes are more direct.
By post
Write to:
Vanguard
PO Box 24095
1 Tanfield
Edinburgh
EH3 1FS
Include a covering letter stating your name, contact details, your relationship to the deceased, and the return address where Vanguard should send the death certificate back to you.
What happens immediately after notification
Once Vanguard is notified, access to the deceased’s accounts is frozen. No withdrawals, transfers, or dealing instructions can be placed. Existing investments remain subject to market movements — their value may rise or fall during the administration period. Income (dividends, fund distributions, interest) continues to accrue within the accounts but cannot be withdrawn until the estate process is resolved.
Source: Vanguard – how do I let you know a Vanguard account holder has died?, verified May 2026.
What documents you will need
The documents required depend on which accounts the deceased held and the total value of non-pension assets. Use this table as a starting guide.
| Document | When required |
|---|---|
| Death certificate (original or certified copy) | Always — required for all accounts; interim coroner’s certificate also accepted |
| Covering letter with your name, address, and return address | Always — include with any posted documents |
| Deceased’s full name, date of birth, and address | Always |
| Grant of probate or letters of administration | For non-pension assets (ISA and General Account combined) above £35,000 |
| Small estates declaration | For non-pension assets below £35,000, in lieu of probate |
| Expression of wishes form (if one was completed) | For Personal Pension (SIPP) death benefits |
Vanguard accepts original death certificates or certified copies. A solicitor, notary, or accountant can certify a copy. If you are sending an original, Vanguard will return it to you with confirmation that the accounts have been flagged.
You do not need to wait until you have all documents before making first contact. Vanguard will notify you of exactly what they need once you have reported the death.
Sources: Vanguard – how do I let you know a Vanguard account holder has died?; Vanguard – what happens to my investments when I die?, verified May 2026.
What happens to Vanguard accounts
Stocks and Shares ISA
A Vanguard Stocks and Shares ISA forms part of the deceased’s estate. Once Vanguard is notified, the account is frozen. The value of the ISA must be included when calculating the estate for inheritance tax purposes.
The ISA does not immediately lose its tax-free status, however. Under HMRC rules, it becomes a “continuing account of a deceased investor,” which retains its income tax and capital gains tax shelter for the investments held within it. This continuing status lasts until the earliest of: the account being closed by the executor, the completion of estate administration, or three years and one day after the date of death.
Once the estate process is complete and probate is in hand (where required), the executor or administrator can instruct Vanguard to either transfer the investments in kind to a beneficiary’s own account or liquidate the holdings and distribute the cash proceeds.
Source: GOV.UK – individual savings accounts: if you die, verified May 2026.
Additional Permitted Subscription (APS) for surviving spouses and civil partners
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) — an extra ISA allowance on top of the standard annual limit (£20,000 for 2025/26). The APS equals the higher of the deceased’s ISA value at the date of death or the date the ISA is closed.
This allows the surviving spouse to invest the equivalent value into their own ISA without it counting against their annual allowance, preserving the tax-free shelter. The APS must be used within three years of the date of death, or within 180 days of the completion of estate administration, whichever is later.
The APS does not have to be placed with Vanguard — the surviving spouse can take it to any ISA provider — but if they wish to transfer investments in their current form rather than selling and reinvesting as cash, both accounts must be with the same provider.
Source: GOV.UK – manage additional permitted subscriptions into an ISA, verified May 2026.
General Account
The General Account (sometimes called a GIA or dealing account) forms part of the estate in the same way as the ISA. It is frozen on notification and must be included in the estate valuation. Once probate is obtained (for values above £35,000), the executor can instruct Vanguard to transfer or liquidate the holdings.
Unlike ISAs, there is no tax shelter for General Account holdings during the administration period. The executor should be aware that the estate may have capital gains tax obligations depending on how and when assets are sold.
Personal Pension (SIPP)
The Vanguard Personal Pension is where the bereavement process differs most significantly from the other account types. The pension sits largely outside the estate and is governed by trustee discretion — it does not automatically form part of the estate or pass under the terms of the Will.
Expression of wishes
During their lifetime, the account holder could complete an Expression of Wishes form through their Vanguard account (under ‘My profile’ > ‘Account settings’ > ‘Manage beneficiaries’) to nominate who they would like to receive the pension on their death. Vanguard’s pension trustees consider this document carefully and in practice follow it in the majority of cases — but it is not legally binding in the way a Will is.
An important limitation: Vanguard only accepts named individuals as potential beneficiaries on the expression of wishes. It is not possible to nominate a trust or charity. If no expression of wishes was completed, the trustees exercise full discretion, taking into account the Will, the deceased’s family circumstances, and any other available information. This can cause delays while Vanguard investigates the most appropriate distribution.
If the deceased had a Vanguard pension and you cannot find any evidence of a nomination, contact the bereavement team directly — they will confirm what is on record.
What beneficiaries can receive
Nominated beneficiaries can typically choose between a lump sum payment and an inherited drawdown pension, keeping the funds invested and allowing flexible withdrawals over time.
Tax treatment
The tax position depends on the account holder’s age at the date of death.
| Age at death | Tax on lump sum | Tax on inherited drawdown withdrawals |
|---|---|---|
| Under 75 | Tax-free up to the Lump Sum and Death Benefit Allowance (£1,073,100) | Tax-free |
| 75 or over | Taxed as income at the beneficiary’s marginal rate | Taxed as income at the beneficiary’s marginal rate |
Where the deceased died before age 75, the designation must be made within two years of Vanguard becoming aware of the death for the tax-free treatment to apply.
Source: GOV.UK – tax on a private pension you inherit, verified May 2026.
Inheritance tax — current rules and the April 2027 change
Under the rules applying at the time of writing, Vanguard pension assets held in trust are generally excluded from the estate for inheritance tax purposes. This is one reason pension pots have been widely used as an inheritance planning vehicle.
However, the government announced in the Autumn Budget 2024 that from 6 April 2027, most unused defined contribution pension funds — including SIPPs — will be brought within the scope of inheritance tax and added to the value of the estate. The change has not yet taken effect and will not apply retrospectively to estates of people who have already died. Vanguard has published guidance on these changes on its website.
Given this upcoming change, Vanguard customers who have not reviewed their expression of wishes recently should consider doing so. If the pension was held as a deliberate estate planning vehicle, it may be worth seeking advice from a qualified financial adviser about the implications before April 2027.
Source: Vanguard – pensions and inheritance tax: what the changes mean for you; GOV.UK – inheritance tax on pensions, verified May 2026.
See also our guide to what happens to pensions when someone dies for broader context on pension death benefit rules.
Probate and thresholds
Whether you need a Grant of Probate depends on the combined value of the deceased’s non-pension Vanguard holdings — the Stocks and Shares ISA and General Account together — not on the pension.
Non-pension assets under £35,000 — small estates declaration
If the combined value of any Vanguard ISA and General Account is below £35,000, Vanguard can close the accounts using a small estates declaration. Executors or next of kin do not need to obtain a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration for this route, provided there is no inheritance tax to pay. Your bereavement specialist will advise on what the declaration requires.
Non-pension assets over £35,000 — Grant of Probate required
Where the combined non-pension Vanguard holdings exceed £35,000, Vanguard requires either a Grant of Probate (if there is a valid Will) or Letters of Administration (if the deceased died intestate) before it will take instructions from the executor or administrator to transfer or liquidate the assets.
Pension accounts — no probate required at any value
Vanguard does not require a Grant of Probate to distribute assets held in the Personal Pension, regardless of the pension’s value. The pension trustees handle the SIPP independently of the estate administration process.
Note that Vanguard’s £35,000 small estate threshold is lower than the £50,000 threshold used by some other investment platforms such as Hargreaves Lansdown and Fidelity. This means probate may be required for Vanguard accounts at a level where it would not be needed with a different provider.
If you are starting the probate process, see our guides to how to apply for probate and how long probate takes for current Probate Registry timelines.
How long it takes
The timeline from notification to final distribution typically runs four to eight weeks once all required documents have been received — but this assumes probate is already in hand or not needed.
Phase 1 – initial notification (a few working days)
Vanguard logs the death, assigns a bereavement specialist, freezes the accounts, and confirms what documents they need. They return any original death certificate at this stage.
Phase 2 – document submission and review (2–4 weeks)
You submit the death certificate, probate documents (where required), small estate declaration (where applicable), and any other documentation the specialist requests. For pension assets, Vanguard’s trustees review the expression of wishes and determine distribution — this adds time and cannot be accelerated.
Phase 3 – asset distribution (1–4 weeks)
Once Vanguard confirms the paperwork is complete, they process any required trades and arrange the transfer of assets or cash to the executor or beneficiaries.
If probate has not yet been granted when you first contact Vanguard, the overall timeline is largely governed by how long the Probate Registry takes — which has ranged from four to twelve months in recent years depending on case complexity and Registry workload.
Tips and things to watch out for
Notify early, even without documents. Vanguard freezes accounts immediately on notification, which protects the estate from any unauthorised activity. There is no reason to wait until you have all documents — call as soon as possible.
Vanguard’s small estate threshold is lower than most. At £35,000, Vanguard’s probate threshold is meaningfully lower than the £50,000 threshold used by Hargreaves Lansdown and Fidelity. If the deceased held a modest Vanguard ISA alongside accounts at other platforms, check whether the Vanguard total alone requires probate even if individual accounts elsewhere do not.
Vanguard does not accept trust nominations on pensions. Unlike some SIPP providers, Vanguard only allows named individuals on the expression of wishes. If the deceased wanted pension assets to flow into a trust structure — for example, to protect assets for minor children — this may not have been possible through Vanguard, and the trustees will exercise their own discretion. Contact the bereavement team to understand what is on record.
The expression of wishes controls the pension, not the Will. Pension beneficiaries frequently discover that the Will says one thing and the pension goes to someone else, because the SIPP operates outside the estate and follows the expression of wishes instead. If you are administering an estate and cannot locate any nomination paperwork, ask Vanguard directly what they have on file.
ISA APS deadline is easy to miss. The Additional Permitted Subscription allowance for a surviving spouse or civil partner is a significant financial benefit, but it expires. Three years from the date of death — or 180 days after estate administration is complete, whichever is later — is not as long as it can seem when combined with the demands of settling an estate. Note the deadline early and act well before it.
Investments remain live during the freeze. Frozen accounts still hold invested funds that fluctuate with markets. Where the estate carries an inheritance tax liability that must be paid before probate is granted, seek advice on how this should be managed — Vanguard’s bereavement specialist can advise on the options available.
The April 2027 pension IHT change affects planning going forward. The change does not apply to estates of people who have already died, but beneficiaries who inherit a Vanguard pension should be aware that the tax landscape for their own pension planning is shifting. Seek independent financial advice if the inherited pension is substantial.
See our guides on what happens to pensions when someone dies and what happens to ISAs when someone dies for broader background on these account types.
Summary
To notify Vanguard of a death, call 0800 587 0460 (Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm) or email personalinvestors@vanguard.co.uk. Have the deceased’s full name, date of birth, date of death, and address ready. Post the original or certified death certificate to Vanguard, PO Box 24095, 1 Tanfield, Edinburgh, EH3 1FS, with a covering letter noting your return address.
Expect separate processes for pension and non-pension accounts. Personal Pension assets are handled by trustees and do not require probate. Stocks and Shares ISA and General Account assets require a Grant of Probate where the combined non-pension value exceeds £35,000. The total timeline is typically four to eight weeks from receipt of all documents.
For everything else involved in settling an estate, the what to do after a death hub covers each organisation and service you may need to notify.
If the deceased also held investments with Hargreaves Lansdown, see our guide to notifying Hargreaves Lansdown when someone dies. For Fidelity International clients, see notifying Fidelity International when someone dies. For AJ Bell accounts, see notifying AJ Bell when someone dies. For Interactive Investor accounts, see notifying Interactive Investor when someone dies.