Deceased Estates FAQs

You can call 13 19 87, visit your nearest Newcastle Permanent Branch or visit our Deceased Estates page.

A Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration will need to be obtained when the total value of the Estate equates to $15,000 and over as of date of death.

If the Deceased did not leave a Will, the Estate becomes Intestate. It is usually the responsibility of the Next of Kin, or closest living relative, to complete all relevant documentation to finalise the accounts.

A Death Certificate is the official document issued by the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages containing the information registered when someone passes away, including the date, place and cause of death. Contact the Registry in your relevant State/Territory to obtain a copy of the certificate.

The only expenses that can be paid from a Deceased person’s account prior to it being finalised, are funds to pay for funeral expenses or costs to obtain Probate/Letters of Administration in order to settle the Estate.

You can apply to pay for funeral expenses by completing an Authority to Release Funds from a Deceased Estate form (pdf), and provide a copy of the invoice from the Funeral Director.

Newcastle Permanent will not be able to reimburse you directly if you have paid for the funeral upfront, however once the Estate has been finalised you can liaise with the Executor/Next of Kin regarding reimbursement.

Any account held by the Deceased will be stopped immediately upon notification. Access to these funds will not be allowed unless it is to pay for funeral expenses. The account/s can be closed by completing a Deceased Estate Statutory Declaration (pdf) and providing a certified copy of the Death Certificate, along with either a certified copy of the relevant documentation (i.e. Will, Letters of Administration, or Grant of Probate) and the certified identification of all relevant Executors.

Accounts held jointly with the Deceased can continue to operate as normal. The account title can be amended to the single name of the surviving account holder by completing the Deceased Estate Statutory Declaration (pdf) and by providing a certified copy of the Death Certificate and your certified identification.

Any credit card/s accounts held by the Deceased will be stopped when we are notified they have passed away. If you are an additional card holder, you will no longer have access to the Credit Card account and will be required to apply for a new credit card account in your own name.

An ‘Estate of the Late’ account is an account opened for the purpose of depositing funds from a deceased person’s Estate after the date of death. For requirements of opening an ‘Estate of the Late’ account, please visit your local Branch or call 13 19 87.

Cheques made payable to the Deceased can be deposited to their account after the date of death as normal. However, if the cheque is made payable to the ‘Estate of the Late’, these will be required to be deposited to an ‘Estate of the Late’ account.

Once the Estate has been finalised all funds must be made payable in a cheque to the Estate and sent to the Executor/Next of Kin. Alternatively they can be transferred to a Newcastle Permanent account opened as an ‘Estate of the Late’ with the Executor/Next of Kin able to operate the account. The Executor will also distribute assets to any beneficiaries in accordance with the Will.