What happens to bank accounts and debts when someone dies?

• Sole accounts are normally frozen once the bank is told of the death. They are released to the executors, sometimes only after probate.
• Joint accounts usually pass to the surviving owner, so they can carry on using the account.
• The government’s Tell Us Once service can notify several public bodies at the same time. Banks need to be told separately.

Debts are paid from the estate before anything goes to the beneficiaries. This includes credit cards, loans, utility bills and the funeral. Beneficiaries are not normally personally responsible for the deceased’s debts, unless they were joint debts or they guaranteed them. If the estate cannot pay everything, there is a legal order of priority.

Tell the lender as soon as possible. If the mortgage was joint, the survivor usually carries on with it. If the property is to be sold or kept, the executors need to decide how the loan is dealt with.

Do not pay out gifts until you know what the debts are. Executors can place a statutory notice asking creditors to come forward, which gives them protection if a debt appears later. See our guide on what an executor does.