Executor guidance · 8 min read · 25 October 2026
Executor Duties in England and Wales: A Step-by-Step Guide
Written by Simon D Campbell, Director, Shropshire Expert Cleaners LTD · 17 years in bereavement, trauma and hospital-standard cleaning
Executor duties England and Wales can feel like an unfamiliar job arriving at the worst possible time. I’m Simon D Campbell. My team has spent more than 17 years working alongside families and executors after a death, and I wrote this guide to put the practical work in a clearer order. It covers England and Wales only; Scotland and Northern Ireland have different rules. You do not need to understand everything before making the first useful note.
In short
In England and Wales, an executor deals with the estate under the will; an administrator does so where there is no will. The work includes identifying assets and debts, checking tax, applying for probate if needed, keeping accounts and distributing what remains to the right people. Registration and immediate arrangements may be handled by another eligible person, so agree who is doing each task and do not distribute money before the estate’s obligations are resolved.
Executor or administrator?
An executor is named in a will. Where there is no will, an eligible person applies to act as administrator; being a helpful relative does not automatically give someone authority. GOV.UK explains who can apply with a will and who can apply without a will. Both jobs involve dealing with the estate, but the document granting authority and the rules about inheritance differ.
If the family is unsure who should take charge, begin by locating the will and checking the position before anyone promises belongings or payments. Our guides to letters of administration and dying without a will explain those differences without repeating the entire probate process here.
Executor duties England and Wales: the work in order
- Agree the immediate arrangements. Find out who is registering the death, arranging the funeral and notifying close family. Keep names and reference numbers together. The free family guide gives a practical sequence, including the first calls and what to ask the people involved.
- Make a record of the home and belongings. Note who holds keys, check that essential property arrangements have been made, and avoid clearing things before their ownership and any gifts in the will are understood. A dated room inventory makes later conversations easier; it is not a substitute for a proper valuation.
- Find out what was owned and owed. Contact organisations for information rather than assuming that every account or payout belongs to the estate. GOV.UK’s estate guidance explains the responsibilities around the person’s property, money and possessions. Keep replies, not just the figures copied from them.
- Value the estate and check tax. Identify assets and debts before applying for probate. GOV.UK explains reporting the estate value to HMRC; the requirements depend on the estate. Our estate valuation guide is a useful companion when gathering the documents.
- Check whether probate is needed. Ask the organisations holding the assets what they require. GOV.UK says probate is not needed in every case. Read whether you need probate before treating an application as an unavoidable first-day task.
- Collect estate money, deal with obligations and keep accounts. GOV.UK sets out the executor’s estate responsibilities, including debts and taxes. Keep a running record of receipts and payments so that a bank transfer, a bill and a reimbursement can each be traced to evidence.
- Distribute what remains to the correct people. Follow the will, or the applicable inheritance rules where there is no will. GOV.UK’s distribution guidance explains the order and records to keep. Do not decide that money is available simply because it has arrived in an account.
The first two weeks
Keep this stage manageable: confirm who is handling registration, obtain the documents organisations ask for, and start a contact log. GOV.UK’s registration guidance says to register within five days of the medical examiner’s office confirming that you can register, including weekends and bank holidays. Coroner involvement can change the process; follow the instructions given in that case rather than counting five days from the death.
Our guide to registering a death explains that stage in more detail. Ask each organisation what copies or evidence it accepts instead of buying an arbitrary number. Keep a simple list of who has been told, who is waiting for documents and what the next action is. You can add information as it becomes available.
Deadlines executors need to know
GOV.UK says Inheritance Tax is normally payable by the end of the sixth month after the month of death. That is not the same as the date probate arrives. Interest and payment arrangements can matter, so check the applicable guidance rather than assuming that waiting for the grant pauses everything.
GOV.UK’s estate-reporting guidance explains when a full Inheritance Tax account is required and the reporting deadline, normally within a year of the death where the account is required. Not every estate needs IHT400. Keep the tax-payment date and the reporting date as separate entries, and keep HMRC’s correspondence beside your notes.
GOV.UK advises placing a notice in The Gazette so creditors can come forward before distribution, and allowing at least two months. Follow the notice’s actual response deadline and obtain advice if a claim arrives. A creditor notice is not a guarantee that every possible claim has disappeared, or that the estate can safely be distributed immediately afterwards.
I designed the Executor’s Workbook timeline to keep key dates together. In free Adobe Acrobat Reader it calculates four dates from three inputs, including tax and creditor dates and six months after the grant. Treat those as organisational prompts: check official guidance, your notice and HMRC letters, and ask a solicitor about any disputed claim. The PDF cannot determine whether an estate is safe to distribute.
Keeping records that help you explain the work
Write down each call while it is fresh: the date, organisation, person, reference number, what was agreed and who will act next. Save letters and emails in a consistent order. When someone asks what happened to a payment, a ledger entry with the matching receipt is more useful than trying to reconstruct the conversation months later.
The workbook includes a call log, estate ledger, executor’s expenses page, beneficiary records and final estate account. These are places to record the work, not promises that completing a form removes liability. My practical suggestion is to make one small update each time something happens, rather than leaving a pile of documents for the end of the month.
When to get professional help
Consider asking a solicitor or suitable tax adviser before acting where the will is unclear, relatives disagree, debts may exceed available assets, there is property abroad, or ownership is difficult to establish. A missing beneficiary, a business or a trust can also make the administration harder. These are reasons to ask questions early, not reasons to feel that you have failed.
GOV.UK explains that you can seek help with probate. Ask what work a professional will undertake, what you will still need to do, how charges are calculated and how updates will be provided. Keeping your records organised is useful whether you do the administration yourself or pay for help.
Can you say no to being an executor?
GOV.UK explains the options if you do not want to apply as an executor, including reserving the right to apply later or giving up that right. Get advice before dealing with the estate if you may want to step aside: what you have already done can affect the options. Do not assume that handing the paperwork to a relative automatically ends your involvement.
Frequently asked questions
Do executors get paid?
GOV.UK explains claiming reasonable expenses from the estate. That is different from charging for your time. HMRC’s guidance says remuneration needs authority under the will; check any proposed professional charging arrangement and keep receipts for expenses.
How long does an executor have to finish?
There is no completion date that fits every estate. Valuations, tax, property sales and disputes can affect the work. Keep beneficiaries informed and read our guide to how long probate takes rather than treating a target date as permission to distribute.
Can there be more than one executor?
Yes. GOV.UK explains applying where several executors are named. Agree who handles each task and keep a current shared record; a PDF does not synchronise everyone’s changes automatically.
Can an executor be responsible for unpaid debts?
The estate’s debts must be considered before money is distributed. GOV.UK warns about claims from creditors. If debts may exceed assets, or you are unsure about a claim, seek advice before making payments or distributing anything.
Does this guide apply in Scotland?
No. It covers England and Wales only. GOV.UK notes that Scotland and Northern Ireland have different probate processes. Use the guidance for the relevant jurisdiction.
Keep the whole job in one place
The £11.99 Executor’s Workbook includes Standard and Large Print fillable PDFs and a Start here guide. It is an instant digital download, published by Circlework Ventures Ltd. Use free Adobe Acrobat Reader and check your saved copy.
Planning your own affairs too? See the End-of-Life Planner or get the planner and workbook bundle on Etsy.
Digital downloads are not normally returnable or exchangeable once downloaded. Your statutory rights are unaffected. If there is a problem with your file, message us through your Etsy order so we can fix or replace it.