You've just been made executor.
There's a right order to do this — you don't have to find it alone.
Prepared by hand within 4 hours, for your situation.
48 hours, 2 weeks, 3 months — in one pack.
£179 once, yours for the whole administration.
14-day Easy Exit Guarantee.
Every letter, drafted
Who to call, first
What to do, in what order
laid out in advance · nothing for them to work out
A 12-section first-hour brief, prepared by hand for your situation within 4 hours.
What to do, in what order
Four prepared documents. The First Hour Brief — twelve sections, your estate's own dates computed from the date of death, and every UK bank's bereavement position in a dated table — with a Funeral Director Brief, a Family Meeting Agenda and a Tell Us Once Companion alongside it. Around 50 pages in all.
Each is its own PDF, prepared from your answers, so the Funeral Director Brief can go to the funeral director and the Family Meeting Agenda to the family without handing either of them the rest.
STEP solicitor probate engagement for the full administration of an estate typically costs £3,000–£8,000. The Pack at £179 is 2–6% of that.
It is not a substitute for solicitor engagement; it makes the executor's own work efficient so that the solicitor engagement is also efficient.
Nothing you start with is wasted. The £179 counts in full toward the Household Continuity Dossier’s first year (£195, then £99/yr) for 30 days — £195 becomes £16. Use the same email at checkout and it applies automatically.
Most of an executor's burden is not the decisions. It is the hours, the cost and the wait around them.
Most of it is discovery and chasing, not paperwork — working in order keeps it nearer the low end.
An indicative planning band, not a quote — full professional administration of a straightforward estate (+VAT).
The court fee for an organised personal applicant, sealed copies extra — no professional fee at all.
The practical steps, in the order they matter.
The most urgent steps. These protect the estate and prevent complications that are genuinely difficult to undo later.
The full timeline, at a glance
All three phases in one table — the walkthrough above shows one phase at a time; this is every step of it together.
| Window | What to do |
|---|---|
| First 48 hours | Locate the Will — check the solicitor first, then the home, then any safe deposit box. |
| First 48 hours | Register the death — within 5 days (England & Wales); bring the medical certificate, order 5–10 copies. GOV.UK ↗ |
| First 48 hours | Notify the banks — accounts freeze once notified, so call each one and request final statements. |
| First 48 hours | Secure digital accounts — email first, since it's the recovery route for almost everything else. |
| First 48 hours | Register for Tell Us Once — one notification reaches HMRC, DWP, DVLA, the Passport Office and the council. GOV.UK — Tell Us Once ↗ |
| First two weeks | Identify all assets and accounts — bank accounts, pensions, insurance, ISAs, premium bonds, property, vehicles. |
| First two weeks | Contact insurers — life insurance claims have time limits, so contact each provider with the policy number. |
| First two weeks | Redirect post — Royal Mail redirection if the deceased lived alone or the property sits empty. |
| First two weeks | Cancel subscriptions and direct debits — contact each provider directly; most refund from the date of death. |
| First three months | Apply for probate — form PA1P (with a Will) or PA1A (without); £526 fee above £5,000. GOV.UK — Probate fees ↗ |
| First three months | Value the estate — property, investments, balances, possessions, less debts; IHT400 above £325,000. GOV.UK — Valuing the estate ↗ |
| First three months | Notify creditors — a Gazette notice (£115.86 inc. VAT) gives statutory protection against unknown creditors. The Gazette ↗ |
| First three months | Manage the property — secure it, keep the insurer informed; council tax may be exempt for up to six months empty. |
The Executor's Companion. A guide for the moment after.
Covers the first 72 hours, the probate process in full, IHT thresholds, what to do with digital assets. And what most executors wish they had known before they started.
The Companion, by email.
The PDF arrives in your inbox in under a minute. Print to A4, save to your reading list, forward to a sibling — yours to keep.
Questions, answered honestly.
Secure payment handled by Stripe. We never see your card details.
If the administration feels overwhelming.
A Valoren bereavement specialist can provide structured support. Document gathering, notification letters, professional referrals, and a clear picture of the estate — for situations where the paperwork has become unmanageable or where time is short.
Transparency commitments
Library
Free guides behind the Executor's First Hour
These free briefs are what this product builds on. The guides are openly available — the paid product personalises them to your specific records.
The Executor's First Hour includes the beneficiary reconciliation document — each beneficiary's entitlement and payment, ready for final sign-off.
Read the guideCompletion is not the goal. Readiness is.
Read the guideThe Executor's First Hour includes the estate asset summary drawn from your records — balances, ownership structure, and whether each asset forms part of the estate.
Read the guideThe Executor's First Hour includes instructions for opening the estate account — with the executor's authority reference and the required documentation.
Read the guideThe Executor's First Hour includes the creditor priority checklist — so the estate is distributed in the correct statutory order and the executor is protected.
Read the guideAll guides are available free from the Valoren library — no account required.
What to read next.
First 7 days — UK reference
Phased by day. Almost nothing has to happen tonight.
Lasting Power of Attorney
Plain-English guide — both LPAs, in four phases.
How IHT works (UK)
Thresholds, reliefs, the April 2027 pension change.
IHT400 — prepared draft
Answer five questions to see which sections apply.