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Bank bereavement thresholds · sourced and dated

How much can be released without probate? 59 UK banks and building societies, each checked against its own published page.

Most UK banks will release a bereaved executor's funds up to a set amount without waiting for a grant of probate — but the amount, and what they ask for, varies bank to bank.

Every row below carries the date we last checked it, and links to our own page for that bank where we have built one — otherwise to the bank's own source.

Before any of this applies, the bank has to know. Start with a bank notification letter template.

59 banks checked 24 Sept 2026 · 15 publish no figure
§1Every bank, checked
BankThresholdChecked
Barclays£50,00030 Aug 2026View →
HSBC UK£50,000With a will · £25,000 without30 Aug 2026View →
Santander UK£50,00030 Aug 2026View →
Nationwide Building Society£50,00030 Aug 2026View →
Bank of Scotland£50,0006 Sept 2026Source →
first direct£50,000With a will · £25,000 without6 Sept 2026Source →
The Co-operative Bank£50,0006 Sept 2026Source →
Virgin Money£50,0006 Sept 2026Source →
Coventry Building Society£50,0006 Sept 2026Source →
Yorkshire Building Society£50,0006 Sept 2026Source →
Skipton Building Society£50,000When a close relative is the executor; much lower for anyone else.6 Sept 2026Source →
Leeds Building Society£50,0006 Sept 2026Source →
Tesco Bank£50,0006 Sept 2026Source →
Danske Bank UK£50,0006 Sept 2026Source →
Bank of Ireland UK£50,0006 Sept 2026Source →
Coutts£50,0006 Sept 2026Source →
Nottingham Building Society£50,0006 Sept 2026Source →
Progressive Building Society£50,0006 Sept 2026Source →
Principality Building Society£39,9996 Sept 2026Source →
Aldermore Bank£35,0006 Sept 2026Source →
Monmouthshire Building Society£35,0006 Sept 2026Source →
Starling Bank£30,0006 Sept 2026Source →
Cumberland Building Society£30,0006 Sept 2026Source →
West Bromwich Building Society£30,0006 Sept 2026Source →
Newcastle Building Society£30,0006 Sept 2026Source →
Furness Building Society£30,000Spouse, civil partner, parent or child only; anyone else needs the grant.6 Sept 2026Source →
Darlington Building Society£30,0006 Sept 2026Source →
Leek Building Society£30,0006 Sept 2026Source →
Metro Bank£25,0006 Sept 2026Source →
Monzo£25,0006 Sept 2026Source →
AIB (NI) / Allied Irish Bank GB£25,0006 Sept 2026Source →
Triodos Bank UK£25,0006 Sept 2026Source →
Market Harborough Building Society£25,0006 Sept 2026Source →
Handelsbanken UK£20,0006 Sept 2026Source →
Paragon Bank£20,0006 Sept 2026Source →
The Cambridge Building Society£20,0006 Sept 2026Source →
The Melton Building Society£20,0006 Sept 2026Source →
Mansfield Building Society£20,0006 Sept 2026Source →
Saffron Building Society£15,0006 Sept 2026Source →
Hinckley & Rugby Building Society£15,0006 Sept 2026Source →
Marsden Building Society£15,0006 Sept 2026Source →
Tipton & Coseley Building Society£15,00024 Sept 2026Source →
Dudley Building Society£15,0006 Sept 2026Source →
NS&I (National Savings and Investments)£5,00030 Aug 2026View →
Al Rayan BankNot published6 Sept 2026Source →
Atom BankNot published6 Sept 2026Source →
Chase UKNot published6 Sept 2026Source →
HalifaxNot published30 Aug 2026View →
Investec Bank UK (Private Bank)Not published6 Sept 2026Source →
Lloyds BankNot published30 Aug 2026View →
M&S BankNot published6 Sept 2026Source →
NatWestNot published30 Aug 2026View →
Newbury Building SocietyNot published6 Sept 2026Source →
Revolut UKNot published6 Sept 2026Source →
Royal Bank of ScotlandNot published6 Sept 2026Source →
Shawbrook BankNot published6 Sept 2026Source →
TSB BankNot published6 Sept 2026Source →
Ulster BankNot published6 Sept 2026Source →
Zopa BankNot published6 Sept 2026Source →

Figures are informational, not advice, and can change without notice — always confirm against the bank's own linked source before relying on it. "Not published" means the bank does not state a figure publicly; its bereavement team decides case-by-case.

§2Common questions

Bank bereavement thresholds, answered.

A bereavement (or 'small estate') threshold is the amount a bank will release from a deceased person's account to their executor or next of kin without first seeing a grant of probate or letters of administration.

There is no single number that applies across the whole industry. Of the 59 banks and building societies in the table below, 44 publish their own figure and conditions, and 15 publish none and decide case by case.
Yes. A published threshold is usually a ceiling, not a guarantee. Banks generally still expect a death certificate, proof of identity, and evidence of the applicant's relationship to the deceased — and the bereavement team can still ask for a grant of probate if anything looks unclear.
Not necessarily for the bank accounts themselves — but probate can still be required for other reasons, such as selling a property held in the deceased's sole name. Check each institution the deceased held assets with individually; thresholds vary by account type as well as by bank.
Many banks will pay a funeral invoice directly to the funeral director from the deceased's account, even above their normal bereavement threshold, without waiting for probate. Exactly what else is released early — and under what conditions — varies by bank; check the individual bank's page for what it has confirmed.
§3Related next steps
CiteSourced, dated, machine-readable

Cite this, or take the data.

Every row here carries the source it was read from and the date a person read it. Quote it, link to it, or take the whole set as JSON or a spreadsheet — the file below is generated from the same records the table above renders, so it can never say something different.

Valoren, “UK bank bereavement release thresholds” (59 records, checked 24 September 2026). Available at https://valoren.uk/figures/bank-bereavement-thresholds

JSONCSV · 52KB59 records · checked 24 September 2026 · next check due 22 January 2027
ScopeWhat is in, and what is not

What this set covers.

What is in it. 59 institutions: 34 banks and savings providers (the high-street banks, app-only banks and NS&I among them) and 25 building societies.

What is not in it yet. The remaining smaller building societies, credit unions, and the share registrars and investment platforms where executors are hit hardest.

Why something is left out. An institution is added only once its own published guidance has been read; a widely-repeated third-party figure is not sufficient to open a row.

Free to quote and cite with attribution. How we check. Every dataset we publish is listed at valoren.uk/data/index.json.

From reading to ready

This guide is free, and it stays free. The Household Continuity Dossier renders your household's own version — your people, your accounts, your wishes — into a maintained record your executor or trusted person will actually reach for, kept current every year.

See The Household Continuity Dossier
Figure watch

The figures on this page change.

Court fees rise, thresholds move, deadlines shift.

Every figure on this page is dated and carries its source, and we re-check them against those sources. Leave an email and it reaches us directly.

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