trying to make a guide for whoever has to deal with my estate after i die

[bluetoothbrush]

hi.

i'm trying to make a guide for whoever has to deal with my estate after i die. i've just got my will already written. i just wanted to leave a little guide to go with that. i've never had anybody die on me, so just wondered have i missed out on any steps and/or are any of these bits wrong:

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Relatives must register death with nearest registry (the hospital direct you where to go after the person has been pronounced dead).

After the person is pronounced dead, the hospital or medical body give you a medical certificate to take to the registry.

Hospital or medical body with both need ID.

Registry will need ID.

Relatives to contact solicitor.

Relatives bring in bank statements and bills to the solicitor.

Solicitor has to write to banks and building societies etcetera with death certificate to get figures to work out how much estate is worth.

When they have all this information, the solicitor sends it to the probate registry.

The solicitor gets grant of probate and send it to the banks, building societies etcetera to get the money in.

Whether or not a person is self-employed, solicitor instructs a legal ad company to put a death notice in the London Gazette and a local newspaper.

Creditors are given eight weeks to come forward.

With the values of the estate back, solicitor can see if the estate is taxable at the date of death. If it is under £325k, inheritance tax return doesn?t go in.

A regular tax return would still need to go in (solicitors often help with this anyway).

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After death, relatives don?t have to deal with solicitor I've had the will drawn up with. They can do with it their own solicitor. My solicitor would just need the death certificate from the other solicitor, if needs be.

[bluetoothbrush]

thankyou

[Crikeyblimey]

An idea of which funeral director you prefer (if you have a preference) is helpful.

Also details like burial or cremation are important.

I might have got the wrong end if the stick here and you are only talking about dealing with your estate rather than dealing with "you" but when mum died last year, I was quite surprised by how quickly these things needed deciding on.

It was a great comfort to my siblings and I that mum had discussed all this with us for years and we knew the answers to all these questions without having to think.

[RambleOn]

From bitter experience: if you have any valuables in a safe/safety deposit box, record the details of the codes/PIN/location of the keys.

[bluetoothbrush]

i've just found this on age uk:

www.ageuk.org.uk/Global/Age-Cymru/Factsheets%20and%20information%20guides/AgeUKIG03_When_someone_dies.inf%20March%202013.pdf?dtrk=true

...and it mentions things like having to send your passport back and contacting the dvla. i guess i'd like to make a pretty comprehensive guide and i've not had to deal with anybody else's estate before. i just wondered where i'm going right and wrong. a few things people have mentioned here thus far are good.

[bluetoothbrush]

i've got a funeral wishes letter together and i'm putting together another letter with financial and computer passwords and things in it.

[bluetoothbrush]

thanks fw. will probably deal with the sentimental stuff with separate document.

i found this one on age uk too:

www.ageuk.org.uk/Documents/EN-GB/Factsheets/FS14_Dealing_with_an_estate_fsc.pdf?dtrk=true

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i guess it would be useful if somebody wanted to redraft my original post. i hadn't thought about the dvla and passports though. it's difficult understanding all this, particularly as i've never had to deal with this myself yet.

[bluetoothbrush]

cheers fw. would be nice to get this all typed in the next few days. some times you get lawyers and will writers on these boards, i think... so maybe they can say where i'm going right or wrong.

[bluetoothbrush]

yes have done, fw. i didn't think those diy packs would be a good idea. it's just the what happens after you die bits that i'm a little fuzzy about.

[bluetoothbrush]

"Re: 44SoStartingOver

The probate service is also very good and helpful. A solicitor handling everything can be v expensive if your estate is small and simple. If dc need financial support that may be a consideration. Complex estates I'm sure are better with a solicitor"

Yes, it is quite small actually.

[bluetoothbrush]

i do wonder if i just left copies of those two age-uk guides instead (and a note explaining that if they wanted to do the paperwork themselves or with their own solicitor, my solicitor would just need the death certificate to get the will), that'd be better?

would that cover everything somebody would need? not had anybody die on me yet so i wouldn't know what would be useful to them. opinions?

[bluetoothbrush]

.

[bluetoothbrush]

cheers fw. they seemed pretty comprehensive to me but then again i've never had to deal with this stuff in practice... and i imagine somebody on theses boards will have and know.

[bluetoothbrush]

i've also posted on this board about how those left behind value your estate.. things like bank accounts have paperwork... but what about your bits and pieces? there was one suggestion on these boards that items below a certain value don't need a formal valuation (not quite sure what that value is) and your executor/s just stick in a decent guess for what your bits and pieces are worth. i imagine at least few reading these boards have had to gone through this process. i was hoping with that knowledge and perhaps the age-uk guides, i'd be leaving another info behind...

then i could put together a document of funeral wishes, one with passwords in and perhaps deal with the sentimental stuff...

[bluetoothbrush]

is this a guess? or do you know? if that is the case, that'd be a time-saver. thanks

[bluetoothbrush]

well that's that answered - much appreciated. i'll just leave the age-uk guides then, i guess and get on with my letters now.... thankyou fw.