UK bank probate limits
Of 33 UK banks and building societies we checked, 19 publish a limit for releasing money without probate or confirmation. The most common limit is £50,000. The limit applies to everything the person held in their sole name with that bank, not per account.
Last checked 14 October 2026 by Naomi Jackson, Alenity
Key figures
13 of 19 banks that publish a limit set it at £50,000.
Source: Each bank's bereavement page, checked by Alenity
The highest published limit is £50,000, shared by 13 banks including Barclays, Coventry Building Society, Danske Bank.
Source: Each bank's bereavement page, checked by Alenity
The lowest published limit is £5,000, at NS&I (checked 14 October 2026).
Source: NS&I
14 of 33 banks do not publish a figure or decide case by case.
Source: Each bank's bereavement page, checked by Alenity
All 33 banks and building societies
| Bank | Limit without probate | Below the limit they ask for | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aldermore Bank | £35,000 | Their account closure form, with the death certificate, for balances under £35,000. | 14 October 2026 |
| Atom Bank | Ask the bank to confirm | No published figure. Atom is app-only and confirms what it needs once notified. | 14 October 2026 |
| Bank of ScotlandLloyds Banking Group | Ask the bank to confirm | Bank of Scotland's current guidance says requirements depend on the products and services held. Ask the bank to confirm whether a grant is required. | 14 October 2026 |
| Barclays | £50,000Applies to accounts held in the deceased's sole name. Barclays say probate is not needed for joint accounts. | The death certificate and Barclays' own settlement forms, where sole accounts total £50,000 or less. | 14 October 2026 |
| Chase UK | Ask the bank to confirm | No published figure. They confirm what they need after you notify them. | 14 October 2026 |
| Coventry Building Society | £50,000 | Their account closure form after bereavement, with the death certificate. | 14 October 2026 |
| Cumberland Building Society | £30,000 | A bereavement declaration form for estates valued under £30,000. | 14 October 2026 |
| Danske Bank | £50,000 | Their indemnity form, used to release money where the deceased held a total amount below £50,000. | 14 October 2026 |
| first directHSBC UK Group | Up to £50,000 with a will / £25,000 withoutFor UK residents, subject to the circumstances. | Up to £50,000 where there is a will, or £25,000 where there is not, on the death certificate and their bereavement forms. | 14 October 2026 |
| Furness Building Society | £30,000 | A withdrawal form for close family beneficiaries under £30,000, or under £5,000 for other beneficiaries. | 14 October 2026 |
| HalifaxLloyds Banking Group | Ask the bank to confirm | Halifax's current guidance says requirements depend on the products and services held. Ask the bank to confirm whether a grant is required. | 14 October 2026 |
| HSBC UK | £50,000 with a will / £25,000 withoutFor UK residents. HSBC can still ask for a grant below these amounts. | Up to £50,000 where there is a will, or £25,000 where there is not, on the death certificate and their estate closure form. | 14 October 2026 |
| Leeds Building Society | £50,000 | Their standard account closure form, with the death certificate. | 14 October 2026 |
| Lloyds BankLloyds Banking Group | Ask the bank to confirm | Lloyds' current guidance says requirements depend on the products and services held. Ask the bank to confirm whether a grant is required. | 14 October 2026 |
| Metro Bank | Ask the bank to confirm | Metro Bank do not publish a single figure. Their indemnity form covers balances between £5,000 and £25,000, so smaller amounts are usually released without a grant. | 14 October 2026 |
| Monzo | Ask the bank to confirm | No published figure. Monzo review each estate individually. | 14 October 2026 |
| Nationwide Building Society | £50,000Below £50,000 where no grant is being applied for, using their closure form. Above £50,000 a grant is needed. For exactly £50,000, ask Nationwide. | The death certificate and Nationwide's request to close accounts form, where no grant is being applied for. | 14 October 2026 |
| NatWest and Royal Bank of ScotlandNatWest Group | Ask the bank to confirmNo universal figure in current guidance. The bank confirms the documents it needs after you notify it; NatWest sets this out in its condolence letter. | Notify the bereavement team first. They confirm what they need in writing. | 14 October 2026 |
| Newcastle Building Society | £30,000 | Their personal representative registration form, with the death certificate. | 14 October 2026 |
| Nottingham Building Society | £50,000 | An indemnity closure form under £5,000, or an indemnity plus a statutory declaration between £5,001 and £50,000. | 14 October 2026 |
| NS&I | £5,000 | Their death claims form. NS&I say they may ask for a grant of representation once a customer's total NS&I savings reach £5,000 or more, but this is not a fixed cut-off. | 14 October 2026 |
| Principality Building Society | Ask the bank to confirm | No published figure. They confirm what they need after you notify them. | 14 October 2026 |
| Santander UK | £50,000A grant is needed when accounts held solely by the deceased total more than £50,000. | The death certificate and Santander's own bereavement instruction form. | 14 October 2026 |
| Shawbrook Bank | Ask the bank to confirm | No published figure. They confirm what they need once you notify them, and work with the Death Notification Service. | 14 October 2026 |
| Skipton Building Society | £50,000 | Their account closure forms for balances under £50,000, with the death certificate. Balances under £5,000 can be released by email with a scanned copy. | 14 October 2026 |
| Starling Bank | Ask the bank to confirm | No published figure. Starling review each estate individually. | 8 September 2026 |
| Tesco Bank | £50,000 | The death certificate and Tesco Bank's own bereavement forms. | 14 October 2026 |
| The Co-operative Bank | Ask the bank to confirm | No published figure. They confirm what they need after you notify them. | 14 October 2026 |
| TSB | Ask the bank to confirm | TSB do not publish a figure. They confirm it once you have registered the death with them. | 14 October 2026 |
| Ulster BankNatWest Group | Ask the bank to confirmNo universal figure in current guidance. The bank confirms required documents after you notify it. | Their Bereavement Services Team confirm what is needed once notified. | 14 October 2026 |
| Virgin MoneyIncludes Clydesdale Bank and Yorkshire Bank accounts | £50,000 | An original or certified copy of the death certificate; below £50,000 they can also work from their own form instead of a grant. | 14 October 2026 |
| West Brom Building Society | £30,000 | Their account closure form for balances below £30,000, with the death certificate. | 14 October 2026 |
| Yorkshire Building Society | £50,000 | Their under £50,000 declaration form, with the death certificate. | 14 October 2026 |
2026 index: what changed
- Santander UK now publishes a £50,000 limit. It previously did not publish one.
- Virgin Money, including Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank, now publishes a £50,000 limit.
- Skipton Building Society raised its published limit from £30,000 to £50,000.
- 14 more banks and building societies were added in September 2026.
- Every page was re-read on 14 October 2026. No other limit had changed. Starling Bank's page could not be found, so its last check date stays.
Each bank in one sentence
- Aldermore Bank releases up to £35,000 without probate or confirmation (checked 14 October 2026).
- Atom Bank does not publish a limit and decides case by case (checked 14 October 2026).
- Bank of Scotland does not publish a limit and decides case by case (checked 14 October 2026).
- Barclays releases up to £50,000 without probate or confirmation (checked 14 October 2026).
- Chase UK does not publish a limit and decides case by case (checked 14 October 2026).
- Coventry Building Society releases up to £50,000 without probate or confirmation (checked 14 October 2026).
- Cumberland Building Society releases up to £30,000 without probate or confirmation (checked 14 October 2026).
- Danske Bank releases up to £50,000 without probate or confirmation (checked 14 October 2026).
- first direct releases up to Up to £50,000 with a will / £25,000 without without probate or confirmation (checked 14 October 2026).
- Furness Building Society releases up to £30,000 without probate or confirmation (checked 14 October 2026).
- Halifax does not publish a limit and decides case by case (checked 14 October 2026).
- HSBC UK releases up to £50,000 with a will / £25,000 without without probate or confirmation (checked 14 October 2026).
- Leeds Building Society releases up to £50,000 without probate or confirmation (checked 14 October 2026).
- Lloyds Bank does not publish a limit and decides case by case (checked 14 October 2026).
- Metro Bank does not publish a limit and decides case by case (checked 14 October 2026).
- Monzo does not publish a limit and decides case by case (checked 14 October 2026).
- Nationwide Building Society releases up to £50,000 without probate or confirmation (checked 14 October 2026).
- NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland does not publish a limit and decides case by case (checked 14 October 2026).
- Newcastle Building Society releases up to £30,000 without probate or confirmation (checked 14 October 2026).
- Nottingham Building Society releases up to £50,000 without probate or confirmation (checked 14 October 2026).
- NS&I releases up to £5,000 without probate or confirmation (checked 14 October 2026).
- Principality Building Society does not publish a limit and decides case by case (checked 14 October 2026).
- Santander UK releases up to £50,000 without probate or confirmation (checked 14 October 2026).
- Shawbrook Bank does not publish a limit and decides case by case (checked 14 October 2026).
- Skipton Building Society releases up to £50,000 without probate or confirmation (checked 14 October 2026).
- Starling Bank does not publish a limit and decides case by case (checked 8 September 2026).
- Tesco Bank releases up to £50,000 without probate or confirmation (checked 14 October 2026).
- The Co-operative Bank does not publish a limit and decides case by case (checked 14 October 2026).
- TSB does not publish a limit and decides case by case (checked 14 October 2026).
- Ulster Bank does not publish a limit and decides case by case (checked 14 October 2026).
- Virgin Money releases up to £50,000 without probate or confirmation (checked 14 October 2026).
- West Brom Building Society releases up to £30,000 without probate or confirmation (checked 14 October 2026).
- Yorkshire Building Society releases up to £50,000 without probate or confirmation (checked 14 October 2026).
How we collected this
Every figure comes from the bank or building society's own published bereavement page, linked in the table. Where a bank does not publish a figure we say so rather than estimate one.
We recheck each source regularly and record the date beside every row. Banks can still ask for probate below their limit, for example if there is no will or the estate looks complicated.
Spotted something out of date? Email naomi@alenity.co.uk and we will check it against the source.
How to cite this
Alenity, "UK bank and building society probate limits", last checked 14 October 2026. https://alenity.co.uk/data/bank-probate-limits. Free to reuse with a link back (CC BY 4.0).
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