Tools

Estate Administration Banking Protocol

This is designed to bring clarity and consistency to probate-related interactions between financial services and probate practitioners.

18 Feb 2026

1 minute read

This protocol has replaced the 2012 estate administration banking protocol developed by the British Bankers Association (BBA), The Law Society and STEP

It has been created to:

provide a transparent framework for how financial services and probate practitioners should exchange information during estate administration
define exactly what information financial services need to verify the authority of a probate practitioner
reduce delays, including by setting a 15-working-day aim for financial services to respond to initial information requests

Download the protocol

Download the Estate Administration Banking Protocol (PDF 392.21 KB).

What the protocol contains

This protocol provides details on:

information required by financial services about the deceased
information required by financial services about the probate practitioner
information required by the probate practitioner from financial services

It outlines the approach financial services should take when:

providing information such as balances on deposit, and details of standing orders and direct debits
releasing funds prior to probate
closing accounts
corresponding about the above

This protocol also offers instructions on how probate practitioners will need to validate their regulatory status with financial services.

It provides a list of approved regulators and their registers where the probate practitioner status can be verified.

Who this protocol is for

This protocol has been developed for:

financial services firms
probate practitioners

It is intended to help both parties work together during the estate administration process.

How this protocol should be used

This protocol can be used to simplify to the exchange of information between financial services and probate practitioners when handling the deceased’s: