DECEASED ESTATES

The estate reported to the Master, properly

The law gives the family fourteen days to report a death to the Master of the High Court, and until that is done and letters are issued nobody may touch the bank account, sell the car or transfer the house. The forms are not hard, but the wrong route, an out-of-date form number or a pack sent to an office that cannot take it costs weeks at the worst possible time. We work out the route, complete every form, list exactly what to certify, and lodge it.

R1 490our fee · the Master’s fees and any adverts are paid from the estate · prepared within 3 working days of your documents

14 daysthe reporting duty under section 7 of the Administration of Estates Act

R250 000the gross value that decides whether a representative or an executor is appointed

Family stays in controlwe prepare the pack so the Master appoints your nominee, not a professional executor

What actually goes wrong

The estate is reported at a magistrate’s office that cannot take it.Service points handle estates of R125 000 or less with no will. Anything bigger, or any estate with a will, has to go to the Master’s office, and the file is sent on while the clock runs.
The gross value is worked out after debts.A bonded house counts at its full value. Families who net it off apply for the wrong letters and start again.
Old form numbers.The Master renumbered the forms. Packs still arrive using a J187 as a death notice, when it is now the inspection advert.
Money moved before the letters issue.Withdrawals for the funeral, a car sold to a cousin, rent collected into a personal account. All of it has to be accounted for and can be reversed.
No declaration of subsisting marriages, or the wrong proof of a customary or religious marriage.This single page holds up more files than anything else.

What you get for R1 490

The route worked outGross value tested against the R250 000 threshold, so we apply for letters of authority under section 18(3) or letters of executorship, and you know which office takes the file.
Every form completedThe death notice on J294, the inventory on J243, the next-of-kin affidavit on J192, the acceptance of trust on J190, or the J155 undertaking for a small estate, plus the bond of security paperwork where it is needed.
The declarations draftedSubsisting marriages, the life partnership declaration on MBU 19 where it applies, and the nomination signed by the heirs.
A certification listExactly which documents to certify, how recently, and what the Master will reject.
LodgedDelivered to the correct Master’s office or filed on the Master’s online system, with the original will handed in as the Master requires.
Your datesA written schedule of the deadlines that follow, including the six-month account and the advert periods for a larger estate.

How it works

1Order and answer the short formWho died and when, roughly what they owned, whether there is a will, and who the family wants appointed.
2We prepare the packWithin three working days, with the certification list and a plain explanation of who inherits.
3You sign and certify, we lodgeAnd we send you the schedule of what happens next and by when.

Prepare the estate pack

Not sure this is the right one for you? Ask us first and you get a written answer within one business day.

What we will need from you

The death certificate and the deceased’s identity document
The original will, if there is one, and any codicils
Proof of marriage and the marriage regime, or the details of a customary, religious or permanent life partnership
A list of what the person owned and owed, with rough values: property, vehicles, bank accounts, investments, policies, debts
Identity documents of the heirs and of the person the family wants appointed
The deceased’s tax number, if you have it

Frequently asked questions

Do you act as the executor?

No. We prepare and lodge the reporting pack so that the Master appoints the person the family nominates, usually the spouse or a child. That keeps the executor’s fee of up to 3.5 percent in the family instead of paying it to a professional executor. If the estate turns out to need an attorney or trust company, we tell you before you spend anything more.

What does the Master charge on top?

Nothing on an estate of R250 000 or less. From R250 000 to under R400 000 it is R600, then R200 for every further complete R100 000 of gross value, capped at R7 000. Newspaper and Government Gazette adverts for a larger estate are charged at cost by the publishers. All of it is paid from the estate, not by you personally.

How fast is it?

We prepare the pack within three working days of receiving your documents. The law gives the family 14 days from the date of death to report, so order as soon as you have the death certificate. The Master publishes no turnaround for issuing letters, and offices differ.

What if there is no will?

The estate is divided under the Intestate Succession Act and the heirs nominate who should be appointed. We draft the nomination and the next-of-kin affidavit and explain who inherits what before it is lodged, so nobody is surprised later.

Can you help after the letters are issued?

We can prepare the creditor advert wording, the estate bank account paperwork and the final tax returns for the deceased and the estate, quoted separately once we see the file. The liquidation and distribution account for a large or contested estate is work for an attorney or an accountant, and we will say so rather than take it on.

How to report a deceased estate→ Executor checklist, free→ Estate duty calculator→ Trust registration R1 490→

We prepare and lodge the reporting documents under your written authority. The Master of the High Court decides who is appointed and issues the letters, and the Master’s fees, adverts and any bond of security are separate and paid from the estate. Sources: the Administration of Estates Act 66 of 1965 and its regulations, and the Master’s published requirements. This is information, not legal advice.