Deceased Estates
If you have completed a search for unclaimed money and found money held in a deceased person(s) name, you can make a claim for money that you are legally entitled to.
Probate/Letters of Administration
When making a claim for money held in a deceased person(s) name, you will need to provide documents that give you the authority to administer the estate, which include:
- Probate - legal document that authorises the executor(s) to manage the estate of a deceased person in accordance with their last will.
- Letters of administration – legal document issued by the Court allowing the administrator(s) to manage the estate.
Applications for Letters of Administration can be made where a person is:
- not an executor named in a deceased person’s will, or,
- where a deceased person did not leave a valid will (person has died intestate).
To apply for a grant of probate or letters of administration, see Supreme Court of NSW.
If probate or letters of administration have not been granted, you must provide a copy of the last will and testament together with a copy of the death certificate.
Intestate – when there’s no will
If the owner of the unclaimed money has died without a will, they are said to have died ‘intestate’.
If the deceased didn't leave a will, you will need to apply for formal administration of the estate.
For more information about what to do when a person dies without a will, see the NSW Trustee and Guardian website.
For more information on how to apply for letters of administration, see LawAccess NSW or Supreme Court of NSW.
If you would like to discuss your individual circumstances, contact us.
How to claim
The executor or administrator must complete the claim. If there’s more than one executor or administrator, all must be part of the claim.
- Search through the online portal for the unclaimed money.
- Make a claim online through the search portal
- Provide a copy of;
- the grant of probate or letters of administration, or
- last will and testament, together with the death certificate.
- Provide copies of the documents required for proof of identity for all executors named in the will, probate or letters of administration.
- Provide an official document that links the deceased person to the last known address recorded in our system, in relation to the unclaimed money.
If you have questions about what you need to do to submit a claim for unclaimed money, contact us.