Deceased Estates and Bereavement Support

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Deceased Estates

Deceased estates and bereavement support

Dealing with money and other practical matters can seem overwhelming when you’re experiencing grief. We’re here to support you and guide you through the process of sorting out a deceased estate.

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Letting the bank know about a death - in 3 steps
How to let us know
How we'll get in touch
Additional documents and forms
Things you need to know
Impacts on specific types of account
Frequently asked questions and glossary of terms

Letting the bank know about a death - in 3 steps

Step 1: Let us know about the death as soon as possible

The easiest way to do this is to complete a Deceased Customer Notification Form, but you can also visit an HSBC branch if you'd like some help with completing the form.

Step 2: We'll get in touch with next steps

We will review the notification form and get in touch with the Authorised Estate Representative in writing with details on how to settle the estate.

Step 3: If we need more information, we'll let you know

Sometimes we may need more information. We'll work with you to make this as easy as possible.

How to let us know

It’s important to let us know of a death as soon as you can, so we can support you to settle the estate.

The easiest way to let us know about a death is to download and fill in the Deceased Customer Notification Form (PDF).

You can also come into a branch, where one of our team will be happy to help you fill in the form.

Who can notify the bank

Anyone can tell the bank about a death, but only an Authorised Estate Representative can work with the bank to 'settle' the estate.

What you'll need to know

To complete the form, you'll need:

the deceased customer’s details (name, dates of birth and death, and bank account details if you know them)
your own contact details
to tell us whether the deceased person has a will or not
the contact details of the solicitor handling the estate (if there is one)

Download the Deceased Customer Notification Form (PDF)

You can return the completed form to any branch or post it to GPO Box 5302, Sydney, NSW 2001.

Need any help?

For questions about the form, you can call us on 1300 308 008 between 9am and 5pm (Sydney time), Monday to Friday. If you are overseas, call us on +61 2 9005 8220.

How we'll get in touch

When we receive the notification form, we’ll write to you, confirming what documents we need before we can provide information on your loved one’s accounts. We'll do this within a timeframe complying with the Banking Code of Practice.

To help you manage the estate, we can provide more detailed information of your loved one’s accounts. We can only provide this information to an Authorised Estate Representative, such as the executor listed on the will, the next of kin of the deceased or a solicitor who has been engaged to represent the estate.

Additional documents or forms

Sometimes we may ask the Authorised Estate Representative to complete extra forms or provide more documents to help us finalise an estate. Don’t worry, we’ll send all the details and any forms if we need them.

Things you need to know

Once we've been notified of a death, we'll usually place a hold on the deceased’s account to prevent any unauthorised activity.

We are only able to provide information on the deceased’s account to an Authorised Estate Representative. This may be a solicitor, executor, administrator, the deceased's next of kin or a state trustee.

The next of kin or Authorised Estate Representative can ask us to pay or reimburse the funeral costs out of the deceased person's account. For more details, see the FAQs.

We will explain all the fees and charges for the accounts to you. You can ask for any loan repayments to be paused until the estate is finalised.

What happens with specific types of account

If you have questions about any accounts, you can always call us or visit one of our branches. This section gives details on what to do about specific types of account.

For more help, you can call us on 1300 308 008 between 9am and 5pm (Sydney time), Monday to Friday. If you are overseas, call us on +61 2 9005 8220.

If you have a joint account with a deceased customer, you can continue to use the account, subject to the account terms and conditions.

The ownership of the account will automatically revert to you as the surviving account holder.

If it is a jointly held loan, you will need to continue to make payments however you may be able to get assistance. Speak to our Financial Hardship team for more information.

A hold will be placed on accounts and debit cards belonging to the deceased to prevent unauthorised activity.

However, the next of kin or an Authorised Estate Representative can ask us to pay for the funeral service from the deceased’s bank account. See the Frequently asked questions for more details.

To cancel direct debits from the transaction account, visit a branch or call us on 1300 308 008 between 9am and 5pm (Sydney time), Monday to Friday. If you're overseas, call us on +61 2 9005 8220.

We can give you the last 13 months of direct debit records if you ask us to.

HSBC Invest

If the deceased held a HSBC Invest account, please contact 1300 308 008 (or +61 2 9005 8220 from overseas) between 9am and 5pm (Sydney time), Monday to Friday. The team will arrange for the HSBC Invest account to be suspended. The executor or survivor (if it's a joint account) will be contacted by the HSBC Invest Deceased Estates Team to provide more documents (if needed) and instructions if there are holdings in the account.

HSBC Accredited Investor Service

A hold will be placed on the account until the estate has been finalised. Please contact our Investment Desk on 1300 308 019 or +61 2 9005 8027. You can also email us on: hsbcinvestmentservice@hsbc.com.au.

A hold will be placed on the home loan account of the deceased person until the estate has been finalised.

Please call us on 1300 301 168 to pause the home loan account(s) repayments until the estate is finalised.

If the primary cardholder has passed away, the credit card account will be closed. Any secondary cardholders will no longer be able to use this credit card account.

If there is a credit balance in the account, HSBC can transfer this to any account as nominated by the Authorised Estate Representative.

Please call us on 1300 788 038 (or +61 2 8661 1903 from overseas) between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday (Sydney Time) for any questions about credit cards.

If the credit card account has HSBC Card Repayment Protection or Repayment Insurance (issued by AIA Australia) please contact the insurer AIA to make an assessment on 1800 333 613 or email au.retail.claims@aia.com.

You'll need to cancel regular payments made by credit card directly with the service provider – we can’t cancel these. We can give you a record of the last 13 months of regular payments if you ask us to.

You can pause repayments on personal loan accounts until the estate of the late customer has been finalised, if the loan was taken out by that person alone.

If you're a joint account holder with the deceased on a personal loan account, you'll need to continue making payments on this account.

Please call us on 1300 788 038 (or +61 2 8661 1903 from overseas) between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday (Sydney Time) to stop repayments of the personal loan account(s) until the estate has been finalised.

If the deceased held a general insurance policy with Allianz, contact Allianz directly on 1300 205 060 (or +61 2 8988 9581 from overseas). For more information, visit the Allianz website.

Frequently asked questions and glossary of terms

An Authorised Estate Representative can ask us to release money from the deceased’s account(s) to pay for funeral expenses, or to reimburse someone who has already paid for the funeral.

You will need to provide an original or certified copy of the invoice or account from the funeral service provider, as well as an original or certified copy of the death certificate (if not already provided).

We will pay the funeral service provider or the person who paid for the funeral, directly from the deceased’s account(s). If there is not enough money in the account, we’ll make a part payment with what’s available.

We can only pay out a maximum of AUD15,000 for funeral expenses.

For more help, you can call us on 1300 308 008 between 9am and 5pm (Sydney time), Monday to Friday. If you are overseas, call us on +61 2 9005 8220.

These documents become invalid at the time of death of the deceased person. If you held a power of attorney for the deceased while they were alive, this does not mean you will be the executor of their will.

A will is a legal document that states how a person’s assets are to be distributed after their death.

The executor of the will or a solicitor is responsible for distributing the deceased’s assets. We’ll act on the instructions of the executor or solicitor within 14 days of receiving all the information we need to do so.

If the deceased person lived in Australia

If the combined value of the estate is not more than AUD50,000 and does not include real estate, the bank can waive the requirement to obtain probate, provided we receive an indemnity from all recipients of funds
If the combined value of the estate is more than AUD50,000, the bank requires probate

If the deceased person lived outside of Australia

If the combined value of the estate is less than AUD15,000, we need a certified copy of the will and a completed and signed Release and Indemnity Form – For Estate Funds (PDF)
If the combined value of the estate is more than AUD15,000, we need a certified copy of the Re-seal of Probate by an Australian court** or a Grant of Probate by an Australian court if the original Grant of Probate cannot be re-sealed by the appropriate court

**Where it states "by an Australian court”, this means the Australian court of the state where the assets or liabilities are held. For example, if the deceased holds a term deposit at one of our Sydney branches, the Supreme Court of New South Wales would need to re-seal the Grant of Probate.

When there is no will, you may be able to have an administrator appointed by the Supreme Court in the state or territory where the assets are held.

Please visit your local branch or call us on 1300 308 008 between 9am and 5pm (Sydney time), Monday to Friday. If you're overseas, call us on +61 2 9005 8220. Explain that you have not found a will but have the death certificate.

You can also refer to your local Public Trustee for more information and help in this situation.

If the deceased lived in Australia

If the combined value of the estate is not more than AUD50,000 and does not include any real estate, the bank can waive the need for the Letters of Administration, as long as we receive an indemnity from all recipients of funds
If the combined value of the estate is more than AUD50,000, the bank does need the Letters of Administration
We’ll act on the administrator's instructions within 14 days of receiving the all the information we need to do so

If the deceased lived outside of Australia

If the combined value of the estate is less than AUD15,000, we need a certified copy of the Letters of Administration and a completed and signed Release and Indemnity Form (PDF)
If the combined value of the estate is more than AUD15,000, we need a certified copy of the Re-seal of Letters of Administration by an Australian court** or a Grant of Letters of Administration by an Australian court if the original Letters of Administration cannot be re-sealed by the appropriate court

**Where it states 'by an Australian court', this means an Australian court of the state where the assets or liabilities are held. For example, if the deceased holds a term deposit at one of our Sydney branches, the Supreme Court of New South Wales would need to issue or re-seal the Letters of Administration.

Administrator - Person appointed by the court to manage a deceased person’s estate where there is no will.

Authorised Estate Representative - A person who has the legal authority to manage a deceased persons estate. This is often a solicitor but it could also be the executor of the will, an administrator appointed by a court, the deceased's next of kin or a state trustee.

Beneficiary - Someone who receives or shares in the proceeds from a deceased person’s estate.

Death certificate - An official document issued by the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages containing the information registered when someone dies, including the date, place and cause of death.

Deceased estate - Property and assets of someone who has died.

Executor - Person named in a will who takes charge of the deceased’s assets and property, ensuring all expenses (funeral costs, debts or any outstanding invoices) are paid and distributing the remaining assets to the beneficiaries in accordance with the will.

Grant of Probate (also known as Probate) - A document issued by the Supreme Court that confirms the validity of a will, and authorises the executor(s) to act.

Intestate - The scenario where someone has passed away without leaving a valid will.

Letters of Administration - Documents granted by the Supreme Court, giving authority to an administrator to collect and distribute the assets of the estate.

Power of Attorney - A formal document wherein a person, known as the principal or donor, gives someone else the legal authority to look after their financial affairs on their behalf. This authority ceases upon the death of the principal or donor.

Solicitor - a lawyer who is overseeing the distribution of the estate in accordance with the will.

Testate - The scenario where a person has passed away, leaving a valid will.

Will - A legal document in which a person specifies how they wish their estate to be distributed after their death.

Practical support when someone close to you dies