Executor deadlines: every date that matters after a death
Registration, tax, notices and distribution: the deadlines a personal representative has to meet in England and Wales, which ones are fixed by law, and what actually happens if you miss one.
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The deadlines that matter most
- 5 days: register the death (8 in Scotland).
- 28 days: use the Tell Us Once reference before it expires.
- End of the 6th month after death: inheritance tax must be paid. Interest runs after that.
- 12 months: the full inheritance tax account (IHT400) is due, where one is needed.
- 6 months from the grant: the window for claims against the estate. Most executors wait about 10 months before distributing.
- 60 days: report and pay capital gains tax if you sell UK residential property at a gain.
Administering an estate is mostly a sequencing problem. A handful of dates are fixed by law, a few more are set by practice, and the rest of the work has to fit around them.
This is the full set for England and Wales, in the order you'll meet them. For the process these dates sit inside, start with what to do when someone dies.
Why the dates matter more than usual
An executor or administrator is personally responsible for administering the estate properly. That's not a figure of speech: if tax is paid late, interest accrues against the estate, and if you distribute the money and a creditor appears afterwards, the shortfall can fall on you rather than on the beneficiaries who have already spent it.
Most of the risk in this job is concentrated in two places: paying tax late, and paying beneficiaries early. Solace tracks every deadline for you and flags the ones that carry personal liability.
Every deadline, in one table
| Deadline | What it is | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| 5 days | Register the death (8 days in Scotland) | Every death |
| 28 days | Tell Us Once reference expires | Where Tell Us Once is offered |
| End of month 6 | Inheritance tax payment due; interest runs after | Estates with IHT to pay |
| 2 months + 1 day | Minimum period for a statutory creditor notice | Optional, but protective |
| 60 days | Report and pay CGT on UK residential property | Where property is sold at a gain |
| 6 months from grant | Window for Inheritance Act claims | Every estate with a grant |
| 12 months | IHT400 account filing deadline | Non-excepted estates |
| ~10 months | Practical point at which it's safe to distribute | Convention, not law |
| 12 months | The "executor's year" | Convention, not law |
| 31 January | Self-assessment return for the deceased's final tax year | Where they were in self-assessment |
The early deadlines
Five days to register the death
You must register within five days in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and eight days in Scotland. The clock stops if a coroner is involved; you can't register until they release the case, and that can take weeks or months.
28 days for Tell Us Once
The registrar issues a reference for the Tell Us Once service, which notifies HMRC, DWP, the DVLA, the Passport Office and the local council in one action. The reference expires after 28 days. Miss it and you'll be contacting each department individually.
The tax deadlines
Six months to pay inheritance tax
This is the deadline people miss, because it's earlier than the filing deadline and counted oddly. Inheritance tax is due by the end of the sixth month after the month of death. Someone who died on 12 March has until 30 September; a death on 1 November gives you until 31 May.
HMRC charges interest from the day after. There's no penalty for late payment as such, but interest is not discretionary.
The awkward part: inheritance tax usually has to be paid before probate is granted, and probate is what releases the money. Banks will normally pay HMRC directly from the deceased's frozen account, and tax on property can often be paid in instalments.
Twelve months to file the IHT400
Where a full account is required, it's due within twelve months of the end of the month of death. Penalties apply after that. Most estates are "excepted" and don't need the IHT400 at all; the figures go in with the probate application instead.
Sixty days for capital gains tax on property
If the estate sells UK residential property for more than its value at the date of death, the gain must be reported and the tax paid within 60 days of completion. This one catches people out because it's short and it's separate from everything else.
31 January for the final personal return
The deceased still has a tax position for the part-year up to the date of death. Where they were in self-assessment, a final return is normally due by the usual 31 January deadline for that tax year.
The protective waiting periods
These aren't deadlines you must meet. They're periods you should wait out before doing something irreversible.
Two months and one day: the creditor notice
Placing a statutory notice in The Gazette and a local newspaper gives unknown creditors a defined period to come forward. Once that period has passed and you've distributed, you're protected personally against claims you couldn't reasonably have known about. It is one of the cheapest pieces of protection available to an executor, and it's routinely skipped by people administering an estate themselves.
Six months from the grant: claims against the estate
Certain people can apply to court for provision from the estate under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975. They have six months from the date of the grant.
About ten months: the practical point to distribute
Six months for a claim to be brought, plus a few months for one to surface and be served, is why professional practice is to wait around ten months before distributing the residue. Interim payments to beneficiaries earlier are common; distributing everything is not.
Twelve months: the executor's year
Beneficiaries generally can't press for their money in the first year. After twelve months they can ask you to explain the delay. It isn't a legal deadline, and plenty of legitimate estates take longer, but it is the point at which you're expected to have a good reason.
What happens if you miss one
- Late inheritance tax: interest accrues against the estate and reduces what beneficiaries receive.
- Late IHT400: penalties on top of the interest.
- Late CGT on property: penalties and interest, and it's easy to miss because the 60 days run from completion.
- Distributing too early: the most serious one. If a debt or a claim appears after the money has gone, you may have to make it good personally.
- Missing Tell Us Once: no penalty, just considerably more work.
Deadlines that don't actually exist
- There's no deadline to apply for probate. You can apply years later. But the tax deadlines run from the date of death regardless, so delay costs money.
- There's no legal deadline to finish administering an estate. The "executor's year" is a convention, not a statute.
- There's no deadline to read or "register" a will. Wills aren't lodged anywhere by default.
- There's no fixed deadline to notify banks, though every week you wait is a week of direct debits leaving a frozen account.
Common questions
How long does an executor have to pay inheritance tax?
Inheritance tax must be paid by the end of the sixth month after the month of death. Someone who died on 12 March has until 30 September. HMRC charges interest from the day after, and interest is not discretionary.
Is there a deadline to apply for probate in the UK?
No. There is no legal deadline to apply for probate, and applications are sometimes made years after a death. However, the inheritance tax deadlines run from the date of death regardless, so delay usually costs money in interest.
What is the executor's year?
The executor's year is the convention that beneficiaries generally cannot press for their inheritance during the first twelve months after death. It is not a statutory deadline. After a year, beneficiaries can reasonably ask an executor to explain the delay.
How long do you have to register a death in the UK?
Five days in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and eight days in Scotland. The clock is paused where a coroner is involved, because the death cannot be registered until the coroner releases the case.
How long should an executor wait before distributing an estate?
Claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 can be brought within six months of the grant. Because a claim can be served after it is issued, common practice is to wait around ten months before distributing the residue.
What is the 60-day capital gains tax deadline?
If an estate sells UK residential property for more than its value at the date of death, the gain must be reported and the tax paid within 60 days of completion. It is separate from every other estate deadline and is easily missed.
What happens if an executor misses a deadline?
Late inheritance tax accrues interest against the estate. A late IHT400 attracts penalties as well. The most serious risk is distributing too early: if a debt or claim emerges after the money has gone, the executor can be personally liable for the shortfall.
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Important
Solace is not a firm of solicitors and does not provide legal, tax or financial advice. We are an estate administration service and we are not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Financial Conduct Authority or any equivalent body. Nothing in this guide constitutes legal, tax or financial advice, and no solicitor–client relationship is created by reading it.
This article is general information only. It reflects the position in England and Wales at the date shown above; the law and the figures change, and Scotland and Northern Ireland differ in important respects. It may not apply to your circumstances. Administering an estate carries personal legal responsibility, and you should obtain advice from a qualified solicitor, accountant or other regulated professional where appropriate. Always check current rates, fees and deadlines against GOV.UK before acting.