Try going to the bank where your son had his accounts, since they will have records of him, etc. Can I simply deposit the cheque to her bank account and withdraw it? Estate planning, wills and dealing with death Making a will, planning your estate, powers of attorney and what to do following a death. It's a downfall in our system, but that is the system we have.Let's hope your brother is standing right in the middle of the road when the karma bus comes barreling along.Lynne. Note that the credit union confirmed probate isnt required as the total amount of the estate is around 10,000.Thank you. Will I need to go to a bank and set up an estate account and can I do this without needing probate? In reading their most recent annual report, the office of the ombudsman outlines the complaint process and time for resolution. And has instructed the last lawyer to not do anything even though he's the one who sent it without tracking by regular mail. For the 1st distribution she sent it herself to my brother by courier. We need to access funds to pay final funeral expenses, property tax, and more importantly estate taxes so we can begin probate.How we do access the funds? We have cheques to deposit, but dont know where to put them now. After it is all said and done the money will be divided between all 5 of us. The lawyer handling his mother's estate wants to write the cheque to my name with Executor of the Estate of (my husbands name). Just recently she sent everyone $50,000.00 cheques, from her bank account, so we could get some of the proceeds now rather waiting the 4 years.An Executor depositing Estate money into there own personal account just doesn't seem right! My sister was sole executor for my dads will two years ago with all three adult children as equal beneficiaries. An estate representative administers a deceased person's estate. Will i need a letter of administration to open an estate account or will my bank let me sign a letter of indemnity? Will I need to open an Estate Account? How can I keep track of what cheques have cleared? Some are told they need the original will, many are told they have to get probate first, and some are told they need the consent of beneficiaries. Excellent blog and thank you for writing the Self-Counsel press document "How Executors Avoid Personal Liability" in BC, published in 2014. The RSP is not in the estate if it names beneficiaries. I was initially executor and stepped down due to personal reasons. I think your bank is making an error. Any recourse with these morons? My husband is the executor of his fathers account. It has now been a week, and funds have not been transferred. My three sisters and I are the beneficiaries, however my mother had no assets and lived with us. Not the same thing. I suspect you may be right that someone has made a mistake and is stringing you a line of BS to try to cover it up. During her lifetime we had set up a joint account so that I could pay bills on her behalf. Sorry.my question is actually can I deposit this cheque to my account or cash it? I asked if i can close the account and open one that says Sara Smith, Administrator of the Estate of Jane Doe and they said no. the cheque was made payable to the estate. Or do you actually mean mirror wills? In particular, the bit about being listed as executor per CRA. My current work situation is preventing me from scheduling a bank appointment to open an estate account for a month or possibly more.1.Can I authorize my sister to go to the bank and open the estate account in my Stead? Estate settlement services are offered through National Bank subsidiaries. Paying out of pocket should be the last resort. I suggest you read the 2007 Supreme Court of Canada cases called Pecore and Saylor. Why on earth do people try so darn hard to avoid probate? I'm frustrated just reading your note; I can just imagine how frustrated you must be. Based on your comment in the second paragraph, how would this apply to funds held with a financial institution in an investment account?If I am executor of my father's estate, and he had an investment account of $500,000, does the financial institution have to pay it out to me as executor if I instruct them to?Isn't it basically standard practice for them to require a probated will before they will liquidate an investment account?Thanks. Your bank manager will be familiar with the process.If you do that, you can take control of the account, so you will be able to pay the taxes from it. If the executor is the beneficiary can they then use the estate funds for personal since all financial obligations will come to them anyway? She isn't in the running here. No debits. The bank will simply remove the parent's name from the account upon receiving proof of death, leaving the surviving account holder with full access to and legal ownership of the account. The local manager was extremely helpful in rescanning the problem documents but now I must wait up to 10 business days until this is approved! They did have one joint account. Have I waited long enough and should I get a lawyer and start litigation including the passing of the accounts? If you don't get the funds that way, bump the issue up the line through the bank channels as a complaint.Lynne. He most likely didn't have a will at his age, so his beneficiary would be his wife, and if he didn't have a wife then his children, and if he didn't have children, then his parents.Lynne. If anything goes missing, it's all on the executor and the bank bears no blame for it.Lynne. As long as the executors are being reasonable and acting in good faith, they are carrying out their duty.Lynne. This bit about the banks not allowing executors to open an estate account until probate has been granted is relatively new, and only works for the bank. Her authority to deal with estate assets comes from the will itself, not the probate. If you're currently a joint bank account holder, we can help you decide whether a joint account is the best option for you. Death benefits are administered by the federal government. Please let me know. I would like to make a full distribution of the estate proceeds without waiting for her 2018 taxes to be filed next year. I think I have been reasonable, but am now also very unsatisfied by the response by the ombudsman's office and told them that when they called yesterday to 'loop back' on my complaint. Given that there was no will, no spouse, and no other children, the chances of anyone else appearing are next to nothing. By then of course, the 10 days will be long past. It's under $75,000. Their job is to hand over the account once probate has been granted. You can apply for an ID number online, at www.irs.gov. Contact a Calgary Wills & Estates Lawyer today Because these accounts are assets of the estate, you will have to get probate to distribute them.Lynne. Lynne. I don't know of any law that prevents a bank from rejecting any particular ATM deposit. We have heard from others that other banks did not pull this. I'm also more then willing to walk away from the account if I can't close it. Is there a dollar limit for banks? She only gets $60 back because that is what she had deducted every year. None of that is true and I seriously have to wonder if banks have anyone working there who has any idea what is going on. What about interest, death, separation/divorce etc.2 - He has advised us it will take 4 years before money can be distributed since Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Finance have a 4 year window to assess/reassess estates. He has a spouse. Complaining about this for months is absolutely unreasonable since it was your father who made the choice, not the financial institution. I might have to put in a call to a financial advisor I know over there to see what I can find out about this.Lynne. My sister now refuses to sign a bond of indemnity to the bank to have it replaced even though I went as far as convincing the bank to put my name on the bond too, which they don't have to. My context for the question was a little different: an estate account with two trustees specified in the will who are to pay bills for someone in a house who is not being given direct access to the money. In fact, it's standard. Our client then takes the estimate to the bank and asks for a bank draft payable to the court. You are probably right about that. In fact I never actually did this as she was quite capable herself. I'm in Alberta. My sister was POA for mom. Having said that, there could be other factors that might affect the situation (there always are). I charge $400 for that.Lynne. (I was not asking any info on the account only about their requirements for an Estate Account) but she jumped on him immediately and would not listen. Thanks. The manager isn't available, and both of the assistant managers are unavailable. It's just an expense and a bother if it's not needed. My brother lives two provinces away. I was told in the beginning the less money in the account the easier it will be to close out I have a felling this isn't so. You said they are waiting for a form to be received at the bank, but from whom? The other financial company with all the investments left, did not require probate and it was a significant sum. Lynne. Dear Lynne, I live in Ontario. You need to complete a simple form with a confusing title: IRS Form SS-4, Application for Employer Identification Number. My sister and I would like this account to be settled to our Mother's RRSP as she is a Qualified Beneficiary and will not be paying taxes on it. You can close it if you want to.You haven't said who the beneficiaries of the estate are. My sister lives in the same province as my deceased father. If the person you're dealing with cannot do as you ask, try talking to the branch manager. Part of the probate process IS verifying the will, so you can do this all in one step. I was told by my mother's doctor, at the time, that she may have as little as 4 weeks to live (but she lived just over 3 years, so it was a hardship, as it was over $100,000 in total) but in less than 2 weeks the money was gone, before the doctor even talked to me. My uncle passed away and put my cousin and I as executor's. I am both executor of her "estate", as well as POA and sole beneficiary. An Estate account is a different kind of account - it is a new account opened after someone has passed away, into which the Executor deposits the deceased person's money, from which the Executor pays the deceased person's debts and bills, and from which the Executor ultimately distributes funds to . That institution is causing me a lot of distress by not allowing me to deposit items or pay small liabilities on her account. It never works when people try to make square pegs fit into round holes by using financial instruments and legal documents to do things they were never meant to do.Anyway, enough lecture. Whether or not he exceeded his authority is a matter for a judge in a civil court to decide so it muddies the water. National Bank Trust is a subsidiary of National Bank of Canada. It seems to me that you are confused about where the various sums of money are going, and you're just putting them wherever you feel like. Working with banks can be tricky, because they don't offer their employees much training with respect to estates. Can you confirm when I take the tax bill to the bank it can be paid from his estate. A couple of weeks later Mom passed away. I have received the probate, and can access to the Estate bank account, and wonder if I could just go to the bank and withdraw money for my reimbursement? I have not received anything in writing other than a few emails. CIBC had no problem setting up an estate account on provision of the will; RBC would not do that without probate. RBC has made a royal mess for me to contend with. On July 21, I escalated my complaint to that bank's ombudsman. For example, are any beneficiaries pushing for an immediate distribution? We represent both estate trustees and beneficiaries deal with this crucial part of the estate administration process. It's a fairly small estate, about 80k in RIFF's, chequing account. A will cannot name you "or" your husband as executors. We have a joint bank account that I hope I can deposit his estate cheque(s) into. Thanks. Per the CRA website a T4RRSP/T4LIF/T4RRIF should be issued showing fair market value on date of deat, and interest earned from DOD until the end of the year. Not every will is probated, and the banks are well aware of that, particularly if some of your joint assets were held there. Their process says I should have received a written agreement that is to be signed and returned to them. Which we can't do until we pay estate tax. I advised my husband to find another bank, because after I talked to the TD Manager, wanting to understand what they told him, the branch manager talked over me too. This might be repairing and restoring or it might not. I just received a cheque refund (a small sum of less $100) issued to her estate. Estate Administrator: A legal term referring to a person appointed by the court to administer the Estate of a deceased person who died without making a Will. Ever.The executor must wait along with everyone else for the estate to be wound up to get his or her inheritance.Either you are mistaken about the financial obligations of an executor, or I'm reading your question incorrectly. The client is now deceased and her power of attorney signed the cheque although I do not believe it was a joint account as only the deceased name is on the cheque. Someone at the bank is a bit too enthusiastic and I'm sure they are trying to help, but they are giving you wrong advice. This might include a home, car, bank accounts, or jewellery. My mother passed away in mid-March. It will be the job of the estate's executor to set up and monitor the account. I don't want to put any money through my personal bank account as I want to be able to keep organized records for when I do the final payout. You're in charge of the account, not them. If a CRA refund is the only asset in the estate, talk to the bank and ask if probate is really necessary under the circumstances. I assume what is going on is that your husband was the sole owner of the funds. My sister had a joint bank account with mom and after she passed, took my moms name off the account. The bank now says I have to wait 6 months before disbursing to beneficiaries. Is this really 2017?Anything you can do to help would be greatly appreciated!Thanks.Fred, Personally, I don't see the difference in an online account for an estate and an online account for an individual, once you have established your credentials as the executor. Lynne. I opened an estate bank account in BC where I live. I'm not aware of anyone charging a fee of $350 for an executor's account either, so I can't explain the rationale behind it.As long as you have properly been appointed by the will as the executor, then the bank must release the funds to you. HiMy mom past away.There was no will and no court ordered executor.I payed for the funeral as her son because someone had too.I do not want to be executor as my mother had nothing so its not worth the trouble.I will let the government deal with my moms affairs..My question is the funeral home gave me a form to apply for cpp death benifit and said to me that it will help cover costs of the funeral.I payed in full 7000 for funeral and received a cheque from government for 2000 but its not in my name its in the name of my mothers estate.How do i get the cheque put in my name as there is no will or executor..Or do I just throw cheque out and suck up the the 7000 funeral bill.Any help would be appreciated.ThanksRon, The government isn't going to deal with your mom's affairs. What do I need to do with this cheque? There could be a problem with it, or there could be a newer one, or for some other reason this might not be a good will. I did not get a call back. If the assets you have mentioned in your note are the only assets in the estate, you do not have to probate the will. The banks have always agreed to this (with only one exception) because the funds aren't going to the executor or anyone else besides the court. No, there is no time limit specified anywhere. Again, absolutely unacceptable.The situation needs to be cleaned up, and the quicker the better. Thanks for your help. I would suggest opening an estate account. Have you taken the estate paperwork to the bank with the cheque? Still to this day I have not heard anything. Now the bank is on the hook for the full funds because they released the funds to the wrong person. They are the ones trying to follow the law. She has no real assets. This declaration that the bank has mentioned are they getting that from somewhere? I was advised around that time by the branch manager that an account estate should be opened by the first week of August.It is now August 8 and there is still no estate account. Is there a specific issue or problem or situation in your case that would be best served by having the lawyer control the funds? You can expect to lose about 30 - 40% of it in taxes.Shouldn't you have figured all of this out BEFORE you complained for months?Lynne. Hello Lynn,Is an executor allowed to pay expenses out of the estate account prior to probate being granted? Thank you for your answer! Lynne. When they are one and the same person, the executor must only use the estate funds to pay estate costs and debts. Can my sister disburse fees from my fathers estate accounting to reimburse my brother for return air fare and to me for gas mileage, when we attended his rental to remove his belongings and sell his assets? Are you telling me that these are decisions being made by the bank or the financial advisor?? As his mother I took care of his arrangements and the funeral home applied for CPP. I am in BC. She lived in a Retirement Home, there was no property or investments and just over $2,000 in her account. Will I have to fly to that province to sign the cheques or is there something that is sent to the bank to release the cheques with only one signature? I am in a similar situation with no will for my deceased father. It's not because it's an investment account, but because of the value.Lynne. All the TD bank did was phone the hospital, and that was good enough for them. I went into the bank again and asked to see her but she was in a meeting so another representative took my name and number. Hello My 24 year old son passed away oct 28 i found his gst cheque dated oct 5 that he signed is it ok to cash it or wat do i do ? While I find this admirable in spirit, I am concerned as an executor whether executors can in fact make gifts that are not specifically covered in the will, especially as there are other residual beneficiaries involved. I'm so sorry to hear about your son. They seem to think that at the point where Registered accounts are cashed out to the estate is when taxes will be owed. Do I have any rights? Our property is the same size. The category names can change to accommodate the estate activity. In particular, you should not have named yourself because someone working under a POA is not allowed to benefit from the position of POA (other than collecting a wage for the work, if allowed). Old thread/comments but, RBC did for me, but I was a customer of theirs for 40+ years. However, a year has passed and she is reluctant to distribute half of the account to me. I will likely receive a company pension retroactively owed to my husband. But the bank refuse to do this. When the court appointed me as the administrator, her bank account changed from Jane Doe to Estate of Jane Doe. The reason we were fighting is because our understanding is that the Will should trump every other document completed before the Will. I was told by a local lawyer that if there were no assets that there would be no point spending approximately $3500.00 dollars to become an administrator. DO any banks allow online access to an estate account? The executor will also need to . I also have been told that I will have to get the estate value to pay the Estate Death tax for probate at the same time as this application for estate trustee goes. It sounds as though one will be open longer because of your tax holdback. I have yet to close her personal bank account - this is a minimal cheque ($200) and it seems RIDICULOUS to have to go through all of this. If the judge is not fully satisfied with it, you may be directed to prove the will more formally.Lynne, Lynne,I hope you can help. A person made a will which was never signed. I am executor for an estate of someone who lived and died in Alberta. Your husband's estate is separate from him. I seem to have a combined bank estate/tax problem. Your summary here seems to say that you've really wrapped up everything except for that final tax bill, so there is no reason for you to have two accounts open anymore.As for resistance from the bank, there shouldn't be any. Lynne- Using the example from Marsha: Can the account have links to automatic bill payments with registered companies, so all three trustees don't need to be in person to pay every single bill? My 29year old son died suddenly. That's very heavy-handed of them! As trustee, I am unable to distribute or transfer the funds of the Estate. I received a letter to say that Mom didn't qualify for the Canada Pension Death Benefit as she didn't pay in for enough years. 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