Bereavement FAQs

Once we’re notified of a death, our specialist Bereavement Support Team will contact you to explain the next steps and timescales.

We'll also freeze any sole accounts to stop withdrawals, but we’ll still allow money to be paid in. Any debit cards, telephone banking and online banking will also be cancelled automatically.

For sole accounts, we’re legally obliged to cancel any standing orders or Direct Debits, including utility bills, mortgage or loan payments and home insurance. Should any of these payments need to continue, you’ll need to contact the companies concerned to arrange new payments through a different account.

Any joint accounts will convert into the name(s) of the remaining account holder(s) once we receive formal confirmation of the death. The remaining account holder(s) will be informed of this change.

We’ll also stop any future marketing correspondence being sent out. Please note, because these are prepared several weeks in advance, you may still receive some correspondence. We try to avoid this happening, but if you do receive anything, please accept our sincere apologies.

The personal representative is the individual who is responsible for dealing with the deceased customer’s estate. They may also be known as the executor or administrator of the estate.

To protect you and the deceased customer’s estate from fraud and financial crime, we’ll need to verify your identity and address.

Types of ID and proof of address we'll accept

If the personal representative(s) is not a Channel Islands or UK resident, the proof of identity and address documents must be certified by a lawyer, notary public, embassy or consulate official, bank official, tax adviser or accountant (must be a member of a registered body) from the country where the documents were issued.

These documents must be provided to us at a branch in any country, or by post at:

CIIOM Bereavement Support Team

HSBC House Esplanade St Helier Jersey JE1 1HS

Find your nearest branch

The certifier must state the following on all required documents:

‘I confirm that this is a true and accurate copy of the original document’.

If the document contains a photograph, the certifier must also add:

‘and that the photograph bears a true likeness to the individual requesting the certification’.

The certifier must sign and date the document and add their full name, address, and professional position in block capitals.

Once we have received notification of a death, we will let you know about any documents we need.

For sole accounts, we will need:

Formal confirmation of the death, such as an original or certified copy of the death certificate or coroner’s certificate.

Proof of identity and address verification for the personal representatives.

In some cases, we may also need to see:

We'll convert any joint accounts into sole accounts in the names of the remaining account holders once we receive formal confirmation of the death. We'll tell the remaining account holders about this change.

We reserve the right to ask for any further documents if needed.

Is probate required?

Probate is not needed where all the assets of the deceased are held jointly with another person, and where they pass automatically to the joint owner.

In some other cases, probate may not be required. Our team will make sure you’re updated throughout, and they’ll let you know if probate is required. Decisions will not be made solely on the value of the estate.

How to apply for probate

To apply for probate, you’ll need to complete some application forms and send them to your local Probate Registry or court.

If there’s no will, the probate registry or court in the relevant island will check that you’re legally allowed to deal with the estate, and once satisfied they’ll issue a legal document called the grant of letters of administration.

Application forms and details of the process for obtaining a grant of probate can be found on each island’s website:

Jersey gov.je

Guernsey gov.gg

Isle of Man gov.im

We may need to see the will to make sure we’re dealing with the correct personal representative(s) of the deceased customer.

We may close the deceased customer’s accounts without seeing the will; however, we reserve the right to ask to see the will if needed.

If someone dies without making a will, they are said to have died ‘intestate’.

In this case, the deceased’s assets will be dealt with according to the law of the country the deceased was domiciled in. In cases of intestacy, personal representatives will be appointed following a court procedure. We'll be dealing with the appointed representative. If nobody has been appointed and the deceased’s next of kin require urgent assistance with funeral costs, we may be able to discuss this.

If you're unsure what should happen when there's no will, it's best to seek independent legal advice.

If we held any assets in safe keeping for the deceased customer, including wills, we will provide details of these items to the personal representative(s) and the steps they need to take to retrieve them.

Once we're notified of a death, all sole accounts held by the deceased customer will be frozen. We have a legal obligation to protect these accounts against theft, fraud and financial crime.

Freezing the accounts stops money being withdrawn, including standing orders or Direct Debits. You are still, however, able to pay money into the account.

Any third party mandates, appointments of guardian/deputy/receiver and power attorneys are also cancelled upon notification of death.

Once we receive formal confirmation of the death, we will transfer any joint accounts into the name(s) of the remaining account holder(s), unless there are any disputes over the estate. The remaining account holder(s) will be notified of this change.

The account can continue to be used, and the account number will remain the same. New cheque and paying in books will be ordered as required.

Once we're notified of a death, we will inform all parts of HSBC Channel Islands and Isle of Man who have a relationship with the deceased customer. We will provide the personal representative(s) with details of these products.

The respective teams who manage these products will then contact the personal representative(s) to discuss next steps. If the deceased customer held a number of different products, you may be contacted separately by the different teams.

If the customer has HSBC accounts in other countries or regions (e.g. the UK), you will need to notify them separately. We can't share this customer data with other regions.

For more information, see our bereavement support guide (PDF, 6.6MB).

All credit cards in the name of the deceased customer will be cancelled as soon as we are notified of the death.

If a secondary card was held by an additional cardholder, this card will also be cancelled. The additional cardholder will need to apply for a new credit card in their name if they still want one.

If the deceased customer held a secondary card for a credit card account in someone else’s name, this account will remain open in the name of the primary cardholder, but the secondary card will be cancelled.

For more information, see our bereavement support guide (PDF, 6.6 MB).

If the deceased customer was a donor, i.e. there was a power of attorney, third party mandate or appointment of guardian/deputy/receiver on their accounts, these are cancelled upon notification of death.

If the attorney/deputy/third party is also the personal representative, their responsibilities as attorney/deputy/third party will cease. Their role as the personal representative will continue. Please note, account access may differ as a personal representative to that of an attorney/deputy/third party.

If the attorney/deputy/third party is not the personal representative, all responsibilities and access will cease.

If it's a sole account, no. Sole accounts will be frozen when we are notified of the death to prevent any withdrawals. We have a legal obligation to cancel any standing orders and Direct Debits - including utility bills, mortgage or loan payments and home insurance.

If any of these payments need to continue, you’ll need to contact the companies concerned to arrange new payments from a different account.

Our team can provide the personal representative(s) with a list of the standing orders and Direct Debits on the deceased’s accounts, once we have verified their identity and address.

Yes, even once the account has been frozen, you can still pay money in.

Please bear in mind, some payments may be reclaimed, e.g. state pension. We suggest you notify your government pension provider of the death as soon as possible if you haven't done so already.

Once we've received formal confirmation of the death, we will send the personal representative(s) a letter including details of the products and balances held at date of death.

Once we receive all the documentation needed to close the account(s), we will combine the balances and aim to release the funds within 2 weeks. This applies to savings and current accounts. Where there are other products held by the deceased customer, such as investments, this may take longer and we will advise you of this separately.

If we are aware of a dispute over the estate, we will not be able to release any funds until we have seen the grant of probate or letters of administration.

Yes, subject to legal requirements. Once we have received formal confirmation of the death, and we’ve been provided with the funeral bill, where sufficient funds are available, we may pay the funeral bill for you from the deceased customer’s account.

If the bill is an estimate, we can pay the deposit from the deceased customer’s account.

If there isn't enough money in the deceased customer’s account to cover the entire funeral cost, we can make a partial payment to the value of the funds available, with written confirmation from the personal representative(s).

If you have already paid the funeral bill from your own account, we may be able to reimburse you from the deceased customer’s account once we receive formal confirmation of the death and proof of payment.

If there isn't enough money to cover these costs, you can find out more about the help available in our bereavement support guide (PDF, 6.6 MB).

No, the Channel Islands and Isle of Man are exempt from inheritance tax.