Guidance for personal executors

To pass Shelter a gift of a set sum of money, please email our Senior Legacy Administration Manager, Tom Newton, at legacyadmin@shelter.org.uk (or include a cover letter with any cheque sent by post), confirming:

• the full name and last address of the person who has left the gift to Shelter

• the gift amount (please include a copy or extract of the will showing the gift to Shelter)

• the date any bank transfer to Shelter was made

Once you have started the administration of the estate, please forward us copies of the following documents:

• a copy of the will and any codicils showing the gift to Shelter

• a schedule of the estate assets and liabilities as recorded at the date of death for probate purposes

• any inheritance tax calculation already completed

• any relevant property valuation reports you have already obtained

You can email this information to our Senior Legacy Administration Manager, Tom Newton, at legacyadmin@shelter.org.uk.

We need this information to fulfil our regulatory obligations to our trustees and beneficiaries.

Preparing final estate accounts

When acting as an executor, it is important to keep a record of all financial incomings and outgoings during your administration of the estate. The best way to do this is to create a set of estate accounts and update these as money comes in or goes out.

You can then ask the beneficiaries to approve the estate accounts before you release the money to them. This will ensure that you are protected in your role as executor.

Estate accounts normally show:

• the assets and liabilities of the estate (as originally recorded for probate purposes)

• any changes in the value of these assets during the administration

• any additional assets discovered after probate was granted

• your expenses (executors are allowed to claim for out-of-pocket expenses e.g. postage costs)

• any income received during the administration of the estate e.g. bank interest or share dividends

• how it is proposed to distribute the estate under the terms of the will

Once the estate administration is complete and you’re ready to distribute the money, please send us a copy of the final estate accounts for our records.

If Shelter has been left a different type of gift, such as a specific gift of property or shares, then please email Tom Newton, Senior Legacy Administration Manager at legacyadmin@shelter.org.uk to discuss further.