The Family Handover KitAustralia
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Bank accounts after a death: what six Australian banks publish

How Commonwealth Bank, Westpac, ANZ, NAB, Macquarie and ING each say they handle a deceased customer's accounts: how to tell them, when each says it asks for a grant, and what each says about funeral costs.

General information · not legal advice · not a law firm.

What this page covers

Six banks, one card each. For each bank: whether the free notifier reaches it, how the bank asks to be told, what it says happens to the accounts, what it says about joint accounts, what it publishes about when it asks for a grant of probate or letters of administration, what it says about funeral costs and other bills, and, where it publishes one, what it says happens next.

Every figure on this page is one bank's own published rule for money held with that bank, shown as the bank states it and dated. The figures differ from bank to bank.

They are not added together, and no national threshold appears on this page. Each bank can also ask for a grant in other cases, and several say so in their own words.

The joint-account line in each card is that bank's line on who can keep using the account, and this page does not say who the money in a joint account belongs to.

This page does not say whether a grant is needed for the estate you are dealing with. The bank holding an account can say what it asks for before it releases that account. A solicitor can look at the whole estate. What a grant is, and where each court explains it

Commonwealth Bank

Australia · general information · checked 11 October 2026

On the free notifier's list

Commonwealth Bank · on the ADNS list

How to tell it

It says a notification can be made online or at a branch appointment, even before any of the documents are to hand. Commonwealth Bank's Estate Settlement Services team: 1800 686 153, Monday to Friday, 8.30 am to 6.30 pm.

What happens to the accounts

Commonwealth Bank says accounts and cards belonging solely to the deceased are stopped, including recurring payments and direct debits, and direct credits can still be received until the account is closed.

Joint accounts

Commonwealth Bank says joint bank accounts continue as normal.

When it asks for a grant

Commonwealth Bank says a grant of probate or letters of administration is needed if the estate's balance in solely held accounts with it is more than A$100,000, or if the bank asks for one.

This is Commonwealth Bank's rule for accounts held with Commonwealth Bank. It is not a rule about the estate as a whole, and the bank keeps the right to ask in other cases.

Funeral costs and other bills

Commonwealth Bank says it can release funds to pay or reimburse immediate funeral expenses, when the request comes from the person who paid for the funeral or to whom the invoice is addressed.

Westpac

Australia · general information · checked 11 October 2026

On the free notifier's list

Westpac · on the ADNS list

How to tell it

Westpac says anyone can tell it that someone has died, and that only the next of kin, the executor or a legal representative of the estate can manage the estate.

Westpac's estates team: estatesmanagement@westpac.com.au, or 1300 130 240, 9 am to 5 pm Sydney time, Monday to Friday.

What happens to the accounts

Westpac says it places a permanent hold on a sole transaction or savings account: money cannot be withdrawn, direct debits and recurring payments are stopped, and payments into the account can continue.

Joint accounts

Westpac says joint account holders keep access as usual.

When it asks for a grant

Westpac publishes no figure for this. Its page gives no balance above which it asks for a grant of probate or letters of administration, so this page shows none. Whether Westpac asks for a grant in a particular estate is for Westpac to say.

Funeral costs and other bills

Westpac lists payments it can make even without probate, including funeral costs, probate application fees, medical fees and aged care facility bills.

What happens next

It says it will write within 14 business days confirming how the accounts have been protected and what to do next.

ANZ

Australia · general information · checked 11 October 2026

On the free notifier's list

ANZ · on the ADNS list

How to tell it

ANZ Bereavement Services: 1800 237 170 (+61 3 8699 6969 from outside Australia), Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5.30 pm.

What happens to the accounts

ANZ says that once told, it places a stop on accounts held individually in the deceased's name, where appropriate, to secure them and restrict the debit transactions that can be made.

Joint accounts

ANZ says the joint account holder can continue to use their own debit card, and that it will generally transfer a joint account into the joint holder's name once it has the documents it needs from the authorised estate representative.

When it asks for a grant

ANZ says it will generally require a grant of probate (where there is a will) or letters of administration (where there is not) when the estate's balance in solely held accounts with it is A$100,000 or more.

ANZ's own word is "generally". This is its rule for accounts held with ANZ, not a rule about the estate as a whole.

Funeral costs and other bills

ANZ says it can help with access to estate funds to pay funeral costs and certain other expenses, such as probate filing fees, while the estate is being finalised.

Its Bereavement Services team can generally arrange for a probate application fee to be paid from available estate funds, if an invoice is provided.

NAB

Australia · general information · checked 11 October 2026

On the free notifier's list

NAB · on the ADNS list

How to tell it

NAB Bereavement Services: 1300 911 451, Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm.

What happens to the accounts

NAB says it preserves the accounts by putting a stop on them: accounts held solely by the deceased are stopped to debits, and direct debits and other recurring payments between NAB accounts are cancelled.

After being told, NAB says it will identify any fees that should not be charged, refund them, and stop charging them.

Joint accounts

NAB says that for a joint account in credit, the surviving account holder keeps access to it.

When it asks for a grant

NAB says it needs a grant of probate or letters of administration if the total value of accounts in credit held with it is A$100,000 or more, if a grant has been applied for or already exists, if it has received other claims to the estate or there is an indication of a dispute, or if it suspects fraud or financial abuse.

Four cases, and only one of them is a figure. This is NAB's rule for what is held with NAB.

NAB says that in all cases it can ask to see a grant, at its own discretion.

One more line is for an estate whose executor or administrator, or the court that issued its grant, is outside Australia.

NAB says its figure is A$50,000 where the executor or administrator, or the court that issued the grant, is outside Australia, and that it then needs to see the grant resealed by an Australian court. This page does not say what a reseal involves. NAB's page, or a solicitor, can.

Funeral costs and other bills

NAB says funeral expenses, and court filing fees for a grant not yet issued, can be covered up to A$15,000 from available funds in the deceased's accounts, released within 14 business days of the request.

Macquarie Bank

Australia · general information · checked 11 October 2026

Not on the free notifier's list

Macquarie Bank · not on the ADNS list

How to tell it

Macquarie Bank asks to be told by email, to clientservicesupport@macquarie.com. It asks to be told of the death even before proof of death is to hand, with the document sent later.

What happens to the accounts

Macquarie Bank says withdrawals from accounts solely in the deceased's name stop, including card access, direct debits and recurring payments, and payments into the account are not affected.

Joint accounts

Macquarie Bank says a joint account remains open and can continue to be accessed by the other account holders.

When it asks for a grant

Macquarie Bank says it requires a grant of probate if total investments in individual accounts with it exceed A$100,000, if the person held an investment account, a Macquarie loan or shares, if beneficiaries are known to be in dispute, or if a certified copy of the will and death certificate cannot be obtained.

Four cases, and only one of them is a figure. This is Macquarie's rule for what is held with Macquarie.

Funeral costs and other bills

Once it has proof of death, Macquarie says it can pay funeral expenses, or reimburse them, from the deceased person's bank account.

ING

Australia · general information · checked 11 October 2026

Not on the free notifier's list

ING · not on the ADNS list

How to tell it

ING asks to be told by phone, on 1800 550 003, 8 am to 8 pm (AEST/AEDT), Monday to Friday. In all matters ING requires a certified copy of the death certificate issued by Births, Deaths and Marriages.

Joint accounts

ING says a bank account held in both names can be transferred into the surviving holder's name, or closed with the funds paid to an authorised account.

When it asks for a grant

ING says it assesses each estate, may require a grant of probate or letters of administration in some cases, and says so in the first letter it sends after receiving the death certificate. ING publishes no balance figure. Its answer comes by letter, estate by estate.

Funeral costs and other bills

ING says it will pay the funeral home when given an invoice and a letter of direction.

What happens next

ING's first letter after it receives the death certificate is where it says whether it needs a grant (the line above). This page has no other published ING line on the steps that follow.

FAQ

Common questions

There is no single answer. Each bank publishes its own statement, and this page shows each one as the bank states it.

Commonwealth Bank says a grant of probate or letters of administration is needed if the estate's balance in solely held accounts with it is more than A$100,000, or if the bank asks for one.

ANZ says it will generally require a grant of probate (where there is a will) or letters of administration (where there is not) when the estate's balance in solely held accounts with it is A$100,000 or more.

NAB says it needs a grant of probate or letters of administration if the total value of accounts in credit held with it is A$100,000 or more, if a grant has been applied for or already exists, if it has received other claims to the estate or there is an indication of a dispute, or if it suspects fraud or financial abuse.

For one case NAB's figure is lower: NAB says its figure is A$50,000 where the executor or administrator, or the court that issued the grant, is outside Australia, and that it then needs to see the grant resealed by an Australian court.

Macquarie Bank says it requires a grant of probate if total investments in individual accounts with it exceed A$100,000, if the person held an investment account, a Macquarie loan or shares, if beneficiaries are known to be in dispute, or if a certified copy of the will and death certificate cannot be obtained.

ING says it assesses each estate, may require a grant of probate or letters of administration in some cases, and says so in the first letter it sends after receiving the death certificate.

Westpac publishes no figure. Each figure is that bank's rule for money held with that bank. They are not added together, they are not a national threshold, and each bank can ask for a grant in other cases.

This page cannot say what a particular estate needs. The bank holding the account can say what it asks for, and a solicitor can look at the whole estate.

Australia · general information · checked 11 October 2026

Each bank publishes its own line, and none of the five shown here uses the word "freeze": they say stop, hold or preserve.

Commonwealth Bank says accounts and cards belonging solely to the deceased are stopped, including recurring payments and direct debits, and direct credits can still be received until the account is closed.

Westpac says it places a permanent hold on a sole transaction or savings account: money cannot be withdrawn, direct debits and recurring payments are stopped, and payments into the account can continue.

ANZ says that once told, it places a stop on accounts held individually in the deceased's name, where appropriate, to secure them and restrict the debit transactions that can be made.

NAB says it preserves the accounts by putting a stop on them: accounts held solely by the deceased are stopped to debits, and direct debits and other recurring payments between NAB accounts are cancelled.

Macquarie Bank says withdrawals from accounts solely in the deceased's name stop, including card access, direct debits and recurring payments, and payments into the account are not affected.

ING publishes no line on accounts in the deceased's sole name, so this page shows none for ING. Each line above is about accounts in the deceased's sole name; joint accounts have their own question below.

What happens to a particular account once a bank is told is for that bank to say. Each bank's page is linked in its card.

Australia · general information · checked 11 October 2026

Each bank publishes its own rule for this, with its own conditions. Commonwealth Bank says it can release funds to pay or reimburse immediate funeral expenses, when the request comes from the person who paid for the funeral or to whom the invoice is addressed.

Westpac lists payments it can make even without probate, including funeral costs, probate application fees, medical fees and aged care facility bills.

ANZ says it can help with access to estate funds to pay funeral costs and certain other expenses, such as probate filing fees, while the estate is being finalised.

NAB says funeral expenses, and court filing fees for a grant not yet issued, can be covered up to A$15,000 from available funds in the deceased's accounts, released within 14 business days of the request.

Once it has proof of death, Macquarie says it can pay funeral expenses, or reimburse them, from the deceased person's bank account.

ING says it will pay the funeral home when given an invoice and a letter of direction.

Australia · general information · checked 11 October 2026

Each bank says who. Westpac says anyone can tell it that someone has died, and that only the next of kin, the executor or a legal representative of the estate can manage the estate.

Two banks say not to wait for documents. Commonwealth Bank: It says a notification can be made online or at a branch appointment, even before any of the documents are to hand.

Macquarie Bank: It asks to be told of the death even before proof of death is to hand, with the document sent later. For the other banks, the contact line in each card is where that bank says to start.

Australia · general information · checked 11 October 2026

It varies by bank, and each card shows what that bank says. In all matters ING requires a certified copy of the death certificate issued by Births, Deaths and Marriages.

Macquarie Bank: It asks to be told of the death even before proof of death is to hand, with the document sent later.

Commonwealth Bank: It says a notification can be made online or at a branch appointment, even before any of the documents are to hand. How a death certificate is ordered in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland

Australia · general information · checked 11 October 2026

Four of these six were on the list ADNS showed for a death in New South Wales, Victoria or Queensland.

  • Commonwealth Bank · on the ADNS list
  • Westpac · on the ADNS list
  • ANZ · on the ADNS list
  • NAB · on the ADNS list

Two were not:

  • Macquarie Bank · not on the ADNS list
  • ING · not on the ADNS list

Who the free notifier reaches, organisation by organisation

Australia · general information · checked 11 October 2026

Each bank publishes a line on who can keep using a joint account, and that is all this page shows: access, not ownership.

Commonwealth Bank says joint bank accounts continue as normal. Westpac says joint account holders keep access as usual.

ANZ says the joint account holder can continue to use their own debit card, and that it will generally transfer a joint account into the joint holder's name once it has the documents it needs from the authorised estate representative.

NAB says that for a joint account in credit, the surviving account holder keeps access to it.

Macquarie Bank says a joint account remains open and can continue to be accessed by the other account holders.

ING says a bank account held in both names can be transferred into the surviving holder's name, or closed with the funds paid to an authorised account.

Every figure on this page is about accounts in the deceased's sole name. Who the money in a joint account belongs to is not something this page says; the bank, or a solicitor, can.

Australia · general information · checked 11 October 2026

Tell the bank. Each card above shows how that bank asks to be told, and two banks say not to wait for documents: Commonwealth Bank and Macquarie.

What the bank asks for after that, and whether it wants a grant, is for the bank to say, in its own published words, and each card shows those. This page does not say what a particular estate needs.

Where to get help with your situation

This page cannot tell you what applies to the estate you are dealing with. These official routes can point you to someone who can.

New South Wales

New South Wales · general information · checked 10 October 2026

Victoria

Victoria · general information · checked 10 October 2026

Queensland

Queensland · general information · checked 10 October 2026

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