Executor checklist for Queensland: the tasks each official body publishes, in its own words

Registering the death

In Queensland, the funeral director usually registers the death on behalf of the family. The registry says the death needs to be registered within 14 days.

When no funeral director is involved

Where no funeral director is registering the death, it is registered by applying to the registry, by post or in person.

The certificate

The registry says a death certificate can be ordered at the same time as registering a death with it.

Two kinds of certificate

Queensland issues two kinds of death certificate. The official certificate shows the cause of death and is the one used to finalise estate matters. The limited certificate does not show the cause of death and may not be accepted by all organisations.

Who the registry says can apply

The registry's published list of who can apply: the person's spouse, parent or child; the person who gave the details and signed the death registration; the funeral director; or an executor of the estate. Its page lists who else can apply. That is the registry's published list. This page does not say whether you can apply.

The fee

The registry's published fee for a death certificate is A$58.10, official or limited, or A$116.20 for one of each. An urgent application costs A$34.45 extra. Regular postage is free.

How long it takes

The registry's published processing times: up to 10 business days, or within 2 business days for an urgent application, which costs extra. Postage and public holidays add time.

Why the certificate comes early

A death certificate must have been issued before ADNS can be used.

Its page

Queensland Government · Register a death

Which states it covers

ADNS says it is supported by all states and territories.

Who it says can use it

ADNS says it can be used by anyone with legal authority to administer the estate, and that they may be asked for documents showing it.

How it works

It takes the details of the person who has died and sends them to the organisations you choose from its list.

How long it takes

ADNS says a notification takes 5 to 15 minutes.

The organisations' time to reply

Those organisations should make contact within 10 business days.

Who it does not reach

Organisations choose whether to join. ADNS says it cannot make them take part.

The ones it misses

ADNS suggests forwarding its confirmation email to organisations not on the service. It says the email holds all the details already entered.

Whether a grant is needed, in the court's words

The court says a grant of probate is not always needed, and to check with the organisation involved, such as the bank, to confirm what it requires.

Where the court explains it

Queensland Courts · About grants of administration (including when a grant may not be needed)

The grants it names

The court names three grants: probate; letters of administration with the will; and letters of administration without a will (intestacy).

The notice

Before applying, the intention to apply is advertised in the Queensland Law Reporter, using the wording in Form 103.

The wait after the notice appears

After the notice appears in the Queensland Law Reporter, the court says to wait 14 days, to allow objections. If the registry is closed on the 15th day, filing is on the next business day.

The notice to the Public Trustee

A copy of the notice is also sent to the Queensland Public Trustee. The court says to wait at least 7 days after the Public Trustee receives it before filing.

How the application is made

People applying without a law firm file in person or by post at a Supreme Court registry in Brisbane, Cairns, Rockhampton or Townsville. Law firms lodge online.

What the court says is filed

Application for probate, or for letters of administration with the will: Form 101.

The fee the court publishes

The court's fee for filing an application for probate or letters of administration is A$847.60.

Bond, as the Act states it

Section 51 of the Succession Act 1981, headed 'Abolition of administration bond and sureties', says neither an administration bond nor sureties in support of one are required of any administrator. That is the Act's own statement, and the only line on this page about a bond.

When there is no will

Where there is no valid will, the grant is letters of administration without a will (intestacy).

A waiting step where there is no will

Rule 612 of the Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 1999 says the court must not make a grant on an intestacy within 30 days after the death, unless it considers urgent circumstances justify a grant before the end of the 30 days.

After filing

The court says applications filed in person or by post are digitised, which means a longer wait before the electronic grant is issued.

The court's step-by-step page

Queensland Courts · Apply for a grant of administration (the court's step-by-step page)

Services Australia: the time

Services Australia says it needs to be told of a death within 28 days, in one of three ways: by calling the Older Australians line, by sending the Advice of death form, or at a service centre. This is Services Australia's time to be told.

Services Australia: the form

Services Australia says it uses the Advice of death form to update records with Medicare, Centrelink and Child Support. The form: Services Australia · Advice of death form (SA116)

Services Australia: payments

Services Australia says that when it is told about a death, it works out whether a payment can be made, and how much. This page does not say whether any payment will be made to anyone.

Not reached by the free notifier

Services Australia (Centrelink, Medicare) · not on the ADNS list

The ATO: before the documents are ready

The ATO says that if the supporting documents are not ready yet, its Individuals enquiries line can be told unofficially that the person has died, and it will pause the deceased's tax correspondence until you are ready.

The ATO: one form

One ATO form does both jobs: it officially tells the ATO of the death and of who will manage the estate.

The ATO's suggestion about timing

The ATO says that if a grant of probate or letters of administration will be applied for, it is better to wait for the grant before sending the notification, to avoid delays.

This is the ATO's own suggestion about its own process. It is not a reason, on its own, to apply for a grant, and this page does not say whether a grant is needed.

The ATO: proving identity at Australia Post

After the online form is sent, the ATO asks for identity to be verified at a participating Australia Post outlet within 30 days.

The ATO's time to update its records

The ATO says it takes up to 28 days to update the deceased person's records after it receives the notification. This is the ATO's time to act once told. It is not Services Australia's time to be told, above.

Not reached by the free notifier

Australian Taxation Office · not on the ADNS list

The final return

The ATO says a final tax return for the income year in which the person died is called a 'date of death' tax return, and that it is different from the trust tax return for the estate.

This page does not say whether a return is needed for the estate you are dealing with, or whether tax will be owed.

How it is told

The Department of Transport and Main Roads says it may be told of a death by Births, Deaths and Marriages or by the person's next of kin, and then sends a letter to the person's last known address listing any vehicles or number plates in their name to be transferred or cancelled.

What it does when told

The Department of Transport and Main Roads says that when it is told a person has died it places a restriction on any vehicles and personalised or customised plates in their name, that the restriction does not cancel the registration, and that the registration cannot be renewed until it is transferred to an eligible person or legal entity.

A vehicle in two names

The Department of Transport and Main Roads says a vehicle registered in two names can be transferred free of charge to the surviving registered operator, who produces proof of death (if a Registration Notice Individual Restriction letter has not been received) and original evidence of identity, and that no other forms or documents are required.

Where there is a grant, in the tool's words

In its question-and-answer tool, the Department of Transport and Main Roads says that where there is a grant of probate or letters of administration, the original or certified copies of the grant are presented with form F5296 (Application to Transact with Registration Products on behalf of a Deceased Person), and the Will, a death certificate and the statutory declaration on that form are not needed.

Where a grant has been applied for, in the tool's words

In its question-and-answer tool, the Department of Transport and Main Roads says that where a grant of probate or letters of administration has been applied for but not yet granted, the deceased person's registration products cannot be finalised until the grant is made.

Where there is a will but no grant, in the tool's words

In its question-and-answer tool, the Department of Transport and Main Roads says that where there is a valid Will but no grant, the original or a certified copy of the last known valid Will is presented, the person is an executor named in that Will, and form F5296 is completed including the statutory declaration.

Transferring or cancelling

The Department of Transport and Main Roads says that once a decision is made to transfer or cancel, an administrator, executor or next of kin presents original evidence of identity and pays any applicable fees, and that where there are several executors or administrators only one signs and presents original evidence of identity.

Into the estate for now

The Department of Transport and Main Roads says vehicle registrations can be temporarily transferred to the estate of the deceased person, with an administrator, executor or next of kin nominated as the second registered operator and responsible for the vehicle and registration until it is transferred out of the estate or cancelled.

A wait the department describes

The Department of Transport and Main Roads says that in most cases a beneficiary receives benefits under the will only if they survive the person by at least 30 days, and it tells people not to apply to transfer a vehicle registration in that time unless the Will says otherwise or the registration is going into the 'estate of' the person.

That is the department's own line about when it takes a transfer application. This page does not say who receives anything under a will.

Cancelling: the order the department gives

The Department of Transport and Main Roads says that where the registered operator has died, the executor, administrator or next of kin transfers the registration into the Estate of the deceased or to another person before cancelling it, which it says makes sure any unused portion of registration is refunded to the correct person.

The cancellation form and the plates

The Department of Transport and Main Roads says cancelling a registration involves the cancellation of registration form (F3517), one form for each registration when cancelling fewer than 5, and handing in the number plates (with a receipt), except for personalised or customised plates being kept or plates that are lost, stolen or destroyed, which are declared in Section 7 of the form.

Where the form goes

The Department of Transport and Main Roads says the cancellation form can be submitted in person, by mail to Registration cancellations, PO Box 372, Longreach QLD 4730, or by email to regocancellations@tmr.qld.gov.au (email only if the plates have already been surrendered or are not required to be).

Duty on the vehicle, as the Queensland Government states it

The Queensland Government's vehicle registration duty page says duty is not charged on vehicles from a deceased estate transferred to the personal representative of the estate or to a person beneficially entitled to the vehicle, and that a certified copy of the original will is provided to exercise powers as a personal representative, or the person shows they are an eligible beneficiary.

That is the government's own page on its own exemption. This page does not say whether duty applies to any vehicle, or who is entitled to one.

Its page

Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads · Transferring registration from a deceased registered operator (the page shows "Last updated: 11 September 2026")

A refund the department describes

The Department of Transport and Main Roads says a current (not expired) driver licence surrendered on behalf of a deceased person may be eligible for a refund of the remaining time on the licence, applied for at a transport and motoring service centre or, if that is not possible, by mail, with the refund issued by cheque in the name of the licensee or the licensee's estate.

In person

For a refund in person on behalf of a deceased person, the Department of Transport and Main Roads lists the deceased person's driver licence (unless it was lost, stolen or destroyed) and one supporting document: a death certificate, a Coroner's report, a certificate of authority issued by the Public Trustee under the Public Trustee Act 1978, a grant of probate stamped with court seal, or advice from the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.

By mail

For a refund by mail on behalf of a deceased person, the Department of Transport and Main Roads lists a completed return/surrender declaration form (F4778), the driver licence (unless lost, stolen or destroyed) and a copy of a supporting document certified by a JP or other qualified person, posted to the Emerald Customer Service Centre, PO Box 1787, Emerald QLD 4720.

Its page

Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads · Surrendering a licence (the page shows "Last updated: 29 October 2024")

How to tell it

Titles Queensland says that where a person's name appears on a Queensland title, it is told of their death so that their property, mortgages and leases can be dealt with, by lodging the relevant forms with supporting evidence and paying the lodgement fee.

What it says to find out first

Titles Queensland says the first things to know are what interest the person held (owner, lease holder or mortgagee) and how they held it (sole owner, tenant in common or joint tenant), which a current title search can show, bought online from Titles Queensland or obtained from a solicitor.

Whose name, as the titles office puts it

Titles Queensland says that in most cases dealing with the property interest involves putting it in the name of either the personal representative of the estate (usually the executor/s in the will or those granted probate, who hold it on behalf of the estate) or the beneficiaries of the estate (also called the legatee or devisee).

That is the titles office's general description of its own applications. This page does not say whose name any title goes into.

A joint tenant

Titles Queensland says that under a joint tenancy the interest of a joint tenant who dies passes immediately to the surviving joint tenant/s by survivorship, not under the will, and that the surviving joint tenant/s record the death with Titles Queensland to change the title.

The evidence it names for a joint tenant

Titles Queensland says the evidence of death for a joint tenant is a copy of the official certificate of death (short or long extract) from the relevant registry of births, deaths and marriages, and that a good quality photocopy certified as a true copy by a justice of the peace, commissioner for declarations or Australian lawyer is acceptable.

The fee

Titles Queensland's FY2026/27 fee schedule lists a lodging fee under the Land Title Act 1994 of A$46.56 for 1 lot for an instrument that changes ownership to record the death of an individual who is a joint tenant.

How it is lodged, and the time it publishes

Titles Queensland says its Titles Electronic Drop Box is designed for self-representing individuals to lodge a limited selection of single-party dealings, including Form 4 (request to record death) and Forms 5 and 5A (transmission by death, grant issued), with its standard client service timeline for correctly lodged titling instruments being five business days.

Its page

Titles Queensland · Recording a death with Titles Queensland

What a transmission application is

The Land Title Practice Manual says a transmission application registers an estate in the name of a new registered owner or holder after the death of a sole registered owner, sole holder of an interest, or the interest of a tenant in common, that the death of a joint tenant is dealt with by a Form 4 request to record death, and that a lot or interest may be transmitted to the personal representative (Form 5 or 5A) or to the devisee or legatee named in the last will (Form 6).

With a grant

The Land Title Practice Manual says Form 5 is used by a personal representative who has obtained a grant of representation in Queensland, a reseal of a grant, or a Queensland recognised grant not resealed in Queensland, and lists the documents lodged with it, including probate (original or Supreme Court office copy), reseal of probate, letters of administration, or an election to administer with a certificate of authority.

By a beneficiary, and a wait the manual describes

The Land Title Practice Manual says a Form 6 transmission application is made by a devisee or legatee with the written consent of the personal representative, and that because section 33B of the Succession Act 1981 requires a beneficiary to survive the testator by 30 days unless the will shows a contrary intention, a Form 6 cannot be executed within 30 days of the death unless such a contrary intention appears.

That is the manual's own line about its own form. This page does not say who is a beneficiary of any estate.

The original will

The Land Title Practice Manual says the original will is generally lodged with the transmission application when probate has not been taken out, that original wills are treated with extreme care with no marks or holes made in them, and that an original will is not stapled to the application.

The Public Trustee's certificate, as the manual names it

The Land Title Practice Manual says that where the Public Trustee is the applicant, a certificate is lodged if an order to administer or an election to administer is relied on, and that evidence of the order to administer is a certificate of authority issued under s. 138 of the Public Trustee Act 1978.

Its page

Titles Queensland · Land Title Practice Manual, Part 5, 5A, 6: Transmission Applications (the manual shows "Updated: 28 April 2026")

An exemption it describes

The Queensland Revenue Office says an exemption from transfer duty may be applied for when distributing the property of a deceased person's estate, where the transaction is made according to the will or the rules of intestacy.

A joint tenant

The Queensland Revenue Office says no duty is paid on a transfer that results from the death of a joint tenant, because the deceased person's share passes immediately to the surviving joint tenant(s), and that this exemption does not apply to property held as tenants in common.

A transmission application by a devisee or legatee

The Queensland Revenue Office says a transmission application for registration as devisee/legatee (Form 6) is not dutiable and does not require a stamp to be lodged with Titles Queensland.

What it says is lodged to claim it

The Queensland Revenue Office lists what is lodged to claim the exemption: a copy of the will or schedule of intestacy, the transfer documents, a dutiable transaction statement (Form D2.2), an identity details annexure for each non-Australian transferor and transferee when transferring real property, and a covering letter, with a schedule of distribution if the transfer is not in accordance with the will or intestacy.

Land tax

The Queensland Revenue Office says receiving an interest in land from a distribution of a deceased estate may affect a beneficiary's land tax liability.

Its page

Queensland Revenue Office · Death of a property owner exemption (the page shows "Last updated: 3 June 2026")

A permit to acquire

The Queensland Police Service says a permit to acquire is no longer valid if the licence it was issued to is suspended, cancelled, revoked, surrendered or expires, or the holder of the permit is deceased.

What the police said about family members

A Queensland Police Service media release of 29 October 2025 quotes a Detective Superintendent saying that family members who are not appropriately licensed cannot take responsibility for firearms that are left behind, and says police noted that bereaved family members were often not registered firearm holders and that in some instances firearms from deceased estates were stolen.

Its page

Queensland Police Service · Weapons Licensing Group fact sheet: Applying for a Permit to Acquire (names an enquiry form for acquiring from a deceased estate)

What the Queensland court says about them

The court says organisations such as banks and super funds often ask for formal proof, called probate.

A tool the court publishes for them

Queensland Courts says its verification tool lets outside parties such as financial institutions confirm their clients' court-issued grants, which include letters of administration with or without a will.

Telling a bank before the documents are ready: Commonwealth Bank

It says a notification can be made online or at a branch appointment, even before any of the documents are to hand.

What a bank says happens next: Westpac

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

Funeral costs: Westpac

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

Super: who decides

The ATO says the super fund's trustee works out who will receive the benefits. Super paid after a death is called a super death benefit.

Super: telling the fund

The ATO says the super fund (or funds) should be contacted directly, to tell them of the death and discuss the release of the super. If there is no authorised legal personal representative, the ATO may inform the fund, which then decides whether to contact the family.

A fund's first contact: Aware Super

Aware Super says a dedicated case manager will contact the person who told it within 10 business days.

A fund's objection window: AustralianSuper

Claimants have 28 days from being notified of its decision to agree or object, and if one disagrees with the final decision, 28 days to complain to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA), which it describes as free and independent. These are the fund's objection windows, not a time to tell anyone of the death.

The ATO

To notify the ATO of a death, it asks for one of these: the death certificate, the grant of probate or letters of administration, or the will.

The ATO: originals or certified copies

The ATO says the documents shown at Australia Post need to be either originals or certified copies, and can be taken home afterwards.

Services Australia, for an executor or administrator

To give an executor or administrator details from its records, Services Australia asks for proof of their authority to act on the estate and an Executor/Administrator request for information form, one from each executor or administrator.

The Supreme Court of Queensland

The court keeps the certified copy of the death certificate and the original will or codicil on file. They cannot be returned.

Transport and Main Roads, for the driver licence

For a refund in person on behalf of a deceased person, the Department of Transport and Main Roads lists the deceased person's driver licence (unless it was lost, stolen or destroyed) and one supporting document: a death certificate, a Coroner's report, a certificate of authority issued by the Public Trustee under the Public Trustee Act 1978, a grant of probate stamped with court seal, or advice from the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.

Titles Queensland, for a joint tenant

Titles Queensland says the evidence of death for a joint tenant is a copy of the official certificate of death (short or long extract) from the relevant registry of births, deaths and marriages, and that a good quality photocopy certified as a true copy by a justice of the peace, commissioner for declarations or Australian lawyer is acceptable.

Queensland's two certificates

Queensland issues two kinds of death certificate. The official certificate shows the cause of death and is the one used to finalise estate matters. The limited certificate does not show the cause of death and may not be accepted by all organisations.

A bank: ING

In all matters ING requires a certified copy of the death certificate issued by Births, Deaths and Marriages.

A super fund: Hostplus

Hostplus's claims guide asks for a certified copy of the death certificate, with the cause of death if available, and one certified proof of the member's identity, such as a passport, birth certificate or driver's licence.