Bank probate thresholds compared (2026)
Last reviewed 18 August 2026
Before troubling the Probate Registry at all, the sensible executor asks a narrower question: will each bank release what it holds without a grant? Every bank sets its own threshold — and, the point most guides miss, several banks do not publish a figure at all.
The £50,000 convention, and its limits
Most major banks are commonly cited at around £50,000: Barclays, Santander and Nationwide among them. NatWest is variously cited at £25,000 and £50,000; digital banks sit far lower (Starling around £10,000; Atom and Revolut around £5,000). HSBC operates no fixed threshold and reviews each case.
Crucially, Halifax and Lloyds do not print a figure on their own bereavement pages — the “£50,000” attached to them is a secondary-source convention applied through a small-estates form, not a published guarantee. We mark, for every bank, whether the figure is published or convention.
How to read a bank threshold
Thresholds apply per institution, not to the total estate, and to the balance at the date of death. Joint accounts pass to the survivor regardless of balance. Where banks share a group (Lloyds, Halifax, Bank of Scotland), each is usually assessed separately. Always confirm the current figure with the bank’s bereavement team before relying on it.
Questions
Which banks release the most without probate?+
Do the thresholds apply to the whole estate?+
What about Scotland?+
Sources. Individual bank bereavement pages (each figure confirmed and dated per bank); Death Notification Service. Figures marked “published” vs “secondary convention”.