Finding a Deceased Person’s Assets: A Practical Guide

Finding someone’s assets after their death can take time, particularly where records are incomplete or accounts were held online.

Start with the available paperwork and known providers. Free tracing services and, where appropriate, paid searches can help fill the gaps.

On this page

• Who can investigate the deceased’s assets?
• Where to start
• Free services for finding lost accounts
• Tracing shares and investments
• Pensions, insurance and employment benefits
• Property, possessions and digital assets
• When a paid asset search may help
• Keeping records and dealing with new discoveries
• Do not overlook debts and liabilities

Who can investigate the deceased’s assets?

The people responsible for administering an estate are its personal representatives: the executors appointed by a Will, or the administrators where an appropriate grant of administration is obtained.

A relative or beneficiary can help gather information, but that relationship alone does not give authority to access accounts, withdraw money or sell estate property.

Each provider will explain what evidence it needs before disclosing information or releasing assets. Requirements may include a death certificate, identification, evidence of your role and, where necessary, a grant of representation.

Not every estate needs probate. Check with the organisations holding the assets before assuming that a grant is required.

Read more: Do I need probate?

Where to start looking for assets

1. Find the Will and any financial records

Look for the original Will and any later codicils. Also check for an estate information folder, financial summary or details of professional advisers.

A Will may provide useful clues, but it is not necessarily a complete or current list of assets.

Useful records include:

• Bank, building society and credit card statements.
• Savings certificates, Premium Bond details and investment statements.
• Share certificates and dividend notifications.
• Pension statements and insurance policies.
• Tax returns and correspondence from HMRC.
• Property records, mortgage statements and tenancy agreements.
• Business accounts, partnership agreements and company records.
• Trust documents and records of money lent to other people.

Check previous names and addresses. An account may have been overlooked because its provider still holds old contact details.

Read more: How to find the Will after a death

2. Follow the transactions

Statements can reveal assets that have no separate paperwork. Look for interest, dividends, pension payments, transfers to savings accounts and payments to investment or insurance providers.

Regular payments can also identify debts and ongoing commitments.

Record anything uncertain rather than assuming every payment is an asset or every direct debit should immediately be cancelled.

3. Ask people who may know

Relatives, friends and former colleagues may remember an employer, adviser, investment or property that does not appear in the available records.

Professional advisers may also hold useful information. Consider contacting the deceased’s accountant, financial adviser, insurance broker or solicitor.

They may need evidence of your authority before discussing confidential details.

4. Contact known providers directly

If you know which organisation holds an account or policy, use its bereavement procedure rather than relying on a general tracing service.

Ask what it held at the date of death, what information it can provide and what documents it needs.

Tell Us Once notifies participating government organisations. It does not locate all private accounts or notify banks, investment firms and insurers generally.

Free services for finding lost accounts

My Lost Account

My Lost Account is a free service for tracing lost UK bank, building society and National Savings & Investments accounts.

It can be used for searches relating to someone who has died. Follow its instructions and provide the information requested about the deceased and your role.

It is a tracing service, not a complete investigation of the estate. Continue contacting providers you already know about.

Pension Tracing Service

The free government Pension Tracing Service helps find contact details for workplace and personal pension schemes.

It does not confirm that a pension exists or tell you its value. You must contact the scheme or provider to establish whether benefits are payable.

Names of previous employers and pension providers are useful starting points.

Gretel

Gretel offers free searches for missing financial assets held by participating organisations.

Its service can also be used by executors, administrators and other representatives with the necessary authority, subject to its requirements.

A search only covers the organisations and records available through that service. A result showing no match does not prove that no asset exists elsewhere.

Check the current terms, privacy information and any optional commercial services before registering.

Tracing shares and investments

Share certificates, dividend entries and tax records may identify investments. Check for holdings through investment platforms as well as shares registered directly in the deceased’s name.

For directly registered shares, contact the company or its current share registrar through an independently verified official website.

Companies and registrars change names, merge and transfer business. An old certificate may therefore need further investigation.

Ask about:

• The holding recorded at the date of death.
• Unpaid dividends or other outstanding payments.
• Changes resulting from mergers, takeovers or reorganisations.
• Documents required to transfer or sell the holding.
• Charges for replacing certificates or completing other work.

Do not assume an old certificate is worthless, or that its printed value is the value of the investment.

Pensions, insurance and employment benefits

Contact current and former employers, pension providers and insurers where the records suggest a possible entitlement.

Possible payments include unpaid salary, employment expenses, death-in-service benefits, pension death benefits and life insurance.

Finding a benefit does not establish who receives it. Some benefits are payable to the estate; others may be payable under a trust, nomination or provider’s discretion.

The recipient and tax treatment can depend on the arrangement and the rules applying at the relevant time. Obtain confirmation from the provider rather than assuming the Will controls the payment.

Keep records of benefits identified even where they are paid outside the estate, as information may still be relevant to tax reporting.

Property, possessions and digital assets

Property and business interests

Check for property owned alone or jointly, rental property, land, overseas interests and business assets.

Establish how ownership was held. Some jointly owned assets pass to a surviving owner rather than under the Will or intestacy rules, although they may still be relevant for tax purposes.

Business interests can require specialist valuation and advice. Company or partnership documents may affect what happens after an owner’s death.

Personal possessions and money owed to the deceased

Consider vehicles, jewellery, collections, items in storage and property held by other people.

Money owed to the deceased may also be an estate asset. Look for loan agreements, repayment records and correspondence.

Keep a record before possessions are sold, given away or cleared. Obtain appropriate valuations where needed.

Digital records and assets

Emails and devices may contain clues about online savings, trading accounts, cryptocurrency, payment accounts or income-producing digital work.

Knowing a password does not, by itself, establish legal authority to use an account. Preserve devices and records, and follow the provider’s bereavement or authorised-access procedure.

Avoid deleting accounts, resetting devices or cancelling services before considering whether valuable information could be lost.

Cryptocurrency and some digital assets may require specialist assistance. Do not disclose passwords, private keys or recovery phrases to an unverified person.

When a paid asset search may help

A commercial search may be useful where records are poor, the deceased had a complicated financial history or the personal representatives want additional checks.

It can supplement enquiries, but it does not replace reviewing records, following known leads and investigating gaps.

Services differ. Before paying, ask:

• Which institutions and asset types are covered?
• Are active accounts searched as well as lost or dormant accounts?
• Are shares, insurance and pensions included?
• Are overseas assets excluded?
• Does the service search for liabilities, or only assets?
• What identity documents and authority are required?
• What is the total price, including VAT and optional extras?
• How long is the search expected to take?
• What happens if a provider responds after the report is issued?
• What does any warranty or insurance actually cover, and what are its exclusions?

No search should be treated as a guarantee that every asset or liability has been found.

A negative result may reflect limited coverage, incomplete information or records held under another name or address.

Whether a paid search is appropriate depends on the circumstances. It is not automatically compulsory in every estate.

Keep a record of the investigation

Maintain a simple list showing:

• The asset or possible asset.
• The provider and reference number.
• The enquiry date and response.
• Any further action needed.
• The date-of-death value, where relevant.
• Whether the asset belongs to the estate or passes separately.
• Any later sale proceeds, interest or other income.

Keep supporting statements, valuations and correspondence securely. Share sensitive documents only through verified channels.

What if another asset is found later?

Do not ignore it because probate has already been granted or the estate has largely been distributed.

The personal representatives may need to collect the asset, update estate accounts and correct information supplied to HMRC or the Probate Service.

Additional tax or interest may be payable. A penalty is not automatic: HMRC considers matters such as whether reasonable care was taken.

Seek advice where the discovery affects tax, previous distributions or the ability to settle liabilities.

Do not overlook debts and liabilities

An asset search is not necessarily a debt search. Investigate mortgages, loans, credit cards, tax, household bills, guarantees and other possible liabilities separately.

Debts are generally paid from the estate, but personal representatives can face personal liability if they administer it incorrectly.

If the estate may not have enough money to pay its debts, obtain advice before paying creditors or distributing assets. Rules govern the order of payment.

Creditor notices may provide protection in particular circumstances, but they do not remove every risk or excuse ignoring known liabilities.

Read more about Gazette notices and unknown creditors.

Useful official guidance

• GOV.UK: dealing with an estate.
• GOV.UK: Pension Tracing Service.
• HMRC: reasonable care and penalties for inaccurate information.

Reviewed: 14 October 2026. General information for England and Wales, not advice about a particular estate. Service coverage, terms and legal requirements may change.