Farra is a death administration assistant for UK families. Get step-by-step guidance for registering a death, applying for probate, notifying banks, and managing bereavement admin. From essential documents to practical checklists, Farra simplifies estate paperwork and funeral-related tasks so you can focus on what matters.
The Co-operative Bank asks for a grant where the total value of the person's Co-operative Bank and smile accounts exceeds £50,000. Below that it does not ask for one as a matter of course. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the grant means a grant of probate, or letters of administration where there is no will; in Scotland it is a certificate of confirmation.
£50,000, and the Co-operative Bank publishes it: if the total value of the person's Co-operative Bank and smile accounts exceeds £50,000, you will also need to provide a certified copy of the grant of probate or, where there is no will, letters of administration. Note that smile accounts count towards the same total — they are the Co-operative Bank's own online brand, not a separate institution.
The Co-operative Bank is separate from Co-op Insurance, Co-op Legal Services and the other Co-op Group companies, which have to be notified separately. For a comparison of what other institutions publish, see our probate threshold guide for 2026–27.
When notifying Co-op Bank of a bereavement, you will typically need:
Above £50,000, Co-op Bank asks for a certified copy of the grant of probate or letters of administration, not the original — so order enough certified copies when the grant is issued to go round.
Co-op Bank provides dedicated bereavement support via:
On notification, Co-op Bank will freeze the deceased's accounts and cancel standing orders and direct debits. Our guide on notifying banks after a death covers the full process for managing multiple notifications.
No. The Co-operative Bank is not one of the member organisations of the Death Notification Service (DNS), so a DNS submission will not reach it — it has to be told directly. The membership list does change, so check the service's own list before assuming any institution is or is not covered.
The Co-operative Bank does not say on its bereavement page whether it takes part in the Direct Payment Scheme, and HMRC publishes no list of the banks and building societies that do. Ask the bereavement team directly rather than assuming.
Where a bank does take part, the scheme lets inheritance tax be paid to HMRC straight from the deceased's account before the grant is issued, using HMRC's form IHT423 alongside the IHT400. For more on IHT timing and consequences of delays, read our guide on probate delays and IHT interest.
The Co-operative Bank does not publish a timescale for releasing funds, and no official source publishes one for it. Any figure quoted elsewhere is an estimate rather than a commitment by the bank.
Our estate administration checklist provides a tracker to help you manage submissions and timelines across multiple institutions.
Where the Co-operative Bank and smile total is £50,000 or less, the bank does not ask for the grant as a matter of course. It does not publish the form it uses below that figure or a timescale for that route, so the bereavement team is the place to find out what applies. Where an account was held in two names it is put into the surviving holder's sole name; where it was held in three or more, the name of the person who died is removed.
Even where Co-op Bank does not require probate, other assets in the estate may require a grant — particularly property or shares. Our guide on when you don't need probate explains which assets always require formal authority to deal with.
For a full walkthrough of the UK probate process, see our complete UK probate guide for 2026. If you are weighing up the options for handling probate, our DIY probate versus solicitor costs guide covers the pros and cons. For inheritance tax, visit our IHT guide for 2026–27.
Before you assume you need probate
Do you actually need a grant — and what would it cost?
A Co-operative Bank balance is only part of the picture. Whether the estate needs probate at all depends on the whole picture — property, other accounts, and how everything was owned — not a single threshold. It is worth checking before you start filling in forms.
Guide reviewed July 2026. Bank thresholds change and can vary by account type — always confirm the current figure with the provider before relying on it.
Related guides