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.
Not always. Fidelity publishes a small estates route, and it is worth reading the conditions carefully because all three have to be true at once: the total value of the estate is less than the nil-rate band for inheritance tax, the total value of Fidelity investments in the estate is less than £50,000, and the person who died left a will. Meet all three and Fidelity will release the money against its Small Estates form rather than a grant. Fail any one of them and it needs the grant of representation. The bereavement number is 0800 41 41 16.
Fidelity's bereavement page says it can release money from the estate if you are not applying for probate, where all three of the following are true:
The three conditions are cumulative, which is the part that catches people out. An estate with no will does not qualify however small the Fidelity holding is, and a Fidelity holding of £30,000 inside an estate above the nil-rate band does not qualify either. Where they are all met, Fidelity asks for its Small Estates form — which must be signed and witnessed — a completed form to sell or transfer the investments, and the original or a certified copy of the will. Where they are not, it needs a grant of representation: a grant of probate where there is a will, letters of administration where there is not, or, in Scotland, confirmation from the sheriff court.
For guidance on whether the overall estate requires probate, see our guide on when you do not need probate and our overview of probate thresholds for 2026–27.
When notifying Fidelity of a death and ultimately claiming assets, you will need the following documents:
A full estate administration checklist can help you track all the documents you need across multiple institutions.
Fidelity takes bereavement notifications online, by phone or by post:
When you call, have the customer reference number, Fidelity account number or member code to hand — Fidelity says to ring if you cannot find it. If the will mentions a trust, Fidelity has a specialist trust team on the same number. This is one of the key steps in notifying financial institutions after a death.
Fidelity does not currently participate in the Death Notification Service (DNS), which allows executors to notify multiple banks and financial institutions in a single submission. This means you must contact Fidelity directly — you cannot use the DNS portal to inform them of the death.
The DNS is useful for mainstream high-street banks. However, investment platforms and fund managers such as Fidelity typically require direct engagement with their own bereavement process. Always check the DNS website for the latest list of participating institutions, as this can change.
Fidelity does not publish whether it accepts form IHT423, the Direct Payment Scheme form that lets a bank, building society or NS&I pay inheritance tax straight to HMRC before the grant is issued. Ask its bereavement team rather than assuming either way — and note that if the estate is over the nil-rate band at all, the small-estates route is closed and a grant will be needed regardless.
If inheritance tax is due and Fidelity will not pay it direct, the money has to come from somewhere that will. See our guide on probate delays and IHT interest for practical tips on managing this. Our overview of the inheritance tax rules for 2026–27 explains whether tax is likely to be due.
Fidelity publishes no figure for how long it takes to release funds, and no official source publishes one either. The “4 to 8 weeks” that used to sit here was not sourced to Fidelity and has been removed.
The one timescale Fidelity does publish is about the grant, not about Fidelity: it says a grant of representation usually takes around two months to obtain, and that complex cases can take a year or more. What Fidelity describes doing once it has the paperwork is: identity verification checks, then carrying out your instructions and keeping you informed by letter, then confirmation of each sale or transfer plus a closing statement.
For the steps involved in getting the grant, see how to apply for and receive probate, and the complete UK probate guide for 2026 for a full timeline.
If the deceased held a self-invested personal pension (SIPP) with Fidelity, the rules are different from investment accounts. Pension death benefits are paid at the discretion of the pension trustees and do not form part of the estate for probate purposes. This means Fidelity can pay pension death benefits to nominated beneficiaries without waiting for probate.
Investment accounts — ISAs, investment accounts, and any cash held outside a pension wrapper — do form part of the estate, and it is those that the £50,000 small-estates figure applies to. Beneficiaries then decide whether Fidelity should invest the money into a new account, transfer the investments into a new name, or sell them and send cash; each has its own form. A surviving spouse or civil partner can also use an Additional Permitted Subscription to inherit the ISA allowance, and Fidelity publishes separate forms for transferring that allowance in from another provider and for using it. If you are unsure which type of account the person held, ask the Fidelity bereavement team during your first call.
For broader context on claiming pension death benefits, see our dedicated guide. The DIY probate vs solicitor cost guide sets out what each route involves where a portfolio is part of the estate.
Before you assume you need probate
Do you actually need a grant — and what would it cost?
A Fidelity 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.
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