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.
Ford Money is a savings-only bank, a trading name of FCE Bank plc. It publishes its position in its own FAQs, and it is a plain one: if the combined balance is over £35,000, it requires the original Grant of Probate or Certificate of Confirmation (Scotland). At £35,000 or under it sends an Administration of Small Estates form instead, so no grant is needed. Note the wording is “over £35,000”: a balance of exactly £35,000 takes the small-estates route.
£35,000, measured on the combined balance of the accounts held with Ford Money. Over that and Ford Money wants the original Grant of Probate — or, in Scotland, the Certificate of Confirmation. At £35,000 or under it sends an Administration of Small Estates form to complete instead, and no grant is needed for the Ford Money money.
One catch worth knowing before you sit down with the form: where the person did not leave a will, Ford Money says the Administration of Small Estates form has to be signed in front of a Commissioner for Oaths. That is a solicitor or other authorised person, and it usually carries a small fee, so it is worth finding out what a local firm charges before you assume the small-estates route is free.
Ford Money is an online-only savings bank and does not operate current accounts. All products are fixed-rate or easy-access savings accounts, which simplifies the estate administration process compared to banks that offer a broader range of products. For a broader view of how UK probate thresholds compare, see our guide to the 2026–27 UK probate threshold.
If you are uncertain whether probate is needed for the estate as a whole, our guide on when you don't need probate explains the circumstances in which it can be avoided.
Combined balance of £35,000 or under:
Combined balance over £35,000:
Our guide to documents needed for probate and the estate administration checklist will help you keep track of requirements across multiple institutions.
Ford Money handles bereavement cases through its customer service team:
Ford Money will freeze the account upon notification and advise on next steps. For broader guidance on notifying multiple financial institutions, see our guide on notifying banks after a death.
As of July 2026, Ford Money does not participate in the Death Notification Service (DNS). This means you will need to contact Ford Money directly and separately from any DNS submission you make for other institutions. Ford Money is also not covered by the government's Tell Us Once service.
Ford Money 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 when you notify it, and note that if the balance is over £35,000 the grant will be needed anyway. Our guide on probate delays and IHT interest covers the risks of late payment. See our 2026–27 inheritance tax guide for the current rates and allowances.
Ford Money publishes one figure: once it has the required documents, it can take up to 5 working days for them to be processed. The “two to four weeks” and “three to six months” that used to sit here were not Ford Money's figures and were not sourced anywhere official, so they have been removed rather than restated.
Our complete UK probate guide for 2026 covers the full timeline in detail.
At a combined balance of £35,000 or under, Ford Money sends its Administration of Small Estates form and releases the money without a grant. Ford Money is a savings-only bank with no current accounts, so what it holds is usually one or two fixed-rate or easy-access savings accounts — which keeps the paperwork narrow.
If the person held a cash ISA and their spouse or civil partner wants to use the inherited ISA allowance, be aware that Ford Money does not accept Additional Permitted Subscriptions. The allowance still exists, but it has to be used with a provider that does take APS transfers, so the funds move out rather than staying where they are.
The £35,000 only settles what Ford Money needs. If Ford Money holds the main asset in the estate, check what every other institution requires — and whether inheritance tax is due — before deciding whether to apply for a grant at all. See when you don't need probate for the full picture, and our DIY probate vs solicitor cost guide if you do decide to apply.
Before you assume you need probate
Do you actually need a grant — and what would it cost?
A Ford Money 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.