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.
Metro Bank asks for the original Grant of Probate at £25,000 and above. Below that there are two further bands: balances from £5,000.01 to £25,000 need a Deceased Estates Indemnity Form instead of a grant, and below £5,000 neither is asked for. It is the total of the balances held with Metro Bank that decides which band applies.
£25,000, and Metro Bank publishes the bands underneath it too, which most banks do not. At £25,000 and above it wants the original Grant of Probate. Between £5,000.01 and £25,000 it wants a Deceased Estates Indemnity Form instead. Below £5,000 it asks for neither.
Where there is no will, Metro Bank also points to GOV.UK's guidance on making a claim to a deceased person's estate where the assets it holds total less than £15,000. For a comparison of what other institutions publish, see our probate threshold guide for 2026–27.
When notifying Metro Bank of a bereavement, you should provide:
At £25,000 and above Metro Bank requires the original Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration— the original, not a certified copy. In Scotland the equivalent document is a certificate of confirmation.
Metro Bank offers bereavement support through:
Where an account was held jointly, Metro Bank puts it into the sole name of the remaining account holder and says direct debits and standing orders continue as before. For a broader guide to the notification process, see our guide on notifying banks after a death.
No. Metro Bank is not one of the member organisations of the Death Notification Service (DNS), so a DNS submission will not reach it — Metro Bank has to be told directly, by phone, email, post or in store. The membership list does change, so check the service's own list before assuming any institution is or is not covered.
Metro Bank participates in the Direct Payment Scheme (IHT423) for estates with an inheritance tax liability. This allows Metro Bank to pay HMRC directly from the deceased's account before probate is granted, provided sufficient funds are available.
To use the scheme, complete HMRC form IHT423 and submit it to Metro Bank alongside the IHT400. Our guide on probate delays and IHT interest explains why settling IHT quickly is important.
Metro Bank does not publish a timescale for releasing funds, and no official source publishes one for it. The one timescale it does give is for correspondence: it replies to emails within 3 working days.
If you are managing multiple financial institutions simultaneously, our estate administration checklist will help you stay organised.
Between £5,000.01 and £25,000, Metro Bank uses a Deceased Estates Indemnity Form in place of the grant — a declaration that you are entitled to the funds. Below £5,000 it asks for neither the form nor a grant. Metro Bank publishes no timescale for either route.
Bear in mind that even if Metro Bank does not require probate for the account, other parts of the estate may still need a grant — for example, if the deceased owned property. Our guide on when you don't need probate explains which assets always require a formal grant.
For a comprehensive overview of the UK probate process, see our complete UK probate guide for 2026. To decide whether to handle probate yourself, read our DIY probate versus solicitor costs guide. For inheritance tax questions, 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 Metro 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.
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