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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.
Royal London pensions are held under discretionary trust: the death benefit passes to the nominated beneficiaries outside the estate, so no grant of probate is needed. A life insurance policy written in trust pays out the same way. Where life cover is paid to the estate (a policy not written in trust), it forms part of the estate and a grant of probate or letters of administration may be needed — Royal London publishes no fixed figure at which this applies. Contact Royal London's bereavement team on 0345 602 1089 to confirm the specific position.
Royal London is the UK's largest mutual insurer and a major provider of pensions, life insurance, and investment bonds. As of July 2026, Royal London does not publish a fixed probate threshold; whether a grant of probate is needed depends on how the individual policy is held.
Product-specific rules:
For a comparison of thresholds across all major UK providers, see our probate threshold guide for 2026–27.
Our estate administration checklist helps you track all documents needed across multiple institutions.
Contacting Royal London is one of the steps in notifying financial institutions after a death. The bereavement team will send you a pack with all necessary claim forms.
Not sure if you need probate?
1 in 3 applications are sent back. In under 2 minutes, we'll tell you whether you need it and what to do next.
Royal London does not currently participate in the Death Notification Service (DNS). You must contact Royal London directly. The DNS primarily covers high-street banks and building societies; insurers and pension providers maintain separate bereavement processes.
Royal London does not participate in the Direct Payment Scheme (DPS). If inheritance tax is due on the estate, you will need alternative funding to pay HMRC before probate can be granted. Our guide on probate delays and IHT interest explains the practical steps to manage this.
Where no grant is required, Royal London typically releases funds within 4–6 weeks of receiving all documents. Where a grant of probate is needed, add 8–12 weeks to obtain it plus 4–8 weeks for Royal London to process the release.
See the complete UK probate guide for 2026 for a full timeline from death to distribution.
Royal London pension death benefits — from workplace pensions, personal pensions, and group schemes — are held under trust arrangements and bypass the estate entirely. The trustees exercise discretion to pay the death benefit to nominated beneficiaries, typically within 4–8 weeks of a complete claim submission.
As the UK's largest mutual insurer, Royal London is known for a responsive bereavement service. Investment bonds and non-trust life policies form part of the estate; Royal London publishes no fixed probate limit, so confirm the requirement directly. For guidance on pension death benefits specifically, see our pension death benefit guide. For help deciding on your administration approach, see our DIY probate versus solicitor cost guide.
Before you assume you need probate
Do you actually need a grant — and what would it cost?
A Royal London 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.
1 in 3 probate applications are sent back.
Answer 5 questions in under 2 minutes. We'll tell you whether you need probate, which route to take, and the mistake most people make at this stage.
Where they normally lived, even if they died somewhere else.
Free to check · 2 minutes · No account needed · £179 for your full Farra plan
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