Managing a deceased estate.

1. Let us know

Get in touch after your loved one has passed away. Talk to our deceased estate specialists on 1800 433 932 between 8am and 4:30pm AWST, Monday to Friday.

Call our contact centre outside these times on 13 17 19.

2. Verify your identity

When you speak to us, we’ll need to verify your identity. This is because we can only share account information with the estate executor, administrator or, if there’s no executor or administrator, the next of kin.

Here is the list of ID we’ll accept for this process.

3. Gather required documents

We’ll let you know when we chat what documents you’ll need to give us. They’ll likely include:

• A death certificate – this should be the full death certificate. A medical certificate citing cause of death won’t be enough as it doesn’t have all the detail we need.
• A will or grant of probate – if the deceased doesn’t have a will, we recommend you seek independent legal advice.

These documents will help us identify the accounts held by the person who passed away and confirm their identity.

If you need help completing paperwork, please contact our deceased estate specialists on 1800 433 932 between 8am and 4.30pm AWST, Monday to Friday.

Certifying and witnessing documents

Each state is different when it comes to their terms for certifying and witnessing documents. Contact the Law Society in your state for more information.

Not sure what these documents are? Our deceased estate glossary might help.

4. Submit documents

You can post your documents to:

Deceased Estate Support Team
Bankwest
PO Box E237
Perth WA 6841

Make sure to send certified copies only – not the originals.

5. Organise funeral expenses

If you need money for funeral expenses (or other related costs and bills) while managing the estate, let us know. If there’s enough funds in the estate we might be able to reimburse you. We can release money to cover costs if you’re the executor or administrator of the estate, if you’ve organised the funeral, or if you’ve already paid for the funeral yourself.

6. Manage non-Bankwest accounts

If your loved one had accounts with other Commonwealth Bank Group companies or products distributed by the Commonwealth Bank Group listed below, please let them know, as each company has its own estate settlement process.

You can contact them directly on the following numbers:

• CommBank – 1800 686 153
• CommSec – 13 15 19 or +61 2 9115 1417 from overseas, or visit their FAQ’s
• Home or Car Insurance provided by Hollard, distributed by Commonwealth Bank of Australia – 13 24 23
• Commonwealth Bank Personal and Business Accounts – 1800 686 153 or contact the Relationship Manager directly
• Commonwealth Private Banking – 1300 362 081 or contact the Private Banker directly
• Commonwealth Financial Planner – Contact the Planner directly
• Colonial First State – 13 13 36

If your loved one was an employee of Commonwealth Bank Group, including Bankwest, they might have superannuation with our employee superannuation fund, Commonwealth Bank Group Super. If so, contact the fund to let them know.

What will happen

Accounts

As soon as you let us know a loved one has passed away, we’ll prevent unauthorised people from accessing their accounts. We won’t allow any debits or transfers from them.

Most regular payments (like direct debits and recurring payments) will stop, but some might continue. If you are the estate executor, administrator or next-of-kin you can ask us for list of regular payments on your loved one’s accounts.

There’s usually no change to how joint accounts operate. We can change the name on the account depending on the nature and terms and conditions of it – just let us know.

To check in on progress, call our deceased estate specialists on 1800 433 932 or email deceased.estates@bankwest.com.au.

Credit cards

If the deceased was the primary cardholder, their estate is liable for their credit card debt. This debt will remain owing until the outstanding amount on the card is paid.

Any credit cards held in the deceased’s name will be cancelled. This means that if you’re an additional card holder, your card will be cancelled too. If the cancellation of the account puts you under financial stress, we can help – just call our Financial Assist team on 1300 769 173.

Keep an eye on statements after the card is cancelled to see if there’s still any payment debits. Just ask us for a copy of the statements, or for a list of the debits. You might need to get in touch with the service provider if you see anything being charged to the card.

Loans

We’ll stop all access and activity to home loans and personal loans where the deceased person is the only borrower. We recommend you seek legal advice before making any voluntary repayments during this time.

Unless you’re a joint account holder or guarantor, you won’t be responsible for the debts of the deceased’s estate.

If you’re the joint account holder, you’ll need to continue making repayments. Unless you plan to sell the property or pay off the loan using the deceased person’s super or insurance, we might be able to help transfer the Certificate of Title to the surviving account holder(s).

Home and personal loans stay in the joint names until changed to the surviving borrower’s name, or in the case of a home loan, until the property is sold.

If you wanted to change a home loan to be in the surviving borrower’s name only, then a new loan would be required and we would assess this option according to our usual procedure.

If you’re struggling to make repayments on your own, we can help you – just call our Financial Assist team on 1300 769 173.