Your executors
The people you trust to carry out your will when the time comes
2/3
appointed & agreed
Pre-death view: your executors are not notified yet. They will only see the details you record here when the time comes.
Appointed executors
Legal An executor is the person legally responsible for sorting out your estate.SR
Sarah Richards
Daughter
✉sarah.richards@gmail.com
📞07700 900142
📍Cardiff · 12 mi away
Readiness
✓Has agreed to actYes
✓Knows where the will is keptYes
✓Has the solicitor's contactYes
JR
James Richards
Son
✉james.richards@outlook.com
📞07700 900188
📍Bristol · 38 mi away
Readiness
✓Has agreed to actYes
!Knows where the will is keptNot yet
!Has the solicitor's contactNot yet
MR
Margaret Richards
Wife
✉margaret@richardsfamily.co.uk
📞07700 900100
📍Swansea · same household
Readiness · steps in if a primary executor can't act
✓Has agreed to actYes
✓Knows where the will is keptYes
+
Add another executor
You can appoint up to 4 in England & Wales
Many people name two executors so the work can be shared, plus a substitute as backup.
Prefer a professional executor?
You can appoint a solicitor or specialist firm to act as executor — useful for a larger estate, an IHT bill, or to spare family the admin. They charge a fee, usually a percentage of the estate.
What your executors will need to do
Tax & duty A plain-English guide — this is not the work you do now, it's what they'll face.
Your executors must report the estate to HMRC and pay any inheritance tax before probate is granted. Your estate currently looks likely to owe some tax, so we've flagged the steps that matter most. Recording your assets now makes every one of these easier for them.
Estate & IHT figures computed against INHERIT · E&W Tax · reviewed: Stable
1
Value the estate
Add up everything you owned — home, savings, possessions — and subtract debts. This figure decides whether any tax is due.
£560,000
estate value
2
Report to HMRC on the IHT account (form IHT400)
The IHT400 is HMRC's full inheritance-tax return. Executors complete it when an estate may owe tax, listing assets, gifts and the allowances claimed.
3
Pay any inheritance tax
Tax is charged at 40% on the part of the estate above the tax-free allowance (£500,000 here: £325k nil-rate + £175k residence band). It must be paid before probate is granted.
£24,000
estimated IHT @ 40%
4
Apply for probate
Probate is the legal authority to deal with the estate. Once HMRC has processed the IHT400, executors apply for the grant, then collect assets and pay beneficiaries.
Planning ahead could reduce that £24,000. A tax adviser's gifts, trust or charitable-relief planning could lower the bill by an estimated £18,400 — more than their fee. These figures are guidance, not tax advice.
Key contacts for your executors
Reference The people and firms your executors may need to reach.Key contacts
From your estate records
⚖MLP LawSolicitor · the willSaved
🧾Richards & CoTax adviser (STEP/CIOT)Saved
📈Simply AccountsAccountantSaved
🏦Lloyds BankMain bankSaved
💰AvivaLife insuranceSaved
🏠AXAHome contentsSaved
An executor is the person you appoint to carry out your will. In England & Wales you can name up to four; many people name two to share the work, plus a substitute as backup. The duty checklist describes what executors face after a death — valuing the estate, reporting to HMRC on the IHT400, paying any inheritance tax before probate, then applying for probate. IHT figures are estimates computed from your recorded estate against the open INHERIT standard's England & Wales tax rules (status: Stable, reviewed by a named reviewer) — they are guidance, not tax advice or a formal valuation, and the final position is settled by HMRC. Professional executor and adviser services are delivered by the regulated firms shown (SRA / CIOT / STEP). You will never be charged automatically.