A trustee is required by law to notify beneficiaries of a trust upon the settlor’s death. The settlor is the person who created the trust. The trustee has 60 days from the settlor’s death to provide the notification to the beneficiaries. The name, address, and telephone number of the trustee.
When do you notify a beneficiary of a will?
This means you must notify them that they are a beneficiary. As Executor, you should notify beneficiaries of the estate within three months after the Will has been filed in Probate Court. For beneficiaries of assets that are not included in the will (and therefore do not pass through Probate) there are no specific notification requirements.
Who is responsible for notifying all beneficiaries of an estate?
The person named as the Executor in a Will, or acting as the Administrator of the Estate where there is no Will, is responsible for contacting all of the Beneficiaries. They should notify everyone who has an interest in the Estate, advising what their entitlement is, promptly in order to prevent there being any confusion later on in the process.
How is an executor required to communicate with the beneficiaries?
In a formal accounting, an executor is obligated to disclose what assets are in the estate, what the estate’s expenses were and what assets are available for the executor to distribute to the beneficiaries. A formal accounting is beyond communicating; it’s a document that an executor would have to file.
Can a beneficiary see the accounts of an estate?
Once a Grant of Probate has been issued and the administration is underway, the executor – or executors, if there’s more than one – must keep accounts of the estate and be ready to show these if you ask for them. If you’re worried an executor is not being as open as they should be, we can help you make a request to see the accounts.
