Johnathan Lee Kui Bao

By Johnathan Lee, Advocate and Solicitor (Singapore). Updated 31 July 2026.

In Singapore, the Grant of Probate is the starting line of estate administration, not the finish. Once the grant is extracted, the executor collects in the assets, pays funeral, testamentary and administration expenses, debts and tax, and only then distributes what remains under the will. A straightforward estate usually takes six to twelve months to administer, and beneficiaries generally cannot compel distribution within one year of the death, known as the executor’s year.

Before I became a lawyer, I was a funeral director in my family’s funeral business. I have stood in the room in the week after a death, and I know the hard administrative work usually begins once probate is granted; most guides stop there, and this one covers what comes after. If you have not yet applied, start with my guide to obtaining a Grant of Probate or, where there is no will, my guide to Letters of Administration.

What happens immediately after the court grants probate?

You do not hold the grant the moment the court approves your application. The grant is issued only after the Schedule of Assets, the sworn list of everything the deceased owned in Singapore at the date of death, has been filed and accepted, confirmed by a supplementary affidavit if filed after the initial application.

Once the grant is ready, the court will issue through eLitigation (or the Service Bureau if acting in person) the grant, Schedule of Assets and will. Order them together; banks, insurers and HDB usually want to sight all three.

From here the work begins: notify institutions, collect the assets, record every dollar, and open an estate bank account so estate monies are never mixed with your own.

How do you release the deceased’s bank monies?

Present a certified true copy of the Grant of Probate, the death certificate and your NRIC or passport, and the bank will close the sole accounts and release the balances to you as executor. Each bank has its own deceased estates team and forms, so ask for its checklist early.

Three points save families confusion. First, sole accounts are frozen as soon as the bank learns of the death, so GIRO payments and standing instructions stop. Second, joint accounts normally pass to the surviving holder on production of the death certificate, outside the grant, though beneficial ownership can still be disputed within families. Third, some banks will, at their discretion, release small balances, often below about $5,000, to next of kin without a grant, and for estates worth $50,000 or less the Public Trustee may administer the money without any court application. In those cases, honestly, you may not need a lawyer.

Pay released monies into the estate account and keep the statements. The government’s My Legacy portal has a useful checklist of accounts and subscriptions to close.

How do you transfer or sell the deceased’s HDB flat?

It depends on how the flat was held. A joint tenant’s share passes to the surviving joint owner by survivorship, outside the will and the grant; the survivor simply lodges a Notice of Death. The grant matters where the deceased was the sole owner or a tenant in common: the executor applies for a transmission of the flat, registering legal title in the executor’s name so it can be transferred to eligible beneficiaries or sold.

Whether a beneficiary can keep the flat turns on HDB’s eligibility conditions: broadly, a Singapore citizen or permanent resident, at least 21 years old, who satisfies HDB’s ownership rules, including those on owning other property and the Ethnic Integration Policy. If no beneficiary is eligible, the flat must be sold on the open market and the net proceeds distributed under the will; an estate sale typically adds several months. And where a sale completes more than 6 years after the death, HDB requires a court order sanctioning it, so do not let an inherited flat sit unresolved.

You remain responsible for property tax and service and conservancy charges until completion. The My Legacy property inheritance guide sets out the process; the same logic applies to private property via the Singapore Land Authority.

What happens to the deceased’s CPF savings?

CPF savings are not part of the estate and are not covered by the will, so they never pass through your hands as executor: as MoneySense confirms, they are dealt with entirely outside probate. Do not list them in the Schedule of Assets or promise anyone CPF monies under the will.

	With a valid CPF nomination	Without a nomination
Who pays out	CPF Board, directly to the nominees	Public Trustee’s Office
Who receives	The nominees, in the shares the deceased chose	Family members under the Intestate Succession Act 1967 (or Muslim inheritance law)
Fee	None	2.400% of the first $1,000, 1.500% of the next $9,000, 0.750% of the next $240,000, 0.450% of the next $250,000, 0.300% above $500,000; minimum $15, GST inclusive
Is the grant needed?	No	No, but proof of family relationship is required

The bands are set by the Public Trustee (Fees) Rules 2010 and cannot be waived. A standard claim is made online; no lawyer is needed.

What must be paid before beneficiaries receive anything?

Debts and expenses come first; beneficiaries come last. The order is funeral, testamentary and administration expenses, then the debts of the estate, then distribution under the will, specific gifts first, then the residue. An executor who distributes early and leaves a creditor or a tax bill unpaid can be made personally liable for the shortfall. If the estate appears insolvent, stop and take advice: an insolvent estate must be administered under statutory priority rules similar to bankruptcy, and paying the wrong creditor first is a classic route to personal liability.

On tax: there is no inheritance tax, as estate duty was abolished for deaths on or after 15 February 2008 (IRAS). The deceased’s own income tax to the date of death must be finalised and paid. And income the estate earns during administration, such as rent, interest and dividends, is reported on Form T and taxed at 17% in your hands as legal personal representative, unless distributed to beneficiaries, who declare it at their own rates.

What are an executor’s duties, and when can beneficiaries complain?

An executor is a fiduciary: collect and preserve the assets, act in the estate’s interests rather than your own, keep proper accounts, and distribute strictly under the will. Mixing estate money with your own, selling assets to yourself, favouring one beneficiary, or sitting on the estate for years are the commonest complaints, and an executor who administers the estate wrongly can be personally liable to repay what it lost. The role is not necessarily unpaid: the court may allow commission of up to 5% of assets collected under section 66 of the Probate and Administration Act 1934, though family executors rarely claim it.

For beneficiaries, within the first year of the death, delay alone is rarely actionable: that is the executor’s year. After it, ask in writing for an account of the estate; if the executor will not engage, the court can order accounts, compel administration, or remove and replace the executor. Genuine reasons for delay exist, an unsold flat being the most common, so a firm letter usually achieves more than an immediate court application. My probate services page explains how I assist both executors and beneficiaries at this stage.

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Frequently asked questions

How long after the Grant of Probate do beneficiaries receive their money in Singapore?

A straightforward estate is usually fully distributed within six to twelve months of the grant. The law generally allows the executor one year from the death, the executor’s year, before beneficiaries can compel distribution. Estates with a flat to sell, foreign assets or family disputes take considerably longer.

Can a bank release a deceased person’s money without a Grant of Probate?

Sometimes. Joint account balances normally pass to the surviving holder on production of the death certificate. Some banks release small sole-account balances, often below about $5,000, at their discretion without a grant. Above that, banks almost always require a certified true copy of the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration.

Is CPF money part of the estate covered by the will?

No. CPF savings do not form part of the estate and are not covered by a will in Singapore. Nominated savings are paid directly to nominees by the CPF Board without a fee; un-nominated savings are distributed by the Public Trustee under intestacy law, with a tiered fee from 2.400% of the first $1,000.

Can an executor be paid for administering a Singapore estate?

Yes, but not automatically. Under section 66 of the Probate and Administration Act 1934, the court may allow an executor a commission of up to 5% of the value of the assets collected, though most family executors do not claim it. A will can also expressly provide for remuneration.

What can beneficiaries do if the executor is not distributing the estate?

After the executor’s year, beneficiaries can demand an account of the estate in writing. If the executor still fails to act, the court can order accounts, compel administration, or remove and replace the executor, and an executor who misapplies assets can be made personally liable. Take advice before litigating; some delay is legitimate.

This article is general information, not legal advice. It states Singapore law as at July 2026. Speak to a lawyer about your specific situation.