What we do to help.

At Westpac we have a dedicated deceased estates management team available to help you through the process of settling the financial affairs of a Westpac customer who's passed away. Our aim is to help remove the complications and make this experience as supportive and helpful as possible.

We've pulled together some information below that can help get you prepared for any conversations you may need to have.

Notifying us.

Dealing with bereavement and the management of a deceased estate – here's what you need to know and what to have with you. We've also compiled a list of other organisations to notify.

Proof of death: 

When someone passes away, you will need to provide us with 'proof of death'. This is a formal notification to the Bank.

Proof of death includes any one of these documents:

  • Original or certified death certificate (this is preferred)
  • Original or certified doctor's medical certificate of cause of death
  • Original or certified coroners certificate of findings
  • Estate solicitor's letter.

You should also start gathering the following documents:

  • Details of one account number the deceased held, if possible (even if there are multiple accounts)
  • Your proof of identification.

Summary of requirements to finalise an Estate 

Documents need to be original sighted at the branch or certified copies (certification must be within 90 days of Westpac receiving the document).

Total value of accounts held at Westpac (at date of death or current) Requirements How
Below $500
  • Certified death certificate or proof of death
  • Certified ID for the Executor(s)/Administrator(s)
  • Bank account details for payment of Estate funds
  • Take documents to any Westpac branch

OR

  • Email documents directly to the estate management team
Below $15,000
  • Certified death certificate or proof of death
  • Certified ID for the Executor(s)/Administrator(s)
  • Signed declaration and claim/indemnity form
  • Take documents to any Westpac branch

OR

  • Email documents directly to the estate management team
Above $15,000
  • Certified death certificate or proof of death
  • Certified copy of probate or letters of administration
  • Certified ID for the Executor(s)/Administrator(s)
  • Signed letter of instruction requesting closure of the accounts
  • Take documents to any Westpac branch

OR

  • Email documents directly to the estate management team

Documents and forms.

When dealing with the estate of a Westpac customer you may be asked to complete various forms – depending on the type of products that are in the estate. We will accept any ID on this list as long as at least one of the IDs provided contains a signature.  Executors do not need to provide proof of address.

Certification requirements: Some of the documents you provide may require certification. Find our certification requirements here. To avoid delays, please ensure that your trusted referee follows each of the required steps and uses their stamp.  Note:  we can accept certified copies of documents that are scanned and emailed to us in PDF format. 

These include:

 

Choose how to notify us.

Support team

The Westpac estate management team can be contacted Monday–Thursday 8am-5.30pm, Friday 8am- 5pm. If you're calling from overseas, please call +64 9 375 9926. (toll charges apply for overseas calls).

Call 0800 756 872

Using myTrove Notify

myTrove Notify is an external service provider working with the Department of Internal Affairs, who will automatically verify a person’s passing with Births Deaths and Marriages.

Go to myTrove website

Support team email

You can also contact the team via email.

Email us

In branch

Our branches are here to help you too.

Find your local branch