Deceased estates

We’re here for you at this time

If you’re a family member, friend or representative of the estate of someone who’s recently passed away, we understand you’re going through a difficult time. Your wellbeing is important and our team is here to guide you through the process. We’ve also compiled a list of external support organisations you can contact if you need support.

This article aims to help you understand the legal requirements that come with claiming an asset or benefit.

Notifying us of the death of an account holder

If the deceased person held an account with Macquarie, you should notify us of their death as soon as practicable.

Please email clientservicesupport@macquarie.com with the below details and we’ll be in touch with the next steps:

full name of the deceased
date of birth of the deceased
date of death
any known account number(s)
most recent address
your name, contact details and relationship to the deceased
a certified copy of the death certificate (if you don’t have this yet, please still notify us, and submit this when you can).

If a solicitor or another representative is involved in assisting with finalising the estate, please have them email us with a letter of representation, stating that they’re acting on behalf of the estate, as well as a certified copy of the death certificate.

What happens after you notify us

Online access – internet and mobile banking will be cancelled.
Accounts solely in the name of the deceased – account withdrawals will cease. This includes card access and existing direct debits and recurring payments out of the account. Payments into the account will not be affected.
Term deposits solely in the name of the deceased – we’ll pay interest to the date of closure with fees and charges for any early withdrawal being waived.
Home loans solely in the name of the deceased – we’ll stop activity on the account. This means debits and automatic credits into the account will not be accepted and redraw will be frozen. Interest charges will continue. If you’re looking to make payments to a home loan not in your name, please seek financial advice before doing so.
Online trading – we’ll lock the Holding Identification Number (HIN) of the account holder within 24 hours of being notified. This will stop any trades and movements of stock. For accounts held jointly, the trading account will be suspended, and no trades can be actioned.
Credit cards – where the deceased was the primary cardholder, the credit card will be cancelled along with any cards for the additional cardholder. Fees & interest on credit cards will cease. Any Macquarie Rewards Points will be converted to the equivalent of their monetary value and credited into the credit card account.
Car loans – where the deceased is the sole contract holder, fees on the lease will cease. Interest charges will continue.
Joint accounts – the account will remain open and can continue to be accessed by other account holders. A request to change details of the account can be made at any time. If account/s are 'both/all to sign' access will be revoked until a certified copy of death the certificate is received. Please note, statements will continue to be sent with all current account holders’ names.
Adviser fees – individual account advice fees will cease. For joint, corporate, and trust accounts, ongoing advice fees will continue unless advised otherwise.
For superannuation and pension accounts – please refer to Getting access to a deceased estate’s super and investment account.

When we receive notification of someone passing, we’re required to act on the instructions provided from the person named in the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration within 14 business days for banking products, or as soon as practicable for other accounts.

Once we have the certified death certificate, we’ll refund any applicable fees and charges to the deceased’s account from the date of death.

Who can access the accounts of someone who has passed away?

Information can only be shared with:

joint/surviving account holder(s)
executors
next of kin
appointed administrators of the estate
a listed adviser
a solicitor acting on behalf of the estate, or
a public trustee acting on behalf of the estate.

Information required to access the accounts

In addition to the above information, we’ll need some additional information to be able to access to the deceased’s accounts. What we need from you depends on your relationship with the deceased. This information will be used to assess your authority to access account information or to provide instructions related to the deceased client’s accounts.

Your role	Please provide
Executor, administrator or next of kin	a certified copy of the death certificate a certified copy of the will or Letters of Administration (Please note, if the total investments held with Macquarie for individual accounts exceeds $100,000, we’ll need a certified copy of a Grant of Probate in order to finalise the estate. There may also be other circumstances in which we ask you to obtain Probate.), AND a certified copy of identification for each executor, administrator or next of kin who will be acting on behalf of the estate, AND a completed Individual identification form for each executor, administrator or next of kin.
Adviser	a certified copy of the death certificate AND a certified copy of the will or Letters of Administration (Please note, if the total investments held with Macquarie for individual accounts exceeds $100,000, we’ll need a certified copy of a Grant of Probate in order to finalise the estate. There also may be other circumstances in which we may still ask you to obtain Probate.) a certified copy of identification for each executor AND a completed Individual identification form for each executor OR a FSC Individual form completed for each executor.
Solicitor or public trustee	a certified copy of the death certificate AND a letter of authority/administration stating you act on behalf of the estate

How to provide information to us

The quickest way for you to provide these documents to us is via email. Please email copies of the requested certified documents to clientservicesupport@macquarie.com. If you’ve previously emailed us about the claim and have a DEC reference number for that email correspondence, please quote that reference number.

Alternatively, you can send the documents via post to:

Deceased Estates
GPO Box 2520
Sydney, NSW, 2001

Please review our certification requirements before submitting certified copies.

Additional information required to manage the estate

Once we’ve received the requested documents allowing us to share account-specific information with you, we’ll email you with the next steps.

The additional requirements and options depend on the type of account and are listed below.

Macquarie Cash Management Account (CMA)

For all documentary requirements of the different account structures on CMA please refer to Deceased estate checklist for Cash Management Accounts.

Wrap account, including super and pension account

For all documentary requirements related to Wrap accounts (Investment, superannuation, and pension) please refer to Getting access to a deceased estate’s super or investment account.

For superannuation accounts with insurance cover, we’ll notify the insurer to contact you. Based on the insurance cover, the insurer will determine what documentation is required in order to assess the claim. If the insurer accepts the claim, the death insurance benefit will be paid to the superannuation account.

Other banking and loan accounts – Individual accounts

Place account under executor administration

To place the account under executor administration we’ll need each executor to complete the following, along with the minimum documentary requirements found in the section information is required to access the accounts?:

For bank accounts: a completed Macquarie Transaction and Savings Account Executor
For home loans: Grant of Probate and a completed Home Loan Third Party Authority

Close the account/s

To close an account(s) of someone who has passed away, please complete the following along with the minimum documentary requirements found in the section information is required to access the accounts?:

For bank accounts: a completed Deceased Estate Withdrawal form signed (pen to paper) by all the executor/s.
For home loans: Grant of Probate and a completed Discharge authority form signed (pen to paper) by all the executor/s. If you’d like for us to update the Certificate of Title prior to discharge, please also send us a signed copy of the Transmission application form can be requested from the lands title office or solicitor. It must be signed by the executor/s or administrator/s.

Other banking and loan accounts – Joint accounts

A joint account holder can continue to use the account. Please know, statements will continue to be sent with all current account holders’ names. Alternatively, the names on the account can be updated. Please send a certified copy of the death certificate and written request to update the names on the account. There are times where we may require further documentation, especially if a new account is required. If this is the case, we’ll contact you.

For home loans

To update the certificate of title*, depending on the names on the title, we may need one of the following documents, which can be provided by the solicitor assisting with the changes or the relevant state’s land titles office:

a copy of the survivorship application OR
a copy of the Transmission Application by the executor/s or administrator/s, AND
a copy of the Transfer by executor/s or administrator/s transferring the interest to you as the beneficiary.

* A current fee of $395 is charged to update the certificate of title.

Trustee has passed away

Please provide the following

a certified copy of death certificate.
a certified copy of the deed of variation showing change of trustee
a Beneficial Owner Details form.

If appointing a replacement individual as trustee, we’ll also need:

a completed Third Party Authority signed by all trustees
a certified copy of identification for each newly appointed trustee/s AND
a completed Individual identification form for each trustee/s OR
a FSC Individual form completed for each trustee/s.

If a new corporate trustee is being appointed, we’ll also need:

an ASIC company extract showing appointed director/s
a completed FSC Australian Companies form.

Corporate account – director has passed away

When a company director has passed away, and a company account needs updating, please email the below documents:

a certified copy of the death certificate (not required if the ASIC extract has been updated to show the deceased as removed and no newly appointed director/s)
an updated ASIC Company extract showing update to office holder/s
a completed Beneficial Owner Details form.

If a new office holder is to be appointed, we’ll also need:

a completed Third Party Authority signed by all directors
a certified copy of identification for the new director AND
a completed Individual identification form for each new director OR
a FSC Individual form completed for each director.

View all

Search Help Centre

Input search

Start a live chat

Log in to Macquarie Online Banking or the Macquarie Mobile Banking app and chat with a consultant in real time, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm Sydney time (excluding public holidays).

Learn more

Experiencing financial difficulty?

Please get in touch as soon as possible so we can work together to find the right solution for you.

Get financial assistance

Resolve a complaint

Everyone at Macquarie is committed to providing our clients with the highest standard of products and services available. If you have feedback we would like you to tell us about it. 

Find out more