Areas of Law / Wills and Probate

I was executor of my uncle’s will. One of the beneficiaries couldn’t be traced, and according to the solicitor has probably died. I was told to put her legacy into an account in case any of her family came forward. That was six years ago. What’s the time limit for someone to claim the money?

There’s no time limit. The money belongs to the beneficiary or her family. If they can’t be traced then, after you’ve exhausted every avenue, you can go to court for permission to distribute the money on the assumption that there’s no-one alive to claim it. However it would probably be cheaper to take out insurance against the possibility of the beneficiary returning and demanding her money from you. Whether either of these measures are strictly necessary depends on the size of the legacy.

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