Supporting you during a challenging time
The loss of a family member or friend can be an incredibly difficult and emotional time and dealing with their finances can feel confusing and overwhelming. We are here to support you during this time by making the process of finalising their banking as easy and simple as possible.
On this page you’ll find an overview of how we can help you with their banking arrangements, what steps you may need to take and what you may expect from us to finalise these arrangements.
On this page we’ll refer to a ‘Representative’. This means a representative who is entitled by law to deal with the deceased estate, such as an Executor, Administrator, or Next of kin.
What do I need to do?
Notify Us
Let us know about your loved one’s passing as soon as possible, so that we can help support you. We’ll handle your situation with care and respect.
We want to make the process of notifying us as easy as possible, so when you are ready, choose an option below that you are most comfortable with:
- By phone, call us on 1800 245 614. We are available between Monday to Friday 8:30am – 5pm AEDT, excluding public holidays.
- By emailing deceased.estates@boq.com.au
Where possible, it will help us if you have the information below available when you notify us:
- Your loved one's date of birth and date of death
- Your contact details and how you were related with your loved one
- Any details you already have of any loan account(s) your loved one has with us.
Accessibility
We understand you may prefer to speak to us in a language other than English. If you would rather speak to us in another language, we can arrange for an interpreter to help you when you call us.
If you are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech impairment, we welcome calls through the National Relay Service. For more information, visit our contact us support page.
What do I need to provide?
When you notify us of the passing of your loved one, we will need some documents from you.
We will ask you to provide certified copies of Proof of Death documents such as:
- Death certificate
- Medical certificate
- Solicitor or coroner's letter
- Police report.
Anyone can notify us of the loss of a loved one. However, before we can share information about your loved one’s accounts, you will need to be an authorised representative of their estate.
We will ask you to provide certified copies of:
- a signed Will naming you as the executor; or
- if there is no Will a death certificate naming you as the next of kin.
Unless you are already a bank customer, we will need to identify you and will need acceptable photo identification such as:
- Australian driver's licence
- Passport
- Proof of age card.
If there are several Representatives, for example, joint executors appointed in a Will, then we will need to identify both executors.
We may also ask for certified copies of:
- Grant of Probate
- Letters of Administration.
At any point in time, you can appoint a legal representative to act on your behalf. Your legal representative will need to provide us with the documents outlined above.
What happens
after you notify us?
To prevent unauthorised activity and to keep your loved one’s loan account(s) secure, we will place restrictions if required on any loan accounts and services held in the sole name of your loved one.
If your loved one holds other accounts with BOQ Group (BOQ, BOQ Specialist, Virgin Money Australia or ME Bank), then we will support you in identifying and managing these accounts.
Who can access account information and provide instructions?
There are a range of authorised representatives who can access your loved one’s account information and provide us with instructions. Keep in mind, if you are an authorised representative listed below, you can appoint a legal representative at any time to act on your behalf.
Authorised representatives who can obtain account information from us and provide instructions to us:
- Executor, named in a Will
- Administrator, named under Letters of Administration
- Next of Kin
- Solicitor/Lawyer
Finalising the estate
Once we receive all the necessary documents, instructions from the Representative and once any loans held by your loved one have been paid out, we will then close these accounts.
Key Documents and Terms
We have provided some helpful information and supporting links to help you with the documents you require.
Other organisations that can provide assistance and support
Losing a love one can be incredibly difficult and there is external support available to help. We have provided a list of support available to you during this difficult time.
Grief Counselling
If you or someone you know is at immediate risk of harm, please contact emergency services on 000
Government Support
You may need additional government services to help you finalise your loved one’s Estate.