# Public Trust – When a loved one has passed: estate administration guide Document ID: doc-0116 Publisher: Public Trust Physical PDF pages: 22 Original capture/access label: June 2026 Original and primary sources reviewed: 9 October 2026 [Preserved bundled original](/pdfs/2025%20-%20Public%20Trust%20-%20Estate%20Administration%20Guide.pdf) [Primary publisher PDF](https://content.publictrust.co.nz/storage/files/brochures/ptps26_estate-admin_25_web.pdf) [Publisher guide page](https://www.publictrust.co.nz/products-and-services/when-someone-has-died/applying-for-probate/) ## What the document contributes Public Trust’s October 2025 estate administration brochure explains the steps after a death, from probate or letters of administration and collecting assets to paying debts, tax and distributions. It covers Public Trust’s executor role, assistance for private executors, fees and indicative timeframes for different estates. The small-payment and six-month explanations are simplified: the $40,000 limit applies to specified statutory payments without administration, and six months relates to conditional protection against certain claims rather than a blanket ban on earlier distributions. ## Included material - What an estate is; probate and letters of administration (physical pp. 2–3) - Public Trust’s executor role and administration process (pp. 4–10) - Fees and different estate types (pp. 12–13) - Assistance for private executors and intestacy (pp. 14–16) - Glossary, contacts and October 2025 footer (pp. 18–22) ## Substantive findings - Estate administration covers the deceased’s estate assets, debts and final wishes. Asset ownership matters: jointly held assets do not necessarily form part of the estate. (Physical pp. 2, 18, 19.) - Probate concerns a valid will and executor; letters of administration can be needed without a will or where no named executor is willing or able to act. (Physical pp. 3, 19.) - From 24 September 2025 the prescribed amount for Administration Act s65(2) and (5) is $40,000. This concerns qualifying payments by specified fundholders to eligible recipients without a grant; it is not a universal total-estate probate threshold. (Physical p. 2.) Statutory reference: Administration Act1969 s65 physical41–43; Administration(PrescribedAmounts)Regulations2009 r4A physical2. - The brochure’s usual 10–14 weeks for court approval and around eight months for a standard estate are Public Trust’s indicative service expectations, dependent on court timings and estate complexity. (Physical pp. 8, 10, 13.) - The six-month explanation requires qualification: Administration Act s47(4) protects certain proper distributions after six months subject to conditions; ss47–48 also address permitted earlier distributions and reserves. (Physical p. 10.) Statutory reference: Administration Act1969 ss47–48 physical28–30. - The guide describes fees based on work required and says time and cost depend on the assets and will instructions; a brochure does not establish a guaranteed fee or completion time. (Physical pp. 12, 13.) ## Identity, dates and provenance Footer PTPS26 10/25 supports an October 2025 document version; creation/modification metadata is 29 October 2025. Neither establishes a first publication day. Preserve June 2026 catalogue capture. The cover identifies this as “When a loved one has passed: Helping you through what comes next with clarity, care and confidence”. The original contains 22 physical pages. Its SHA-256 is 39b8200e0cfa7074a9358e65122ce1a2ddb51befd8240fd0c1f74a9bab8554a9; the current publisher-linked download was byte-identical when checked on 9 October 2026. The earlier Parliament homepage catalogue link was not this brochure’s publisher source. The original PDF, filename and June capture/access label are retained. The 9 October review date is not a publication, metadata-update or legislative commencement date. ## How to use it - Understand the administration workflow and prepare questions about the required grant, assets, fees, claims and likely timing for the particular estate. - Confirm estate ownership and the appropriate grant; do not assume every estate below $40,000 avoids probate or every distribution is barred for six months. - Provider timeframes and estimates depend on court timing and estate complexity; explain fees and the scope of executor-assistance services case by case. - The $40,000 prescribed amount effective 24 September 2025 applies to specified payments under s65, rather than a universal total-estate threshold. ## Evidence limits Public Trust’s October 2025 provider brochure, not personalised legal advice or a completion guarantee. Catalogue date is the printed version month; 29 October metadata is production evidence and first public-release day is unknown. Its small-estate wording is broader than the specified-payment permission in s65 and regulation 4A, effective 24 September 2025. Its six-month wording simplifies conditional administrator protection under ss47–48, which also address earlier distributions. Provider timelines are indicative. The glossary reference to p. 24 is inconsistent with this 22-page PDF; the glossary is on physical pp. 18–19. Current publisher download matched the preserved original on 9 October 2026; filename and June capture/access remain unchanged. - Physical2 small-estate formulation is broader than the precise s65/r4A permission; do not copy it as a universal legal rule. - Physical10 describes assets held for a required six months; qualify against ss47–48 rather than turn provider practice into a prohibition. - Physical3 points to a glossary on p24, but this 22-page PDF contains the glossary on physical18–19. Preserve original pagination/cross-reference discrepancy. - The brochure’s statements about minors’ trusts must be read with will/trust terms; age of majority does not prove a particular distribution entitlement. ## Statutory references [Administration Act 1969](https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1969/52/en/latest.pdf), current official version as at 28 October 2021: ss47–48, physical pp. 28–30; s65, physical pp. 41–43. [Administration (Prescribed Amounts) Regulations 2009](https://www.legislation.govt.nz/secondary-legislation/pco-drafted/2009/70/en/latest.pdf), current version as at 24 September 2025: regulation 4A, physical p. 2. The $40,000 provision is distinct from other prescribed amounts in that regulation. The statute references qualify the brochure’s simplified guidance. They do not determine a particular person’s entitlement or replace advice about the relevant deed, will, ownership and circumstances. ## Research evidence The review preserves complete original page text, metadata, hashes, live download equality, publisher download links and selected current statutory pages in artifacts/research/public-trust-guidance-source-audit-2026-10-09.json.