Claim a Deceased Person's Bank Money 2026

Reviewed on 2026-06-20 by Dr. Shrawan Kumar Pathak.

Losing someone is hard, and money worries make it harder. Take a breath. The process is more settled than it used to be, and most families get the balance released with a short list of documents. This guide walks you through it gently, one situation at a time, so you know exactly what to carry to the bank.

The documents you need depend on one thing: what the account holder set up before they died. There are three common situations. Read the three short descriptions below and pick the one that matches.

If your relative named a nominee on the account, that nominee can claim the balance. The bank treats the nominee as the person to pay, after basic checks. You will usually need only the claim form, the death certificate and the nominee's identity proof. You do not need a succession certificate or a court order for this route, whatever the amount. A nominee receives and holds the money as a trustee for the legal heirs, so the law on who finally owns it still applies, but the bank can release it quickly. Our guide to bank nomination rules explains the nominee's exact role.

If the account was held jointly with a clause like “either or survivor” or “former or survivor”, the surviving holder simply continues with the account. They give the bank the death certificate so the deceased name can be removed. No claim process, no succession certificate, no court. The survivor keeps the balance.

This is the situation families fear, but it is now manageable. The Reserve Bank of India (Settlement of Claims in respect of Deceased Customers of Banks) Directions, 2025 created a simplified route so you do not always need a court order. For amounts within your bank's threshold, you can claim with ordinary documents and an affidavit. Only larger or disputed claims need a succession certificate or probate.

Carry photocopies and the originals. The bank keeps the copies and returns the originals after checking.

• The bank's deceased-claim form (ask the branch or download it from the bank's website).
• The original death certificate, plus a copy.
• Your own identity proof as the nominee or survivor.

For accounts with no nominee and no survivor, where the balance is within your bank's simplified limit, you usually need:

• The claim form.
• The death certificate.
• Identity proof of each legal heir claiming.
• An indemnity bond on stamp paper (the bank gives the format).
• A legal heir certificate from the competent authority, or an affidavit declaring the heirs.
• A no-objection or disclaimer letter from any other heirs who are not claiming.

Each bank fixes its own threshold for this simplified route, and the RBI has set the floor: at least Rs 15 lakh for commercial banks and at least Rs 5 lakh for cooperative banks. Many banks set a higher limit, so do ask your branch what their simplified-claim ceiling is rather than assuming.

Above your bank's threshold, or where there is a dispute about who inherits, the bank will ask for a court document: a succession certificate, a probate of the will, a letter of administration, or a court decree. These take time and a lawyer, but they protect everyone when the sums are big or the family is split.

1. Tell the branch. Visit the home branch and say the account holder has died. Ask for the deceased-claim form and the exact document list for your situation.
2. Gather the papers. Collect the death certificate, your ID, and any heir certificate, indemnity bond or court document the form asks for. Get the affidavit notarised if required.
3. Submit everything together. Hand over the complete set in one go. This matters, because the 15-day settlement clock starts only when the bank has all your documents.
4. Get an acknowledgement. Ask for a dated receipt or acknowledgement of what you submitted. Keep it safe.
5. Wait for settlement. Under the 2025 Directions, the bank must settle the claim within 15 calendar days of receiving the full set. The money is paid to the claimant or transferred to your account.

Figure: step-by-step flow. If a step stalls, use the grievance or RTI route shown.

Sometimes families do not know where a relative banked, or an old account lay untouched for years. If an account has no customer activity for ten years or more, the balance moves to the RBI's Depositor Education and Awareness Fund. You can still claim it. The RBI runs a free search portal called UDGAM where legal heirs can look for unclaimed deposits across member banks. It only finds the account, it does not pay you, so after a match you approach that bank with the same claim documents. See our UDGAM unclaimed deposits guide for how to search.

The bank cannot sit on a complete claim. If it crosses 15 days after you submitted everything, it owes you interest at the Bank Rate plus 4 per cent for the delay. Our guide to deceased-account claim delays shows how to count the days, calculate that compensation, write a follow-up letter and escalate to the banking ombudsman. For a public sector bank, you can also file an RTI to ask why your claim is pending. Start from the banking help hub to find the right next step.

Not always. If your parent named a nominee, or the account was a survivor joint account, the bank pays without any court document. With no nominee, you need a succession certificate only when the balance is above your bank's simplified threshold or when the heirs disagree. Below that threshold you can claim with an affidavit and a legal heir certificate.

The RBI Directions of 2025 require the bank to settle within 15 calendar days of receiving every required document. The clock starts only when your file is complete, so submit everything together and keep a dated acknowledgement. If the bank misses 15 days, it owes you interest for the delay.

The bank will still pay you as the nominee, but a nominee is only a trustee who receives the money. Final ownership follows the will or the law of inheritance. So you hold the balance for the rightful heirs and must share it as the law requires. If there is a genuine dispute, the heirs may need a court to decide.

Each bank sets its own limit for the simplified, no-court route. The RBI has fixed a minimum of Rs 15 lakh for commercial banks and Rs 5 lakh for cooperative banks, and a bank may set a higher limit. Ask your branch for their exact simplified-claim ceiling before you assume you need a succession certificate.

Use the RBI's free UDGAM portal to search for unclaimed deposits across member banks. If the account has been inactive for ten years or more, the balance sits in the RBI's Depositor Education and Awareness Fund and is still claimable. After UDGAM shows a match, approach that bank with the death certificate and your claim documents.

No. The bank must give you the claim form and tell you exactly what to submit. If a branch stalls, ask for the request in writing, escalate to the bank's grievance officer, and then to the RBI Ombudsman. For a public sector bank you can also file an RTI asking for the status and reasons for any delay.

For the simplified no-nominee route, banks usually ask for an indemnity bond on stamp paper to protect themselves, along with a legal heir certificate or affidavit and a no-objection letter from other heirs. The bank gives you the bond format. For nominee or survivor claims, no indemnity bond is needed.

• https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=12901&Mode=0
• https://taxguru.in/rbi/claims-settlement-deceased-customers-rbi-directions.html
• https://udgam.rbi.org.in/