Can an executor be paid?

Only where the will contains a charging clause, or all the beneficiaries agree. A professional executor's charging clause is standard; a family executor's usually is not.

How long does an executor have to distribute?

There is no fixed deadline, but the executor's year is the benchmark and unexplained delay beyond it can be challenged.

Duties · 6 min read

What an executor is legally responsible for

An executor holds the estate for the beneficiaries. That fiduciary position is what turns an administrative job into one with real legal duties attached.

Written and reviewed by Ramani Gill, Founder & CEO — Solicitor, TEP, BA, LLM. Last reviewed 2026-08-19.

The core duties

Dispose of the body and register the death
Identify, secure and value everything the deceased owned
Report the estate to HMRC and pay any Inheritance Tax
Obtain the grant where one is needed
Collect in the assets and pay the debts in the correct legal order
Keep full accounts and produce them to the beneficiaries
Distribute strictly in accordance with the will or the intestacy rules

The standard expected of you

Act with the care a prudent person of business would apply to their own affairs
Act in the interests of the beneficiaries as a whole, not one faction
Avoid conflicts between your personal interest and the estate's
Act reasonably promptly — the 'executor's year' is the conventional benchmark
Do not profit from the role unless the will authorises it

The executor's year

Beneficiaries are not generally entitled to press for distribution within twelve months of the death. After that, delay needs a reason you can explain.

Doing this yourself?

Our guided service walks an executor through valuations, the HMCTS forms and the estate accounts for a one-off £349.

Check if I can do probate myself

What you are not required to do

Take advice on every question — only where a prudent person would
Accept the role at all, if you have not yet started to act
Sell assets at any price simply to finish quickly
Fund the estate's liabilities from your own money

GOV.UK — Dealing with the estate

Common questions

Can an executor be paid?: Only where the will contains a charging clause, or all the beneficiaries agree. A professional executor's charging clause is standard; a family executor's usually is not.
How long does an executor have to distribute?: There is no fixed deadline, but the executor's year is the benchmark and unexplained delay beyond it can be challenged.

Not sure whether this estate is straightforward?

The free suitability checker asks about jurisdiction, disputes and complexity, and tells you in a few minutes whether a self-help route is sensible — or whether you should speak to a solicitor. No account needed.

Start the free checker

Where this fits in the probate process

General information only, not legal or tax advice. Last checked 2026-08-19.