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Letters of Administration

If the deceased did not leave a will, the family member(s) will have to apply for a Letters of Administration to be an Administrator of the Estate 

Overview

Estate & Inheritance

If the deceased did not leave a will, family member(s) of the deceased must apply for a 'Letters of Administration' to become an 'Administrator' of the estate.
 

The Letters of Administration gives the administrator(s) legal authority to manage and distribute the deceased's assets in accordance with the Intestate Succession Act.

First Steps

Is there a will left behind?

First and foremost, it is imperative to check whether the deceased person had left a will behind.


If the person did not leave a will, you will have to apply for 'Letters of Administration' and become the administrator of the deceased's estate.
 

If the deceased person left a will, you will have to apply for a 'Grant of Probate' and become the executor of the deceased's estate. (Read More: Grant of Probate)

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Who can be an Administrator?

The administrator is a person appointed by the court to manage and distribute the estate of the deceased person according to the Intestate Succession Act.
 

The deceased's beneficiaries (persons entitled to a share of the deceased's estate under the Intestate Succession Act) may apply for the Letters of Administration.
 

A beneficiary's priority to apply for a grant of letters of administration is usually determined by the size of their entitlement to the deceased's estate. Those with a larger entitlement have a higher priority.

The order of priority are usually as such:
 

  • Spouse

  • Children

  • Parents

  • Siblings

  • Nephews and nieces

  • Grandparents

  • Uncles and aunts
     

Beneficiaries with lower priority may either apply together with persons who have prior right or make the application after obtaining the renunciation of the persons with prior right. i.e. the person of higher priority gives up their right to apply.​ The court will grant the Letters of Administration to the applicant which the court assesses to be the best person to manage the deceased's estate.


The court will grant the Letters of Administration to the applicant, which the court assesses to be the best person to manage the deceased’s estate. It is advisable that you engage a lawyer to assist you the application, as the process to apply for the Letters of Administration can be complicated.  
 

There can be a maximum of 4 administrators for the same estate.
 

To avoid any possible disputes, you are encouraged to seek a lawyer for help in applying for the Letters of Administration.

Applying for a Letters of Administration

There are 3 main stages in the application for Letters of Administration.

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Your lawyer will be able to help you with the following:
 

  1. Filing the application for Letters of Administration

  2. Submission of the supporting documents

  3. Extracting the Grant

 

You are encouraged to engage a lawyer to help you with the application as there are many documents required to be filed and submitted to the court. However, should you wish to apply for a Grant of Probate on your own, you may refer to the Probate and Administration Toolkit on the Family Justice Courts website.
 

Documents Required

Before meeting with the lawyer, the adminstrator should prepare and bring along:
 

  1. the deceased's digital death certificate;

  2. Digital or original hardcopy death certificate of the deceased's next-of-kin (if applicable);

  3. the applicant's identification documents (e.g NRIC or passport);

  4. a list of all the assets and liabilities owned by the deceased with supporting documents (e.g. bank statements, insurance policies, tax invoices etc.); and

  5. Muslim Inheritance Certificate from the Syariah Court (if applicable)

Filing the application for a Letters of Administration

In the preliminary stage of filing the application for a Grant of Probate, your lawyer will be helping you with the required forms and documents.
 

Your lawyer will have to prepare the following documents for the submission of the application to the Court:

 

  1. The ex parte Originating Summons;

  2. Statement for Administration;

  3. Deceased's digital death certificate; and

  4. Certified true copy of the death certificate(s) for the deceased's next-of-kin (if applicable)

  5. Renunciation of beneficiaries with prior right (if applicable)

Submission of supporting documents

Once the application for the Letters of Administration has been filed with the required documents, you will receive a probate case number and a checklist of supporting documents to prepare..


Your lawyer will work with you to the prepare for the supporting documents:
 

  1. Administration Oath;

  2. Supporting Affidavit; and

  3. Schedule of Assets


You may not be able to complete and confirm the Schedule of Assets at this stage of the application. The Court may grant an 'Order-in-Terms' based on the supporting affidavit, without the Schedule of Assets.
 

The Schedule of Assets can subsequently be filed with a supplementary affidavit once your lawyer receives the relevant information.

Extracting the Grant

After all the required documents have been filed and submitted, your lawyer can proceed to request for the extraction of the Grant of Letters of Administration.
 

Your lawyer will conduct a final caveat and probate search to ensure that there are no conflicting caveat and probate applications filed against the deceased's estate.
 

With the Letters of Administration, the administrator(s) will be able to approach various institutions and request for access to the deceased's assets.

Intestate Succession Act

In accordance with the Intestate Succession Act  1967 ("IS Act"), the estate administrator ("Adminstrator") shall adhere to the following order of payment:

 

  1. Pay off the deceased's outstanding taxes, loans, funeral and legal expenses (their 'liabilities').

  2. Distribute the remaining estate according to the IS Act.
     

Important Notes: The IS Act does not apply to the estate of any Muslim citizen or permanent resident in Singapore.

Rules of Distribution 

The IS Act provides for the distribution of estate for non-Muslims. It determines:

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  • who the eligible beneficiaries are; and

  • the proportion of the estate that each beneficiary will receive.

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​You may refer to the table below for the proportion:​​​​

Rule of Singapore Inheritance Split Intestate
Rule of Intestate

I do not wish to be an Administrator

What happen if you are eligible to apply for the Letters of Administration but do not wish to be an Administrator for the deceased's estate?

If you are are eligible to apply for the Letters of Administration under the Intestate Succession Act, but do not wish to administer the deceased's estate, you may renounce your right to act.
 

You may renounce your right to apply for the Letters of Administration, through:
 

  • a verbal declaration at the hearing for a Grant of Probate made by you or your lawyer

  • a signed declaration on paper before a lawyer or commissioner for oaths

Final Notes:

If a loved one has just passed on, it can be an overwhelming and emotionally difficult task for the family members to deal with the deceased’s estate. If you require further assistance, you may enquire our service to get in touch with a law firm. The law firms will strive to provide a a professional and compassionate service to clients clients who have lost loved ones, and require legal assistance with applications to obtain a Grant of Probate or a Letter of Administration.

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