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Duty to prepare estate accounts

The personal representatives’ (PRs) legal obligation to prepare accounts is set out in Administration of Estates Act 1925, s 25. Their prescribed duties include:

“When required to do so by the Court, exhibit on oath in the Court a full inventory of the estate and when so required render an account of the administration of the estate to the Court.”

And indeed that obligation (‘to keep a full account of how the estate has been distributed’) is repeated in every statement of truth leading to a grant of representation.

However, the law does not provide any further guidance as to how the duty is to be fulfilled. There are no statutory requirements as to the format of the estate accounts or the degree of detail. Consequently, PRs or their advisers may choose a presentation which best suits the circumstances.

A recommended format for estate accounts is described in the Format for estate accounts guidance note.