Estate duty clearance is NOT required for deaths on and after 15 February 2008.
On this page:
When Clearance is not Required
1. The market value of the contents in the deceased's safe deposit box is $10,000 or below.
You can claim the items kept in the boxes subject to the bank's/financial institution's/Certis CISCO's policy and condition.
You should give to the bank/financial institution/Certis CISCO a declaration of the value of the contents to the best of your knowledge.
2. The deceased only owned an HDB flat in joint tenancy and the total value of his other assets is not more than $600,000.
The surviving co-owner can sign a Statutory Declaration (SD) at HDB to transfer the flat to his or her name.
The surviving co-owner must declare to the best of his or her knowledge and belief that:
- The HDB flat was the only immovable property of the deceased and;
- The total value of the deceased's other assets is not more than $600,000 at the date of death.
If the surviving co-owner passes away without making the above declaration, the executor/administrator of his or her estate can make the above declaration for the first death.
For more information, please contact HDB at +65 6490 1111.
When Clearance is Required
Most death cases require a court order authorising the person named therein to administer the estate of the deceased. This court order is called the Grant of Representation.
Grant of Representation may be Grant of Probate or Grant of Letters of Administration.
When Grant of Representation is Required
Step-by-Step Guide | Approach |
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STEP 1: Apply for Grant of Representation from Family Justice Courts, Singapore |
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STEP 2: For most non-taxable cases which:
Submit Forms SC to the Family Justice Courts and proceed to Step 5. When Forms SC is NOT applicable, proceed to Step 3. |
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STEP 3: Submit the following to the Commissioner of Estate Duties:
| Commissioner of Estate Duties 55 Newton Road Revenue House Singapore 307987 Email : [email protected] |
STEP 4: Pay the estate duty and interest as assessed by the Commissioner of Estate Duties. After full payment is settled, the Commissioner of Estate Duties will issue a Schedule of Assets to the Courts. The Schedule of Assets will be annexed to the Grant of Representation. | Commissioner of Estate Duties |
STEP 5: The executor will extract the Grant of Probate and distribute the assets according to the deceased's Will. If the deceased did not make a Will, the administrator will extract the Grant of Letters of Administration and distribute the assets according to the Intestate Succession Act. The lawyer will assist the executor/administrator to extract the Grant of Representation. |
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When Grant of Representation is Not Required
For estates with simple asset structure at the time of death, the grant of representation may not be required. However, Estate Duty clearance is still required under certain circumstances.
Examples
- Deceased transferred all assets as gifts to someone else and the total market value exceeds the exemption threshold of $600,000 as at the time of death.
- Deceased passed away on or after 28 Feb 1996, where he or she only had bank accounts and dwelling house, both held in joint names with others. The total market value of the bank accounts exceeds $600,000 or the value of his or her share in the dwelling house exceeds $9 million as at his or her death.
- The market value of contents in the safe deposit boxes exceeds $10,000 with the same bank.
The above examples are not exhaustive. There may be other cases where Estate Duty clearance is required even though the Grant of Representation is not obtained in Singapore.
The executor/administrator or joint owner may submit the following forms to the Commissioner of Estate Duties:
- Form of Account
- Observations Form
- Schedule of Immovable Property (if applicable)
Please submit the forms to:
Commissioner of Estate Duties
55 Newton Road
Revenue House
Singapore 307987
Email : [email protected]