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Legal heir certificate, by state
This one is not a national process. The issuing officer, the portal, the form number and even the name of the document change at the state border — so it gets a page per state rather than one article pretending otherwise.
- Tamil Nadu — Legal Heir Certificate
- Karnataka — Surviving Family Member Certificate
- Maharashtra — Legal Heir Certificate / Warasan Certificate
- Delhi — Surviving Member Certificate
- Uttar Pradesh — Legal Heir Certificate
- Kerala — Legal Heir Certificate
How do I claim my father's bank account after his death?
The exact documents Indian banks ask for to release a deceased person's account — with and without a nominee — and how long each route takes.
Updated 2026-08-22Do I need a succession certificate, and how do I get one?
When a succession certificate is genuinely required, how it differs from a legal heir certificate, what it costs and how long the court takes.
Updated 2026-08-22The account has a nominee. Does the nominee keep the money?
A nominee receives the money but does not own it. What the Supreme Court held in Shakti Yezdani, and what that means for your family.
Updated 2026-08-22Who inherits when a Hindu dies without a will?
How intestate shares work under the Hindu Succession Act 1956 — Class I heirs, the rule for multiple widows, and daughters' equal rights after 2005.
Updated 2026-08-22My father's old shares went to the IEPF. How do I get them back?
Shares moved to the IEPF because dividends went unclaimed can be recovered with Form IEPF-5. The full process, and the step most families stall on.
Updated 2026-08-22How do I get a legal heir certificate?
What a legal heir certificate proves, which claims it is accepted for, and how to apply online through your state's portal or at the tahsildar's office. State-by-state detail included.
Updated 2026-09-15My sister passed away. How do I claim her inheritance?
Who inherits when a woman dies without a will in India, why a brother or sister is often not first in line, and the one rule that decides most sibling claims.
Updated 2026-08-31How do I get a death certificate?
Where to register a death, the 21-day deadline and what happens after it, how many certified copies you need, and why every claim starts with this document.
Updated 2026-08-31What documents do I need to claim my father's money after his death?
The complete document list for claiming a family member's bank accounts, deposits, insurance, provident fund and investments in India — and which ones depend on nomination and amount.
Updated 2026-08-31How do I write an affidavit of legal heirship?
What an affidavit of legal heirship is, exactly what it must state, who swears it, and the stamp-paper and notary formalities banks and funds expect in India.
Updated 2026-08-31What is an indemnity bond, and why does the bank want one?
Why banks ask for an indemnity bond when there is no nominee, what you are actually promising when you sign one, sureties, and the stamp-paper formalities.
Updated 2026-08-31What is a no-objection certificate from the other legal heirs?
What a no-objection certificate from the other legal heirs is, who must sign it, what it must say, and what to do if an heir refuses or cannot be found.
Updated 2026-08-31How long does it take to get a deceased person's money released?
Realistic timelines for releasing a deceased family member's bank account, deposits, insurance and investments in India — with a nominee, without one, and when a court is involved.
Updated 2026-08-31The bank is refusing to release my father's money. What can I do?
How to escalate when a bank stalls or refuses a deceased account claim — the grievance route, the Reserve Bank's directions, and when to go to the banking ombudsman.
Updated 2026-08-31Can I use my late father's ATM card or net banking to take out his money?
Why operating a deceased person's bank account with their card or login is not lawful, what problems it causes for the heirs, and what to do instead.
Updated 2026-08-31Do I need a lawyer to claim my father's bank account?
When a lawyer is genuinely needed to claim a deceased family member's money in India, when they are not, and how to tell which situation you are in before paying for either.
Updated 2026-08-31How do I claim an LIC policy after the policyholder's death?
The LIC death-claim process step by step: which forms, what documents, how the nominee is paid, what changes if the death was within three years, and the 30-day settlement rule.
Updated 2026-08-31How do I claim my father's EPF after his death?
The three EPFO claims a family makes after a death — provident fund, pension and the EDLI insurance benefit — which form each needs, who can claim, and how to file.
Updated 2026-08-31How do I claim my father's PPF account after his death?
What happens to a Public Provident Fund account when the holder dies, how the nominee or legal heirs claim it, the five-lakh threshold, and why the account cannot simply be continued.
Updated 2026-08-31How do I claim my father's mutual funds after his death?
Transmission of mutual fund units to a nominee or the legal heirs in India: which form, the documents CAMS and KFintech ask for, the no-nominee route, and how to find all the folios.
Updated 2026-08-31How do I transfer my father's shares to my name after his death?
Transmission of demat and physical shares to a nominee or the legal heirs in India: the transmission request form, SEBI's simplified threshold, and the physical-share route through the registrar.
Updated 2026-08-31How do I claim my father's NPS account after his death?
What happens to a National Pension System account when the subscriber dies, who receives the corpus, the difference for government employees, and how to file the death withdrawal.
Updated 2026-08-31How do I claim my mother's post office savings and NSC after her death?
Claiming a deceased person's post office savings account, recurring or time deposit, NSC, KVP or monthly income scheme: nominee and no-nominee routes and the five-lakh threshold.
Updated 2026-08-31How do I claim my father's fixed deposit after his death?
Claiming a deceased family member's fixed deposit in India: the nominee and survivor routes, premature closure without penalty, interest to the date of payment, and joint deposits.
Updated 2026-08-31How do I open my father's bank locker after his death?
Accessing a deceased family member's bank locker in India under the RBI's locker rules: nominee and survivor access, the no-nominee route, and the inventory the bank takes.
Updated 2026-08-31How do I claim family pension after my husband's death?
Claiming family pension after the death of a government pensioner or employee in India: who is eligible, Form 14, the documents, and the separate EPS pension for private-sector employees.
Updated 2026-08-31How do I claim my husband's gratuity after his death?
Gratuity after death in India: why the five-year rule does not apply, who the employer pays, Form J and Form K, the 30-day deadline, and leave encashment and other dues.
Updated 2026-08-31One holder of our joint account has died. Who owns it now?
What happens to a joint bank account or deposit in India when one holder dies: either-or-survivor, former-or-survivor and jointly-operated accounts, and the difference between operating the account and owning the money.
Updated 2026-08-31What happens to my father's loans after his death?
What happens to a deceased person's home loan, personal loan and credit card debt in India, whether the family has to pay, loan insurance, and how the estate settles debts before heirs inherit.
Updated 2026-08-31How do I find out what accounts and investments my father had?
How to trace every bank account, deposit, insurance policy, mutual fund, share and provident fund a deceased family member held in India, using their tax records and the official search portals.
Updated 2026-08-31How do I claim my father's unclaimed bank deposits through UDGAM?
Using the Reserve Bank's UDGAM portal to find a deceased family member's unclaimed bank deposits across banks, what happens to deposits idle for ten years, and how to claim them from the bank.
Updated 2026-08-31My mother passed away. Who inherits her money?
Who inherits a Hindu woman's money and property when she dies without a will: the fixed order under section 15, why inherited property goes back to its source, and what her husband and children each get.
Updated 2026-08-31My husband died without a will. What am I entitled to?
A widow's share when her husband dies without a will in India under the Hindu Succession Act: one share alongside each child and his mother, what she keeps outright, and the nominee trap.
Updated 2026-08-31My father died. Does my mother get everything, or is it divided between us?
When a Hindu man dies without a will, his widow does not inherit everything: the estate is divided equally between her, each child and his mother. What the split is, and what to do about it.
Updated 2026-08-31My brother died unmarried. Who gets his money?
Who inherits when an unmarried Hindu man dies without a will: why his mother takes everything if she is alive, when his father inherits, and when brothers and sisters share it.
Updated 2026-08-31Can a married daughter claim her father's money after his death?
A married daughter's inheritance rights under the Hindu Succession Act: an equal share with her brothers in her father's self-acquired property, and a share by birth in ancestral property since 2005.
Updated 2026-08-31My grandfather died. Can I claim a share of his money?
When grandchildren inherit from a grandfather under the Hindu Succession Act: only through a parent who died before him, taking that parent's share, and why they get nothing directly if the parent is alive.
Updated 2026-08-31How do I claim an SBI account after the account holder dies?
How to claim an SBI account after death — nominee and no-nominee routes, the home-branch rule, and what SBI may not demand under the 2025 RBI directions.
Updated 2026-09-24How do I claim an HDFC Bank account after death?
Documents HDFC Bank asks for to release a deceased customer’s account, with and without a nominee, and the RBI rules the branch must follow.
Updated 2026-09-24How do I claim an ICICI Bank account after death?
How to claim an ICICI Bank account after the holder dies — nominee route, no-nominee route, and what the 2025 RBI directions stop the branch asking for.
Updated 2026-09-24What is the difference between a legal heir certificate and a succession certificate?
Legal heir certificate versus succession certificate in India: who issues each, what it proves, what it costs, and which one a bank actually wants.
Updated 2026-09-24What can a bank legally ask for when someone dies?
What the RBI 2025 deceased-customer directions allow a bank to ask for, the ₹15 lakh floor, the 15-day settlement clock, and how to use them at the branch.
Updated 2026-09-24Who inherits when a Muslim dies without a will?
Who inherits when a Muslim dies without a will in India — Quranic sharers and residuaries, why Sunni and Shia rules differ, and why a bank claim still needs the right papers.
Updated 2026-09-24Who inherits when a Christian dies without a will?
Who inherits when a Christian dies without a will in India under the Indian Succession Act — the widow’s one-third, the children’s two-thirds, and when kindred take.
Updated 2026-09-24There is a will. Do I still need probate?
When probate of a will is required in India, how it differs from a succession certificate, and what a bank actually asks for if there is a will.
Updated 2026-09-24I live abroad. How do I claim my parent’s account in India?
How an NRI claims a parent’s bank account, shares or insurance in India after death — documents, attestation, and who can visit the branch.
Updated 2026-09-24Can I use a power of attorney to claim a deceased person’s account?
A power of attorney dies with the person who gave it. What that means for a deceased bank account, and what mandate actually works for an heir who is abroad.
Updated 2026-09-24How do I transfer my father’s house after his death?
How a house is transferred after death in India — mutation is not a succession certificate — and how that differs from claiming the bank money.
Updated 2026-09-24How do I transfer my father’s car after his death?
How to transfer a vehicle in the name of the legal heir after the owner dies, and why this is separate from the bank claim.
Updated 2026-09-24How do I claim a term insurance policy after the policyholder dies?
How to claim a term life policy after death in India — nominee route, documents, the three-year contestability window, and how this differs from an LIC endowment claim.
Updated 2026-09-24