Apply for letters of administration

What is a Grant of Letters of Administration

A Grant of Letters of Administration legally recognises an applicant as the administrator of the deceased's estate. The appointed individual manages the deceased's property. This includes distributing the estate to the beneficiaries after payment of the deceased's debts and other expenses.

Note

Who is a beneficiary

If the deceased has not left a valid will, the estate will be distributed in accordance with:

(For non-Muslim estates) The Intestate Succession Act.
(For Muslim estates) Muslim law.

If you are entitled to a share of the deceased's estate, you are a beneficiary.

Who has priority to apply

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. Individuals with a larger entitlement have a higher priority. The spouse of the deceased for non-Muslim estates generally has priority to apply for a grant of letters of administration.

Beneficiaries with lower priority may:

Apply together with persons who have prior right.
Make the application after obtaining the renunciation of the persons with prior right. Renunciation means to give up one's right to apply.

Refer to the following table to understand the division of non-Muslim estates (under the Intestate Succession Act).

Beneficiary who will inherit	Share of estate
Only spouse	100%.
Spouse, with children and descendants of deceased children	Spouse: 50%. Children and descendants of deceased children: 50% divided equally by the number of children. Note: The descendants of a deceased child will inherit their parent's share.
Children and descendants of deceased children (no spouse)	100% divided equally by the number of children. Note: The descendants of a deceased child will inherit their parent's share.
Spouse and parents (no children or descendants of deceased children)	Spouse: 50%. Parents: 50% divided equally by the number of people.
Only parents	100% divided equally by the number of people.
Only siblings and children of deceased siblings	100% divided equally by the number of siblings. Note: The children of a deceased sibling will inherit their parent's share.
Only grandparents	100% divided equally by the number of people.
Only aunts and uncles	100% divided equally by the number of people.
None of the above	100% to the government.

Note: Children and descendants of deceased children include both legitimate children and children adopted through a court order made in Singapore, Malaysia or Brunei Darussalam. A legitimate child is born to parents who are married to each other (the marriage could have been either before or after the birth).

The distribution of Muslim estates will be in accordance with the Inheritance Certificate issued by the Syariah Court.

Before applying for a grant

Before you apply for a grant, find out:

What assets there are.
- Some assets like money in the deceased's Central Provident Fund (CPF) account, immovable property held under a joint tenancy with no outstanding mortgage, and some insurance policies with nominations may be distributed without a grant.
The value of the assets.
- If the estate is below $50,000 you may be able to apply for the Public Trustee to administer the estate if you satisfy certain criteria.
If any foreign person is entitled to an estate or interest in residential property.
- If so, the estate or interest must be transferred to the beneficiaries or sold within 5 years from the date of death, as required under the Residential Property Act.

Apply for letters of administration step-by-step

This is the process of filing an application for letters of administration for cases where all of the following applies:

The deceased did not leave a valid will.
You are a beneficiary entitled to a share of the estate.
You are at least 21 years old and do not lack mental capacity.

Note: For other types of letters of administration cases, you may wish to seek legal advice.

When filing

File an application for a Grant of Letters of Administration

Find out the documents you need to prepare and the steps to file for a Grant of Letters of Administration.

How to file for a Grant of Letters of Administration

After filing

File the further supporting documents

After filing the application, you will need to file the further supporting documents. If your submissions are in order, the court may grant the application without a hearing.

File the supporting documents (probate or administration)

(If needed) Attend a probate hearing

You may need to attend court in some cases, for example if your documents are incomplete.

Going to court for a probate or administration hearing

After an order is made

Issuance of the grant

After the court has approved your application and all relevant supporting documents including the Schedule of Assets, the court will issue the Grant of Letters of Administration. Grants are issued electronically. If required, you may also request a printed grant (a physical grant with an embossed court seal).

If the organisation holding the deceased's assets requires a certified true copy of the grant to deal with the assets, find out how to apply for a certified true copy.