Seven mistakes appear repeatedly in NI estate administration — and most are entirely avoidable with the right information upfront. Several carry personal liability: the executor pays, not the estate. Here is what to watch for, and how the Blueprint addresses each one.
The most common mistake. PA1A and PA1P are England & Wales forms. Northern Ireland uses NIPF1 (with a will) and NIPF2 (intestacy). ProbateNI will reject an application on E&W forms, adding weeks to the process. The Blueprint uses only NI forms throughout.
England & Wales statutory legacies (currently £322,000) do not apply in Northern Ireland. NI uses £250,000 where there is issue and £450,000 where there is no issue, under the Administration of Estates (Northern Ireland) Act 1955. Using the wrong figure produces an incorrect distribution and potential personal liability.
Paying a small bill from the deceased's account, handing family jewellery to a relative, or instructing repairs to a property are all acts of intermeddling. Once you intermeddle, you are bound as executor in law — even if you intended to renounce. The Blueprint's Point of No Return section lists specific everyday examples and explains the legal effect.
If IHT is owed and you distribute before HMRC confirms the IHT position, you are personally liable for the shortfall. The five mandatory distribution checks in the Blueprint require IHT clearance before any beneficiary receives anything — not just a belief that IHT is not owed.
Even if you believe all debts are paid, a statutory advertisement in the Belfast Gazette (and a local newspaper) starts a creditor notice period. Distributing before this period expires means you could be personally sued by a creditor who appears after distribution. The Blueprint explains the process and the waiting period.
If you pay a cash legacy directly to a beneficiary who is subsequently declared bankrupt, a trustee in bankruptcy can claim those funds from the estate — and from you as executor if you knew or should have known the risk. The Blueprint requires bankruptcy searches against all cash beneficiaries as mandatory check five before distribution.
Insolvent or near-insolvent estates, contested wills, significant business interests, foreign assets, and borderline IHT cases all require professional involvement. Treating them as straightforward and proceeding with DIY can result in irreversible errors. The Blueprint explicitly routes these cases to a solicitor — not buried in footnotes, but at the start of each relevant section.
134 pages. Every NI-specific form, fee, and liability check. The whole picture, one clear path.
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