{"id":17036,"date":"2026-10-20T03:09:03","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T16:09:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chuatan.com.au\/accountants-deceased-client-estate\/"},"modified":"2026-10-20T11:06:53","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T00:06:53","slug":"accountants-deceased-client-estate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chuatan.com.au\/en\/accountants-deceased-client-estate\/","title":{"rendered":"When a Client Dies: A Note for Accountants"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ct-article\" data-no-translation>\n<p>Accountants are usually the first professionals a family calls after a death. You know the trust structures, the company loan accounts, the SMSF and where the family&#8217;s assets are held. You are then caught in the middle: the widow wants reassurance, the children want numbers, and the executor wants you to start distributing. Some of what you are asked to do is legal work with legal risk attached.<\/p>\n<h3>Questions that land on your desk<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Who can instruct me now?<\/strong> Your client has died. Until there is <a href=\"\/en\/do-i-need-probate\/\">a grant<\/a>, an executor&#8217;s authority is limited. Some third parties will not deal with them at all. Beneficiaries are not your client.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Who controls the trust?<\/strong> The deed decides <a href=\"\/en\/family-trust-control-after-death\/\">who the appointor and trustee are after death<\/a>, and sometimes it is unclear. Distributions resolved by the wrong person can be invalid.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The deceased&#8217;s loan accounts.<\/strong> <a href=\"\/en\/accountants-family-business-ledger-succession\/\">Large loan accounts<\/a> in the family company or trust are estate assets. Whether to call them up, forgive them or distribute them in kind changes who gets what.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The final returns.<\/strong> Including <a href=\"\/en\/overseas-beneficiary-capital-gains-tax\/\">capital gains events on death<\/a> for foreign-resident beneficiaries, and whether the executor holds back enough before distributing.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The <a href=\"\/en\/executor-disputes\/\">family dispute<\/a> brewing in your inbox,<\/strong> and how not to become a witness in it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>How we work with accountants<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>You keep the client.<\/strong> We deal with the grant, the will, the trust deeds and the family. You keep the tax, accounts and structures. We do not do accounting work.<\/li>\n<li><strong>One plan.<\/strong> We map the estate and its structures with you, and agree the sequence of steps: grant, appointor succession, trustee resolutions, loan accounts, sales, final returns and distributions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Protection for you.<\/strong> We clarify who instructs you and when, so you do not act on an instruction that is later challenged.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Language.<\/strong> Many of our shared clients&#8217; families prefer Mandarin or Cantonese. We explain the legal side to them in their language.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Before death, too<\/h3>\n<p>Accountants see estate planning problems years before they become disputes: a stale will, a deed with no successor appointor, a loan account nobody has documented. A quick referral at that point is far cheaper than a court case later.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ct-faq\">\n<h2>Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<h3>Can an accountant take instructions from an executor before probate?<\/h3>\n<p>An accountant can deal with an executor, but until there is a grant of probate the executor&#8217;s authority is limited and some third parties will not deal with them at all. Beneficiaries are not the accountant&#8217;s client. Clarifying early who can give instructions, and when, protects the accountant from acting on an instruction that is later challenged.<\/p>\n<h3>Are loan accounts in a family company part of the deceased estate?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes. Loan accounts owed to the deceased by a family company or trust are generally estate assets. Whether the executor calls them up, forgives them or distributes them in kind can change who receives what, so the decision should be made with legal and tax advice and in line with the will.<\/p>\n<h3>Who controls a family trust after the client dies?<\/h3>\n<p>The trust deed decides who the appointor and trustee are after death, and sometimes it is unclear. Distributions resolved by the wrong person can be invalid. Before trustee resolutions are prepared after a death, the deed should be read together with the will and any company documents to confirm who has authority to act.<\/p>\n<h3>When should an accountant refer a client for estate planning advice?<\/h3>\n<p>As soon as warning signs appear, such as a stale will, a trust deed with no successor appointor, or a large loan account that nobody has documented. Accountants often see these problems years before they become disputes, and a referral at that point is far cheaper than a court case later.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em>Chua Tan Associates advises families, executors, trustees and their professional advisers on estate planning, estate administration and estate disputes, in Australia and across borders. To arrange a confidential consultation, please contact our Melbourne office on +61 3 9602 3988 or submit an <a href=\"#ct-enquiry\">enquiry<\/a>. Advice is available in English, Mandarin and Cantonese.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"ct-byline\"><em>Justin Chua (\u8521\u667a\u52cb), lawyer and mediator, Chua Tan Associates, Melbourne. General information only, not legal advice. Victorian law unless stated otherwise.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"ct-enquiry\" class=\"ct-eq\" data-no-translation>\r\n<style>.ct-eq{background:#f4f1ea;border:1px solid #e3ddd0;border-radius:10px;padding:22px 24px;margin:32px 0;font-size:16px;line-height:1.6}.ct-eq h2,.ct-eq h3{margin:0 0 6px}.ct-eq p{margin:0 0 12px}.ct-eq form{display:grid;grid-template-columns:1fr 1fr;gap:12px}.ct-eq label{display:block;font-size:14px;font-weight:600;margin-bottom:4px}.ct-eq input,.ct-eq select,.ct-eq textarea{width:100%;box-sizing:border-box;padding:10px 12px;border:1px solid #cfc6b4;border-radius:6px;font-size:16px;background:#fff}.ct-eq .full{grid-column:1\/-1}.ct-eq button{background:#8a6a3b;color:#fff;border:0;border-radius:6px;padding:12px 22px;font-size:16px;cursor:pointer}.ct-eq .hp{position:absolute;left:-9999px}.ct-eq small{color:#5f5a50}.ct-eq .ok{background:#e7f3e8;border-left:4px solid #3c8d40;padding:12px 16px}.ct-eq .bad{background:#fbeaea;border-left:4px solid #b03a2e;padding:12px 16px}.ct-eq .ct-direct{display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;gap:10px;margin-top:14px}.ct-eq .ct-direct a,.ct-eq .ct-direct button{background:#fff;color:#2b2b2b;border:1px solid #cfc6b4;padding:9px 14px;border-radius:6px;text-decoration:none;font-size:15px}@media(max-width:640px){.ct-eq form{grid-template-columns:1fr}}<\/style>\r\n<h3>Tell us about the estate<\/h3>\r\n<p>A short message is enough. We reply in English, Mandarin or Cantonese, and quote fees in writing before any work starts.<\/p>\r\n<form method=\"post\" action=\"https:\/\/chuatan.com.au\/wp-admin\/admin-post.php\">\r\n<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"action\" value=\"ct_estate_enquiry\">\r\n<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"ct_ts\" value=\"1792559571\">\r\n<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"ct_lang\" value=\"en\">\r\n<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"ct_page\" value=\"https:\/\/chuatan.com.au\/en\/accountants-deceased-client-estate\/\">\r\n<div class=\"hp\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><label>Website<input type=\"text\" name=\"ct_website\" tabindex=\"-1\" autocomplete=\"off\"><\/label><\/div>\r\n<div><label for=\"ct_name\">Your name *<\/label><input id=\"ct_name\" name=\"ct_name\" required maxlength=\"120\"><\/div>\r\n<div><label for=\"ct_email\">Email<\/label><input id=\"ct_email\" name=\"ct_email\" type=\"email\" maxlength=\"160\"><\/div>\r\n<div><label for=\"ct_phone\">Phone, WeChat or WhatsApp<\/label><input id=\"ct_phone\" name=\"ct_phone\" maxlength=\"80\"><\/div>\r\n<div><label for=\"ct_language\">Preferred language<\/label><select id=\"ct_language\" name=\"ct_language\"><option>English<\/option><option>Mandarin<\/option><option>Cantonese<\/option><\/select><\/div>\r\n<div><label for=\"ct_type\">What do you need help with?<\/label><select id=\"ct_type\" name=\"ct_type\"><option value=\"\">Please choose<\/option><option>Someone has died and there is a Will<\/option><option>Someone has died and there is no Will<\/option><option>Someone has died and I am not sure if there is a Will<\/option><option>Making or updating a Will or estate plan<\/option><option>Executor or trustee question<\/option><option>A dispute about an estate<\/option><option>Other<\/option><\/select><\/div>\r\n<div><label for=\"ct_state\">Where are the assets?<\/label><select id=\"ct_state\" name=\"ct_state\"><option value=\"\">Please choose<\/option><option>Victoria<\/option><option>New South Wales<\/option><option>Queensland<\/option><option>Western Australia<\/option><option>South Australia<\/option><option>Tasmania<\/option><option>ACT<\/option><option>Northern Territory<\/option><option>More than one state<\/option><option>Overseas as well<\/option><option>Not sure<\/option><\/select><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"full\"><label for=\"ct_time\">Best time to contact you (optional)<\/label><input id=\"ct_time\" name=\"ct_time\" maxlength=\"120\"><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"full\"><label for=\"ct_msg\">Brief details (optional)<\/label><textarea id=\"ct_msg\" name=\"ct_msg\" rows=\"4\" maxlength=\"3000\"><\/textarea><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"full\"><button type=\"submit\">Send enquiry<\/button><br><small>We use your details only to respond to your enquiry. Sending this form does not create a lawyer\u2013client relationship. <a href=\"\/privacy-policy\/\">Privacy<\/a><\/small><\/div>\r\n<\/form>\r\n<div class=\"ct-direct\"><strong style=\"width:100%\">Or contact us directly<\/strong>\r\n<a href=\"tel:+61396023988\">Call +61 3 9602 3988<\/a>\r\n<a href=\"mailto:chuatan@tpg.com.au\">chuatan@tpg.com.au<\/a>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/wa.me\/61490369102\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WhatsApp +61 490 369 102<\/a>\r\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"ct-wechat\" data-msg=\"WeChat ID copied\">WeChat: chuatan262<\/button>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\t\n\n<div class=\"ct-guides\" data-no-translation><style>.ct-guides{margin:28px 0}.ct-guides ul{display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(auto-fit,minmax(230px,1fr));gap:10px;list-style:none;padding:0;margin:10px 0 0}.ct-guides li{margin:0}.ct-guides a{display:block;padding:12px 14px;border:1px solid #e3ddd0;border-radius:6px;text-decoration:none;background:#fff;height:100%}<\/style><h3>Estate guides<\/h3><ul><li><a href=\"\/en\/do-i-need-probate\/\">Do I need probate? 2-minute check<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"\/en\/what-to-do-when-someone-dies\/\">What to do when someone dies: 30-day checklist<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"\/en\/letters-of-administration-victoria\/\">No Will? Letters of administration and who inherits<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"\/en\/estate-planning-victoria\/\">Estate planning: Will, power of attorney, medical decisions<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"\/en\/testamentary-trusts\/\">Testamentary trusts<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"\/en\/superannuation-and-your-will\/\">Superannuation and your Will<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"\/en\/executor-disputes\/\">Executor problems and disputes<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"\/en\/professional-executor-trustee\/\">Professional executor &amp; trustee services<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"\/en\/%E5%AE%A2%E6%88%B7%E8%AF%84%E4%BB%B7\/\">Client reviews<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Who can instruct you, who controls the trust, loan accounts and final returns: how we work with accountants when a client dies, and why early referral saves disputes.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,106],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17036","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-25","category-trusts"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v21.2 (Yoast SEO v28.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>When a Client Dies: A Note for Accountants | Chua Tan Associates<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Who can instruct you, who controls the trust, loan accounts and final returns: how we work with accountants when a client dies, and 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\u8521\u667a\u52cb\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/6d690f94c05b0834eb3239130d09e6296a334a1b2063962b54b1d16d3754c22a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/6d690f94c05b0834eb3239130d09e6296a334a1b2063962b54b1d16d3754c22a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/6d690f94c05b0834eb3239130d09e6296a334a1b2063962b54b1d16d3754c22a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Justin Chua \u8521\u667a\u52cb\"},\"description\":\"\u8521\u667a\u52cb\u5f8b\u5e08\uff08Justin Chua\uff09\u662f\u8521\u5e86\u4f1f\u5f8b\u5e08\u4e8b\u52a1\u6240\u7684\u5f8b\u5e08\u53ca\u8c03\u89e3\u5458\uff0c2020\u5e74\u83b7\u51c6\u6267\u4e1a\uff0c\u6301\u6709RMIT\u5927\u5b66\u6cd5\u5b66\u5b66\u4f4d\u53ca\u58a8\u5c14\u672c\u5927\u5b66\u5546\u5b66\u5b66\u58eb\u5b66\u4f4d\uff08\u4f1a\u8ba1\u4e13\u4e1a\uff09\u3002\u4ed6\u662f\u5168\u56fd\u8ba4\u8bc1\u8c03\u89e3\u5458\uff08AMDRAS\uff09\u3001\u5bb6\u4e8b\u7ea0\u7eb7\u8c03\u89e3\u5458\uff08FDRP\uff09\u3001\u5bb6\u4e8b\u6cd5\u4ef2\u88c1\u5458\uff0c\u4ee5\u53caSTEP\u9644\u5c5e\u4f1a\u5458\uff0c\u4e3b\u8981\u5904\u7406\u9057\u5631\u4e0e\u9057\u4ea7\u3001\u5bb6\u5ead\u6cd5\u3001\u8de8\u5883\u5bb6\u65cf\u4e0e\u5546\u4e1a\u4e8b\u52a1\uff0c\u5e76\u4ee5\u666e\u901a\u8bdd\u548c\u82f1\u8bed\u4e3a\u5ba2\u6237\u63d0\u4f9b\u670d\u52a1\u3002 Justin Chua is a lawyer and mediator at Chua Tan Associates, admitted in 2020, with a law degree from RMIT University and a Bachelor of Commerce (accounting) from the University of Melbourne. 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