Executor expenses (fuel)

maman

I did qualify my first post by excluding anyone who was really strapped for cash. In OP's case, it seems a small amount such as £3 a trip. 

I've been an executor twice (once a beneficiary, once not). In both cases, I saw it as a compliment that my relative thought I was responsible and trustworthy enough to be asked to help with their affairs. Asking for expenses never entered my head. 

In the example of an adult child helping an elderly parent manage intestacy then I'd view it as any request for help managing financial affairs from a living or deceased relative. If I was capable then I'd agree willingly. If not, perhaps if the estate was really complex, then I'd suggest a solicitor and just offer practical and moral support. 

Of course there's always the option to refuse or relinquish for any number of reasons but I don't think 45p a mile would influence me. 

Sea_Shell

I guess going "by the book" can be taken too far, in calculating estate assets and liabilities 😉

Spendless

Is the other executor also a beneficiary? If not I can see why they feel they shouldn't have had to pay out of their own pocket even if the cost is minimal or is is that of the 3 beneficiaries 2 of you are executors and the other executor is feeling that the 3rd beneficiary is just getting their share without doing any work.

When my Nan died earlier this year and my Mum was sole executor  I told her she could take things like postage from Nan's estate and also told her to buy some stationery so she could put paperwork in  a more orderly file as she was getting quite confused with it - wasn't expensive, think we bought at pound stretcher and it came in around £8. I never fetched up their petrol expenses though as they were doing their own errands at the same time. 

Keep_pedalling

It is petty but not worth causing a fuss over especially as half those expenses will come out of her share of the estate, assuming the OP and their sister are the only residual beneficiaries.

nom_de_plume

I dealt with an estate that was well within IHT territory. Every penny I could reasonably claim as expenses, I did so!

As with many things in life, there is no one size fts all...

tooldle

nom_de_plume said:

I dealt with an estate that was well within IHT territory. Every penny I could reasonably claim as expenses, I did so!

As with many things in life, there is no one size fts all...

Me too. I was not a beneficiary and gave a considerable chunk of my time to dealing with the estate. 220 miles for me, 5-6 hours each way on the train, travel to and from the station etc. from my own experience, I would not ask my own working offspring to be an executor as it can also put a big dent in any annual leave allowance. 

Mojisola

tooldle said:

Me too. I was not a beneficiary and gave a considerable chunk of my time to dealing with the estate. 220 miles for me, 5-6 hours each way on the train, travel to and from the station etc. from my own experience, I would not ask my own working offspring to be an executor as it can also put a big dent in any annual leave allowance. 

If our children can't act as executors, the role is going to be done by other relatives.  We have left them a decent amount to thank them for the work and have suggested that they use a solicitor to do the bulk of the work if getting time off work, etc, is a problem for them.

Keep_pedalling

tooldle said:

nom_de_plume said:

I dealt with an estate that was well within IHT territory. Every penny I could reasonably claim as expenses, I did so!

As with many things in life, there is no one size fts all...

Me too. I was not a beneficiary and gave a considerable chunk of my time to dealing with the estate. 220 miles for me, 5-6 hours each way on the train, travel to and from the station etc. from my own experience, I would not ask my own working offspring to be an executor as it can also put a big dent in any annual leave allowance. 

That is not a good reason not to appoint them, they could always appoint professionals to help them if and when needed. 

We have plenty of threads on here from beneficiaries have problems with delays and costs with solicitors dealing with parent’s estate and difficulties with uncles, aunts and other relatives who have been appointed executors. If adult children are your main beneficiaries give them the control in dealing with the estate, not a solicitor or a sibling who may no longer be up to it by the time you kick the bucket. 

Skiddaw1

I was the executor (not a beneficiary) of the estate of a close friend who lived in a very remote part of the far northwest of Scotland (at the time I lived in the south of England) and I certainly claimed reasonable travel expenses against the estate (cost of flights/hire car). I wasn't anal about it but I think there are many circumstances in which claiming expenses is reasonable.

tooldle

Keep_pedalling said:

tooldle said:

nom_de_plume said:

I dealt with an estate that was well within IHT territory. Every penny I could reasonably claim as expenses, I did so!

As with many things in life, there is no one size fts all...

Me too. I was not a beneficiary and gave a considerable chunk of my time to dealing with the estate. 220 miles for me, 5-6 hours each way on the train, travel to and from the station etc. from my own experience, I would not ask my own working offspring to be an executor as it can also put a big dent in any annual leave allowance. 

That is not a good reason not to appoint them, they could always appoint professionals to help them if and when needed. 

We have plenty of threads on here from beneficiaries have problems with delays and costs with solicitors dealing with parent’s estate and difficulties with uncles, aunts and other relatives who have been appointed executors. If adult children are your main beneficiaries give them the control in dealing with the estate, not a solicitor or a sibling who may no longer be up to it by the time you kick the bucket. 

Interesting. My parents appointed me as joint executor with the remaining parent. As it turned out the joint appointee had lost capacity and all tasks fell to me. As I explained I was 220 miles away from the deceased. A huge amount of travelling back and fore, with loss of annual leave. Not all families live within a few miles of one another.
I’ve lived the experience and got the t-shirt. I wouldn’t ask the same of my child, especially if they are not a beneficiary.