Can a beneficiary be paid travel expenses from an estate?

Charlton0

Hi,

I'm aware that an Executor can claim travel expenses from the estate but can a beneficiary be paid travel expenses too and if so under what conditions?

Many thanks.

bobster2

Charlton0 said:

Hi,

I'm aware that an Executor can claim travel expenses from the estate but can a beneficiary be paid travel expenses too and if so under what conditions?

Many thanks.

Huh - travel for what purpose??

Hoenir

Further clarification required. 

DullGreyGuy

Charlton0 said:

I'm aware that an Executor can claim travel expenses from the estate but can a beneficiary be paid travel expenses too and if so under what conditions?

Why would they?

An Executor is doing a job, it's often not an insubstantial amount of effort to do the role. It's reasonable that they get some form of compensation for it. 

A beneficiary is getting something for nothing so why should they get paid beyond what their entitlement is?

bobster2

I'm stumped as to what sort of expenses the OP could be referring to.

All beneficiaries need to do is receive things - money, personal effects, property etc.

p00hsticks

bobster2 said:

I'm stumped as to what sort of expenses the OP could be referring to.

All beneficiaries need to do is receive things - money, personal effects, property etc.

as the OP refers to travel costs, perhaps the beneficiary needed to travel to collect those 'personal effects' ? 

Thinking about it, it raises an interesting (to me) question....

If Uncle Herbert leaves someone the suit of armour and stuffed bear that stood in the Hall of Herbert Towers, then does the executor fund (out of the estate) the shipping costs to send those items to the beneficiary, or is the beneficiary obliged to collect them ? And if the latter, as the OP asaks, can they claim their travel costs from the estate ? 

DullGreyGuy

p00hsticks said:

bobster2 said:

I'm stumped as to what sort of expenses the OP could be referring to.

All beneficiaries need to do is receive things - money, personal effects, property etc.

as the OP refers to travel costs, perhaps the beneficiary needed to travel to collect those 'personal effects' ? 

Thinking about it, it raises an interesting (to me) question....

If Uncle Herbert leaves someone the suit of armour and stuffed bear that stood in the Hall of Herbert Towers, then does the executor fund (out of the estate) the shipping costs to send those items to the beneficiary, or is the beneficiary obliged to collect them ? And if the latter, as the OP asaks, can they claim their travel costs from the estate ? 

Or to add the alternative, if it isnt the exectutor demanding that they are collected but more the beneficiary choosing or asking to collect rather than be sent. They're saving the estate the transportation costs but incurring their own costs instead. 

p00hsticks

DullGreyGuy said:

p00hsticks said:

bobster2 said:

I'm stumped as to what sort of expenses the OP could be referring to.

All beneficiaries need to do is receive things - money, personal effects, property etc.

as the OP refers to travel costs, perhaps the beneficiary needed to travel to collect those 'personal effects' ? 

Thinking about it, it raises an interesting (to me) question....

If Uncle Herbert leaves someone the suit of armour and stuffed bear that stood in the Hall of Herbert Towers, then does the executor fund (out of the estate) the shipping costs to send those items to the beneficiary, or is the beneficiary obliged to collect them ? And if the latter, as the OP asaks, can they claim their travel costs from the estate ? 

Or to add the alternative, if it isnt the exectutor demanding that they are collected but more the beneficiary choosing or asking to collect rather than be sent. They're saving the estate the transportation costs but incurring their own costs instead. 

And going further - what if the beneficiary lives in some remote part of Australia ? This particular example is all a bit far fetched but presumably it's not uncommon for people who aren't local to the deceased to be left  valuable personal items such as jewellery in wills and it is up to the executor to ensure that it is somehow got safely to them. 

Charlton0

I appreciate all the comments.
The bigger picture is complex, but in a nutshell, three daughters are beneficiaries, and the youngest is also the sole executor. The eldest and youngest daughters haven't spoken in over 25 years. The eldest requested interim estate accounts and on reviewing them noted travel expense entries for the Executor and also for the middle daughter totalling over £1,200 (no further explanation provided). 
I suppose the first step would be to ask for more information/explanation regarding these entries.

Hoenir

Charlton0 said:

I suppose the first step would be to ask for more information/explanation regarding these entries.

The Executor needs to provide full justification for the expenditure. £1,200 sounds a sizable amount of money for out of pocket expenses. 

user1977

If the expenses are for "executor" duties which happen to have been carried out on the executor's behalf by a beneficiary then fair enough - but reasonable to ask for details of substantial expenses even if they were reimbursements to the executor.