Can a beneficiary be paid travel expenses from an estate?

Marcon

DullGreyGuy said:

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. 

Only if they are professional executors appointed in that capacity, OR the will provides for a lay executor to be paid for their time and trouble. Otherwise executors can only claim reasonable out of pocket expenses for matters which directly relate to their role in administering the estate.

A beneficiary would only be entitled to travel expenses if they were acting under instruction from the executors and the travel costs were reasonable and essential for them to carry out whatever action they have been asked to perform which, again, must be directly related to the administration of the estate. 

Savvy_Sue

When our surviving parent died and it was time to clear the house, we offered to pay travel expenses for helping to clear it, but no-one took us up on that. 

We had a bit of faffing around to do towards the end, with a document which needed to be signed by five of us, all in different parts of the country, as quickly as possible. Two of them lived close enough to make meeting up feasible (which saved a day in the post), so again, we'd have paid for travel if requested. 

I think my co-executor and I did claim some travel expenses, because neither of us was nearby and I was travelling to help clear quite frequently. 

But I think the eldest is asking a valid question, and I do hope there's a sensible answer ... 

Flugelhorn

that is a substantial amount and definitely needs clarification - can imagine paying the odd train fair if one of the beneficiaries was coming to help clear a property etc or had to go to see someone eg estate agents on behalf of the exec etc - but that is a lot 

mattsaze

I'm sole executor and one of 4 brothers who are beneficiaries. A couple of us have had to take time out and travel some considerable distance to sort out my late fathers house and as executor I agreed that it's only fair the estate covers the expenses.