If you are the executor of a deceased estate, you may need to sell or transfer shares; we can help with either. Dealing with deceased estate share sales on a daily basis, the Sell My Shares team offers a friendly, personable service to help you sell or transfer deceased estate shares lightning fast and without any fuss.
We understand that many estate executors are not familiar with the process to sell or transfer shares and you are not expected to know anything when you contact us; that’s our job!
A simple estate sale is just that – simple. We are also renowned for being able to get to the bottom of complex matters to assist executors and their advisers (lawyers and accountants etc) to complete the task of selling or transmitting shares, no matter how complicated the scenario.
To sell shares held by a deceased estate, the following steps are required:
1. Complete the online share sale form on our website
2. Executor(s) complete the online ID check
3. Email us or upload a recently certified copy of:
a) The probate; OR
b) The will & death certificate
The online share sale form takes around five minutes to complete and simply collects basic information about yourself and the shareholding. The key thing you’ll need here is your Security Reference Number (SRN) which should begin with the letter “I”. (If your holder number begins with the letter ‘X’ – click here). Other things we’ll ask you in this form include how many shares you wish to sell and the service level you would like to receive (Value or Express). We will also request the email address for each executor to ensure each executor receives the online ID check to complete.
The online ID check is automatically sent to each executor’s email address after the share sale form is completed. Here, the executor is guided through a short online form where they will:
Once the online share sale form has been completed and the executor(s) has successfully verified their ID online, you will need to email us a recently certified copy of the probate, or certified copies of the will and death certificate. These documents can be emailed to us at [email protected] or alternatively can be uploaded on your personal status page.
To get a copy of your documents certified, follow these instructions, which are summarised below:
For deceased estate share sales, our standard brokerage fees apply, plus a surcharge of (the greater of) $55 or 0.55%. The increased fee is to cover the additional complexity that accompanies selling shares held by a deceased estate.
For Express share sales, we will sell your shares on the same day you complete the online share sale form (provided the executor/s complete the online ID check and email us the required documents before 3pm AEST). For all other sales, we will usually have your shares sold for you within 1-2 business days.
We pay all deceased estate share sales by bank transfer, unless otherwise arranged. Sale proceeds are transferred on the third business day after your share sale has taken place. The settlement date is listed on your consignment note, received via email on the day the shares are sold. For example, if you sold your shares on Monday, you will receive the money on Thursday. If you are conducting your share sale through a solicitor, we will transfer the share sale proceeds to their trust account. Contact our team for more information if this applies in your case.
Yes. As part of the online share sale form, you will need to indicate how many executors there are, and provide their contact details so we can have them agree to the sale of the shares. Each executor will also need to complete the identity process.
Yes. Our service allows anyone to manage a share sale for anyone else. One of the questions will ask you if you are the shareholder, or if you are acting for the shareholder. Clearly though, the legal title holders need to approve the share sale; so their contact details are provided as part of the online share sale process. We also provide a B2B service for professional advisers.
The executor(s) can instruct us to sell the shares that are held by the estate. The proceeds from the share sale are sent via bank transfer.
Assuming you are using the online process – it takes between 5 and 15 minutes for you to provide the information we need to process the share sale. From there, depending on the service level you have selected, the shares are sold either the same day, or within 2 business days.
If the total value of the shares is small, you are able to provide a will and death certificate. For larger estates, you will need to have acquired probate.
