When someone dies owning shares, funds or other investments, those assets do not transfer automatically. Share registrars, brokers and fund managers need to see the grant before they will re-register or sell anything held in the deceased's sole name. This guide explains how to transfer shares after death in Ireland — how investments are valued, the steps to take with registrars, and how holdings fit into dealing with the deceased's assets in Ireland.
This guide is written for executors and administrators handling a portfolio, and for beneficiaries (people who inherit) who expect to receive a holding. We cover registrar requirements, the date used to value shares, the separate Capital Acquisitions Tax (CAT — inheritance tax) valuation date, and the extra steps that foreign-held shares can involve. Holdings kept on an online trading platform or in cryptocurrency are covered separately in our guide to digital assets after death. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Do you need probate to deal with shares?
In most cases, yes. The grant of probate (or letters of administration where there is no will) is what gives the person managing the estate legal authority to deal with the deceased's assets — including transferring or selling shares. Until that grant comes through, a registrar or broker will normally keep a sole-name holding frozen.
There are exceptions. A grant is generally not required where all of the deceased's assets were held jointly, where they were nominated to pass to a specific person, or where the estate is small enough to qualify under the small estates procedure. Whether a grant is needed depends on how each holding was owned.
Shares in the sole name of the deceased
Yes — a grant is generally needed
The registrar will not re-register or sell without it
Shares held jointly (joint tenants)
Often no
Pass to the surviving co-owner by survivorship
Small holding within a small estate
Sometimes no
An institution may release a small balance to the next of kin
Funds or investment accounts in sole name
Yes — a grant is generally needed
The provider releases on sight of the grant
Whether a grant is needed to deal with a shareholding depends on how it was owned. Source: Citizens Information and the Courts Service.
| Type of holding | Grant usually needed? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Shares in the sole name of the deceased | Yes — a grant is generally needed | The registrar will not re-register or sell without it |
| Shares held jointly (joint tenants) | Often no | Pass to the surviving co-owner by survivorship |
| Small holding within a small estate | Sometimes no | An institution may release a small balance to the next of kin |
| Funds or investment accounts in sole name | Yes — a grant is generally needed | The provider releases on sight of the grant |
Shares held as joint tenants pass automatically to the surviving co-owner — this is called the right of survivorship — and they usually fall outside the estate for administration purposes. Holdings in the deceased's sole name, or held as tenants in common (each person owning a defined share), form part of the estate and will generally need a grant before they can be moved or sold.
How shares and investments are valued
For the estate itself, shares and investments are valued as at the date of death. The executor or administrator must gather and value all of the deceased's assets — including shares — before applying for the grant. That date-of-death value goes into the Statement of Affairs (Probate) Form SA.2 filed with Revenue.
Quoted shares are valued using their market price on the date of death; funds use their unit price on that date. Registrars, brokers and fund providers can give you a date-of-death valuation on request. For unquoted or private company shares, a professional valuation is usually needed because there is no published market price.
Pulling these figures together is part of the wider job of valuing the estate. Our guide on how to value an estate for probate explains how investments sit alongside property, bank accounts and other assets, and how the total feeds into the Form SA.2.
The valuation date for inheritance tax (CAT)
The value used for a beneficiary's Capital Acquisitions Tax (CAT) bill is worked out on a different date from the estate's date-of-death figure. For CAT, Revenue uses the market value of the shares on what it calls the “valuation date.” If the market has moved between the date of death and the valuation date, the two figures can differ.
Revenue defines the valuation date as the earliest of three things: when the executor or administrator is entitled to set aside the asset for the beneficiary, when they actually do so, or when they transfer it. In practice this often falls around the date the grant comes through — but it is not automatically the date of death.
Transferring or selling the holdings
Once the grant comes through, the executor or administrator can act. The grant gives authority to re-register a holding into a beneficiary's name or to sell it and distribute the proceeds. Each registrar, broker and fund provider has its own forms, so a portfolio spread across several companies usually means several separate transfer or sale packs.
How to transfer or sell a deceased person's shares
Five stages take a sole-name holding from frozen to transferred or sold. Timelines depend on the registrar and the complexity of the portfolio.
Identify every holding
Gather share certificates, dividend statements, broker and platform statements, and CREST or nominee account records. Holdings can sit with a named registrar, an online broker, a stockbroker's nominee account, or a fund manager. List each one with the company name, the number of units or shares, and the account or holder reference so nothing is missed when you value the estate.
Obtain a date-of-death valuation
Ask each registrar, broker or fund provider for the value of the holding on the date of death. Quoted shares use the market price on that date; funds use the unit price. These figures feed into the valuation of the estate and the Statement of Affairs (Probate) Form SA.2 filed with Revenue.
Apply for the grant
Most providers will not move or sell a sole-name holding until the grant of probate (or letters of administration) comes through. The grant gives the executor or administrator legal authority to deal with the deceased's assets, including transferring or selling shares. Apply through the Probate Office once the estate has been valued and Revenue has acknowledged the Form SA.2.
Send the grant to each registrar
Once the grant comes through, send a copy (or the original for inspection) to each registrar, broker or fund provider, along with their own transfer or sale forms. Each institution has its own paperwork, so expect to complete a separate pack for each company or fund rather than one form for the whole portfolio.
Transfer or sell
Once the registrar has accepted the grant, you can re-register the holding into a beneficiary's name or sell it and distribute the cash. The right choice depends on the will, the wishes of the beneficiaries, and any tax consequences. Keep written confirmation of each transfer or sale for the estate records.
The decision to transfer or sell depends on the will and the beneficiaries' wishes. A will may leave specific shares to a named person, who can then have them re-registered into their own name. Where shares fall into the residue of the estate, the executor or administrator and the beneficiaries can agree whether to transfer the holding directly or sell it and divide the cash.
Foreign-held shares and cross-border holdings
Foreign shares form part of the estate and are valued at the date of death like any other holding. The complication is the foreign registrar or broker. Some jurisdictions will not transfer a holding on an Irish grant alone — they require a separate grant, or the Irish grant to be officially recognised locally (a process called resealing), before they will act.
A foreign tax filing can also arise on top of any Irish CAT. United States holdings are a common example: US estate-tax rules and transfer-agent requirements add steps that simply do not apply to Irish shares. Our guide on inheriting US shares in an Irish estate walks through that scenario in detail.
Tax when you inherit shares
A beneficiary may have to pay Capital Acquisitions Tax on inherited shares if their total benefits exceed the relevant tax-free threshold. CAT is charged at 33% on the value above the threshold. The threshold depends on the relationship to the person who died. Tax figures below are correct as of 29 July 2026.
Group A
Children (and certain others)
€400,000
Group B
Siblings, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, grandparents and certain parents
€40,000
Group C
Everyone else
€20,000
CAT group thresholds effective from 2 October 2024. CAT is charged at 33% on the value above the threshold. Source: Revenue.
| CAT group | Who it covers | Tax-free threshold |
|---|---|---|
| Group A | Children (and certain others) | €400,000 |
| Group B | Siblings, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, grandparents and certain parents | €40,000 |
| Group C | Everyone else | €20,000 |
A separate Capital Gains Tax (CGT) charge can arise if a beneficiary later sells inherited shares at a gain, measured from the date-of-death value. Because CAT, CGT and the timing of any sale all interact, it is worth taking tailored advice for larger holdings before acting. For the wider picture, see our guide to inheritance tax in Ireland.