An estate plan your family can follow.
Wills, trusts and estate liquidity, planned by CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professionals, so that what you intend is what happens, with as little cost and delay as the law allows.
Sixty minutes, at our cost, at our Durbanville office or online.
Who we usually help.
Estate planning rarely starts with a trust deed. It usually starts with one of these.
- Your will was drafted years ago, before a marriage, divorce, child or business.
- You own property, a business or offshore assets and are not sure what your estate would owe.
- You want to provide for children or a spouse through a trust and need to understand what that involves.
- You are the executor of a parent's estate and want a clear view of the process.
What happens after a death.
Knowing the sequence shows where planning helps. Most estates take between one and two years to finalise, and a shortage of cash causes many of the delays.
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Within 14 days
The estate is reported
A death notice, the death certificate and the original will are lodged with the Master of the High Court. Bank accounts in the deceased's name are frozen.
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First weeks
An executor is appointed
The Master issues Letters of Executorship, or Letters of Authority for estates worth less than R250,000. Until then, nobody can act for the estate.
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First months
What is owed gets settled
Creditors are advertised for and have at least 30 days to claim. Debts, final tax returns, capital gains tax and estate duty are calculated and paid.
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From month six
Accounts, then distribution
The liquidation and distribution account lies open for inspection for at least 21 days. Once there are no objections, assets pass to the heirs.
Retirement fund benefits are not part of your estate. The trustees of pension, provident, preservation and retirement annuity funds decide who receives them under section 37C of the Pension Funds Act, guided by your beneficiary nomination but not bound by it. Living annuities pay your nominated beneficiaries directly.
Costs worth knowing.
These figures decide how much of an estate reaches the people it was meant for.
- Estate duty
- 20% of the dutiable estate up to R30 million and 25% above it, after a R3.5 million abatement. It is due within a year of death.
- Surviving spouses
- Assets left to a surviving spouse are deducted, so estate duty is postponed until the second death. Any unused abatement passes to the surviving spouse, up to R7 million in total.
- Executor's fees
- If the will does not set the fee, the legal maximum is 3.5% of the gross value of the estate plus 6% of income collected after death, plus VAT. A lower fee can be agreed.
- Capital gains tax at death
- Assets are treated as sold at market value on the date of death. The first R440,000 of net gains in that year is excluded (from 1 March 2026), and assets left to a spouse are not taxed at that point.
- No valid will
- The Intestate Succession Act decides who inherits. A surviving spouse and children share the estate, with the spouse receiving R250,000 or a child's share, whichever is greater.
- Donations
- You can donate up to R150,000 a year free of donations tax (from 1 March 2026), which matters when moving assets into a trust.
We walk the road with you, so you remain informed, financially mindful, and clear on the strategies that shape your future.
The BKA Wealth promise
What you receive.
Everything is written down, explained, and reviewed with you each year.
A written estate plan
Who inherits what, through which structure, and why.
A liquidity calculation
The cash your estate will need, and where it will come from.
Will drafting or review
A will that matches the plan, updated when your life changes.
Executor support
Guidance for your family and executor when the time comes.
Common questions.
Do I need a trust?
Not always. A trust can protect assets for minor children or vulnerable beneficiaries and can reduce future estate duty, but it carries costs, tax rules and ongoing duties for trustees. We show whether a trust is worth it in your situation.
Who should be my executor?
You may appoint anyone, including a family member. We explain what the role involves, what it costs, and how a professional can support a family executor.
How often should a will be reviewed?
After any marriage, divorce, birth, death, move abroad or business sale, and otherwise every few years. We review it with you at your annual planning meeting.
Figures checked on 10 September 2026 against SARS on estate duty, the SARS 2026/27 Budget Tax Guide, the Administration of Estates Act and the Master of the High Court's guidance. Amounts that apply from 1 March 2026 were announced in the 2026 Budget and are applied by SARS; they remain subject to Parliament's legislative process.
Talk your estate through with a CFP® professional.
Sixty minutes at our cost, at our Durbanville office or online. Bring your current will if you have one.
[email protected] · 021 976 0738
Unit 3, Kings Landing Building, 17 King Street, Durbanville, 7550
