Dealing with the Master's office

The Master of the High Court is the official who supervises deceased estates. There is an office in each main centre. The one on the notice holds the file.

What the office must do

It registers the estate and opens a file with an estate number. It appoints the executor and issues letters of executorship, or letters of authority for a small estate. It keeps the original will. It examines the account, hears objections, and closes the file when the heirs have been paid.

It also runs the Guardian's Fund, which holds money for children and for heirs who cannot be found.

The words the office uses

Estate number: The file number, quoted on every letter. Without it nothing can be found.
Reporting documents: The papers that open the estate: death notice, inventory, will, acceptance of trust, certified copies.
Letters of executorship, letters of authority: The certificate for a full estate, and the simpler one for an estate of R250,000 or less.
Section 18(3): The small estate procedure, with no executor and no notices.
Query sheet: The office's list of questions or missing papers (form J84). The file waits until it is answered.
Under examination: The account has been lodged and an examiner is checking it.
Passed, or account accepted: The examiner is satisfied; the executor may now advertise the account for 21 days.
Objection: A written complaint about the account, lodged during the 21 days.

What to expect

The offices are busy and many are short of staff. Phones often go unanswered and emails can wait weeks. Some offices take far longer than others; the analysis shows how long each one takes.

Different offices ask for slightly different papers. A visit with everything in certified copy saves a second visit. The person at the counter can look up a file by estate number or by the deceased's identity number.

The online reporting system shows short status codes that are not explained. The office can explain what a code means for a particular file.

Questions to ask

Has an estate been reported for this person, and what is the estate number?
Who has been appointed, and have letters been issued?
Was a will lodged? May I have a copy?
Has the account been lodged, and is it under examination or passed?
Is there a query outstanding, and what does it ask for?
Is any money for this estate in the Guardian's Fund?

What you are entitled to

To be told whether an estate has been reported and who the executor is. To read the account during the 21 days at the Master's office or the Magistrate's office. To object in writing before the 21 days end and to have the objection decided. To request a copy of a will the Master has accepted.

If you are stuck

Go in person with the estate number and certified copies of your identity document. A visit moves more than a call.
Put the problem in writing to the office, quoting the estate number, and keep a copy.
If the office does not answer, write to the Assistant Master handling the file, then the Deputy Master, then the head of that office. Then write to the Office of the Chief Master in Pretoria, which oversees all the offices.
Legal Aid South Africa advises at no charge; search for its advice line.

Last checked 20 September 2026. The law behind these pages is the Administration of Estates Act 66 of 1965.