What a payout plan ready notice means
The gazette calls this a notice that a liquidation and distribution account lies open for inspection (form J187). It is published under section 35 of the Administration of Estates Act.
It means the executor has finished the sums. The account lists everything the person owned, everything they owed, the costs of the estate, and who gets what is left. The Master has checked it. For 21 days anyone may read it.
What each line says
- Estate number, name, dates
- The same identifiers as the first notice. Check them against the estate opened notice if you have it.
- First and final
- One account closes the estate. A "supplementary" account means more assets or debts turned up after the first one. An "amended" account corrects an earlier one.
- Master's office
- Where the account lies open. The file is there.
- Magistrate's office
- A second copy lies open at the Magistrate's office for the district where the person lived, when that is not where the Master sits. It is usually the nearer of the two.
- 21 days
- The inspection period, counted from the gazette date or the date in the notice, whichever is later. The notice page on this site gives the end date.
- Executor
- The person or firm that drew up the account, and the person to ask for a copy.
Reading the account
You can read the account at either office during the 21 days. You can also ask the executor for a copy; many send one by email. The account shows the heirs by name and what each receives.
Objecting
An objection is a letter to the Master, not to the executor. It must arrive before the 21 days end and say what is wrong. An heir left out, a debt not paid, a figure that cannot be right.
The Master reads the objection, asks the executor to answer it, and decides. If the objection succeeds, the executor changes the account. If it fails, the Master's decision can be taken to court within 30 days.
The executor may not pay anyone out while an objection is being decided.
After the 21 days
If nobody objects, the executor pays the debts and the heirs, in the order the account shows. Money for a child under 18 goes to the Guardian's Fund unless a will set up a trust. The executor then sends the Master proof of payment and the estate is closed.
Where this leaves you
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Last checked 20 September 2026. The law behind these pages is the Administration of Estates Act 66 of 1965.