Banking
Not married or not civil partnered
Separate
accounts
If you are not married, or not in a civil partnership, and you and your partner have separate bank accounts, neither of you can have access to money held in the other's account. If one of you dies, any funds in the account will become part of the estate and cannot be used until the estate is settled.
Joint accounts
If
you have a joint account, you both have the right to access the money
in the account. Even though you are unmarried or not civil partnered, if one of you should
die, the whole account would immediately become the property of the
other.
If
you are the only one putting money into the joint account, the strict
legal position is that the money and any purchases you make from it
ultimately belong to you.
Married or civil partnered
Separate
accounts
If
you are married or civil partnered and have separate bank accounts, you cannot access
money in your spouse's or partner’s account without their permission. If one of you dies, the account would become part of the inheritance acquired automatically by your spouse or civil partner, unless a will instructs a different course of action.
Joint accounts
If a married or civil partnered couple has a joint bank account, the money (including any debts / overdrafts) is owned jointly regardless of who put it into (or took it out of) the account. On the death of one partner, the whole account immediately becomes the property of the other.
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