Institution Notifications

Estate administration involves notifying institutions — banks, super funds, aged care providers, insurers — of a death, sending certified grant copies, and collecting assets. Certum Draft streamlines this with a built-in institution catalog and lifecycle tracking.

The Institution Catalog

Certum Draft includes a catalog of 1,500+ Australian institutions with:

• Estates department contact details (email, phone)
• Postal addresses for deceased estate correspondence
• Required documents lists
• Processing time estimates
• Institution logos

Adding Institutions to a Matter

1. Open an estate matter and click Institutions in the sidebar
2. Click the + button to open the institution picker
3. Search by name, ABN, or address
4. Filter by type using the chips at the top
5. Click an institution to add it to the matter
6. Enter the account/member/policy number

Tip

You can add custom institutions for providers not in the catalog — click “Add Custom Institution” at the bottom of the picker.

The Lifecycle

Each institution moves through six phases:

1. To Notify

The starting phase. The institution has been added to the matter but no notice has been sent yet.

Action: Click “Generate Notice of Death” to create a letter from the appropriate template. The letter is saved to the matter’s Working Documents folder.

2. Awaiting Response

The Notice of Death has been sent. You are waiting for the institution to acknowledge and respond with their requirements.

Action: Click “Record Response” when the institution replies.

3. Awaiting Grant

The institution has responded and requires a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration before releasing assets. The grant has not yet been issued.

Action: No action available until the grant is recorded on the matter.

4. Ready for Grant

The Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration has been issued and recorded on the matter. A grant letter can now be generated.

Action: Click “Generate Grant Letter” to create a letter enclosing a certified copy of the grant.

5. Awaiting Funds

The grant letter has been sent. You are waiting for the institution to process and release assets.

Action: Click “Record Complete” when assets have been received.

6. Complete

Assets have been received from this institution. No further action required.

Batch Operations

When a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration is recorded on the matter:

• A banner appears showing how many institutions are ready for grant letters
• Click “Generate All Grant Letters” to batch-render letters for all ready institutions
• Each letter is named with the institution (e.g., “Grant Letter - AustralianSuper.docx”)

Recording a Response

Click “Record Response” to capture details from the institution’s reply:

1. Enter the response date
2. Select whether Grant of Probate is required (Yes / No / Unsure)
3. Add any requirements notes (what the institution needs to release assets)
4. Click Save

If the institution does not require a grant, it moves directly to “Awaiting Funds” (or “Complete” if no further action is needed).

Dashboard

The dashboard shows an Institution Notifications card when any estate matter has institutions in progress. It shows:

• Institution name and matter number
• Current phase with colour coding
• Days since notice was sent (orange if overdue >14 days)

Note

The dashboard card only appears when there are active (non-complete) institutions across your matters.