You're an heir. Or a creditor. Or a family member who's simply been told "the estate is being sorted out", for months. Maybe years.
And now you're Googling "tracking deceased estates" because nobody will give you a straight answer.
Good news: deceased estates are not secret. They're supervised by a public office, they have file numbers, and people with an interest in them have real rights to information. Here's how to find an estate, check its status, read what stage it's actually at, and apply pressure when it's stuck.
Estate tracking workflow
You need three things: office, estate number, and current milestone
Once you know those, “it is with the Master” becomes a specific file you can follow up on in writing.
- Where: the Master's Office where the deceased ordinarily lived.
- Who: the executor or representative appointed on the file.
- Stage: appointment, adverts, L&D account, inspection, distribution.
- Pressure: written follow-ups create the paper trail that moves stuck files.
Find the file
Step 1 and 2: locate the estate and identify the executor
Step 1. Was the estate reported?
Every deceased estate must be reported to the Master of the High Court, specifically, the office with jurisdiction over where the deceased ordinarily lived.
To locate the file, you'll want:
- The deceased's full names and ID number
- Date of death
- Their last residential address (this tells you which Master's office holds the file)
Then enquire at that office, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Pietermaritzburg, Cape Town or Durban, and ask for the estate number. The Department of Justice also operates online estate/court enquiry tools (ICMS) where reported estates can be looked up by the deceased's details.
Write the estate number down. It's the key to everything that follows.
If no estate was reported at all? That's a finding in itself, it may mean nobody has started the process, and an heir can. (How reporting works)
Step 2.) Find out who the executor is
The Master's file shows who was appointed and when, via Letters of Executorship or Letters of Authority. Once you know the executor:
- You have someone specific to question. Heirs and creditors are entitled to engage the executor about the estate.
- Put questions in writing, quoting the estate number, and keep proof. (We've built a free Letter to the Executor template for exactly this.)
Status milestones
Read the estate's stage like a professional
"It's with the Master" means nothing. These milestones mean everything, ask which one the estate has reached:
- Reported, documents lodged, no appointment yet. (Stuck here for months? Usually a query sheet nobody's answering.)
- Executor appointed, Letters issued; the estate can legally be administered.
- Section 29 advert placed, creditors have 30 days to claim.
- L&D account lodged, the full account of assets, debts and distribution is with the Master for examination. (Due within 6 months of appointment, extensions common.)
- Account advertised (Section 35), lying open for inspection for 21 days at the Magistrate's Court. This is YOUR window to inspect it and object.
- Distribution, debts paid, property transferred, heirs paid.
- Filing slip issued, estate closed.
One question, "has the L&D account been lodged, and if not, why not?", cuts through more fog than a year of polite waiting.
Escalation ladder
When the estate is stuck, escalate in writing
In order, each step creating a paper trail:
- Written enquiry to the executor, estate number, specific questions, reasonable deadline.
- Written follow-up, reference the first letter. (Silence is now documented.)
- Enquiry to the Master, heirs and creditors can ask the Master about the file's status and lodge complaints about a non-performing executor. Escalate within the office: Assistant Master see Deputy Master see Head of Office.
- Formal remedies, the Master can call an executor to account, and ultimately move to remove one who fails in their duties. Persistent obstruction is a solvable legal problem, not a life sentence.
Most stuck estates never need step 4. Most stuck estates are stuck because nobody with knowledge is pushing. Files that get chased, move.
Older files
Old estates can still be traced, but the route changes
Looking for a grandparent's estate from 1994? The trail still exists:
- The Master's offices hold archived estate files (retrievals take longer)
- The National Archives hold historical estate files transferred from the Masters
- If an heir was never traced, their share may sit in the Guardian's Fund, searchable, and claimable before the 30-year forfeiture. (How to search unclaimed inheritances)
Old-estate tracing is genuinely detective work: name variations, moved jurisdictions, renamed offices. It's also exactly the work fiduciary professionals do weekly.
Status help
Hand us the file number or the mystery
Wills & Trust deals with the Masters' offices daily. Whether you need one status check, a stuck estate un-stuck, or a decades-old trail followed, we'll tell you in one free call what's realistic and what it involves.
Quick answers
Questions people ask when tracking an estate
How do I track a deceased estate in South Africa?
Identify the Master's office where the deceased lived, obtain the estate number, confirm the appointed executor, then track the file against the standard milestones, appointment, Section 29 advert, L&D account, Section 35 inspection, distribution.
Can I check a deceased estate online?
The Department of Justice's online enquiry tools allow lookup of reported estates by the deceased's details; complex or older files still require direct contact with the relevant Master's office.
How do I find out if I'm an heir in an estate?
Ask the executor in writing (quoting the estate number) whether you're named in the will or qualify under the Intestate Succession Act, and inspect the L&D account when it lies open.
What can I do if the executor ignores me?
Escalate in writing to the Master with your correspondence attached. The Master supervises executors and can compel performance, or remove a delinquent one.
How long should winding up take?
Simple estates: 7,12 months. If years have passed with no L&D account, something is stuck, and it's worth finding out what.
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