Checking Post & Organising Mail Redirection After Death

Australia Post provides a free 12-month post redirection service for Executors and Administrators, or Next of Kin where none of the two formal roles were appointed, when dealing with a Deceased Estate.

You can apply at a post office near you in person. Find your closest post-office here.

• a completed Application to Redirect Mail Form;
• individual proof of your identity such as an Australian Driver's License; and
• a copy of the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration stating you as the Executor or Administrator, or a Next of Kin if none of the formal roles were appointed.

This service however will likely only be available once you have a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration, which is explained in Step 27 – Grant of Probate Application or Applying for Letters of Administration.

It may be worth speaking to Australia Post staff at a branch to check if the free redirection service is already available to you if you bring the above listed form, your proof of identity and the Will naming you as the Executor or other proof that you are a Next of Kin and will be acting as the Administrator and intend to apply to the Supreme Court.

In the meantime, it is important to keep checking the post for any valuable correspondence that helps you administer the Estate.

If the free 12-month redirection service is unavailable without the legal documents, you may be able to pay for a standard redirection service. The costs vary depending on the duration, starting from $33 (as at January 2021) and may be worth it if you think your time and the cost of travelling to and from the deceased person's home outweighs the cost of the redirection service.

To put in place a paid redirection, complete the Online Application Form on the Australia Post website and identify yourself with your driver's license or other proof of identity as requested.

To retain oversight of important correspondence and post, it is recommended that you contact the Association for Data-driven Marketing and Advertising (ADMA) to remove the deceased person's details from any subscription lists.

This should result in fewer advertising or other unsolicited post being sent to the deceased person's last known address, so you have better oversight of the important documents.