Thomas Hazlewood

24/09/2026

Have you ever been round someone who is so passionate about what they do that their passion is infectious?

Today was one of the few occasions I have experienced where I have felt I have been in a room full of such passionate people - at SNAPS' networking event in Leeds this morning.

The two speakers at the event, Lucy Owens the Chief Executive of SNAPS and Steph Nelson of Neuro Creators exemplified this.

It was amazing to hear from Lucy the fantastic work that SNAPS do to support not only children with additional needs but also their families. Hearing the impact for those who the charity support was incredibly powerful and it is so exciting to hear how the charity has grown over the last 10 years.

Steph then gave a really insightful talk on how employers can support their staff with neurodivergence. She highlighted practical steps that offer genuine support to enable employees to thrive in their role which is nothing short of a win for everyone.

Thank you Lisa Morton of SNAPS for inviting me.

16/09/2026

This morning I met with Naj Devgun of 20:20 Financial Planning for his talk providing an update on pensions and inheritance tax planning.

It was a very useful update on the changes announced last year and due to come into force from April 2027. There are certainly some practical issues that the government still needs to address (but in Naj's defence, that is outside his control!).

It is also a useful reminder to not overlook your pensions when reviewing your estate planning. People often think of their Will, but your pension is easily overlooked.

Thank you for a great update Naj!

P.S. I managed to catch Naj for the photo at the end, apologies I didn't get one mid-flow!

14/09/2026

HMCTS have released their latest numbers for current probate applications (the latest being for July 2026):

- applications received: 29,303
- grants issued: 28,948

This is the 12 month out of the last 13 months where the numbers of grants issued by the probate registry has been lower than the number of applications they have received. This means the backlog of applications has now increased further to 46,557. The number was 39,339 in July 2025.

Some good news is that for non-stopped online applications grants are issued within an average of 1.5 weeks. However, this must be compared not only to 6.9 weeks for paper applications but also the fact these figures do not include any stopped applications (that is where the probate registry ask for further information).

The two takeaways from these numbers are:
1. Having a Will in place makes it much more likely you will be able to submit an online application; and
2. Completing the probate application accurately helps to minimise the chance that the Probate Registry will need to raise any questions and the probate application is stopped.

09/09/2026

I spoke with an executor today.

Her father had put his Will in place.

He was single when he died. He had a property, a few bank accounts and a handful of shares.

Her father's estate is not subject to Inheritance tax as it is all covered by the Nil Rate Band and the Residence Nil Rate Band.

Everything seemed straight forward. What she hadn't realised initially (until calling the Probate Registry who pointed her in the direction of HMRC) was that the Residence Nil Rate Band didn't apply automatically. It needed to be claimed. To claim it, she needed to complete the IHT400.

For anyone not familiar with the IHT400, it is a 19 page form with 20+ schedules that may or may not be needed. Each schedule covers a different asset type (e.g. bank accounts, properties, shares, pensions etc) or Inheritance tax claim (Residence Nil Rate Band, unused Nil Rate Band, Business Property Relief etc). For a fairly simple estate such as this one, it would need at least 5 or 6 of these schedules to be completed making it 40+ pages that need to be completed.

I remember how I felt the first time I tried to fill one in, almost a decade ago now. It was daunting and overwhelming. Every time I thought I had just about finished I realised either:

1. There was another schedule to complete; or
2. One of the schedules I had already completed now needed updating as a figure had changed.

Spoiler alert: I got there! And if you are trying to complete it yourself, you will too. It does take organisation, a methodical approach and a lot of patience.

You might find that strange for me to say but the truth is, most of the ways I can support executors, you can do yourself if you wish. The gov.uk website provides some very useful guidance as a starting point and there are other good sources out there too. It will take you time: to research (and filter out the incorrect 'advice' that is available online, to contact the relevant third parties (banks, share registrars, creditors, HMRC, Probate Registry etc) to prepare the documents, to respond to HMRC's or the Probate Registry's queries etc.

For others however, it can be a relief to have support in this. To take the burden off your shoulders and to guide you through the process. Family members will often ask you as the executor and even though you may not know the answer to their questions, they will expect you to find out if you don't know.

When asked to be an executor, we often think about privilege and honour of being asked, to be trusted by someone you are so close to. It does come with responsibilities that often are only truly appreciated when the time.to any as executor arrives.

Like the executor I spoke with this morning, I can offer you peace of mind. I can offer a friendly ear and remove the burden of the legal admin from your shoulders so that you have time and space to be there with your loved ones.

Message me if you would like an initial conversation to see how I can support you.

07/09/2026

If you are looking to update your Will and review estate planning, here are four things I would prepare ready for an initial discussion with a Solicitor:
1. Check who your pensions are with and whether they have any value that can be transferred on your death. Make a note of who they have been nominated to (if anyone has been nominated).
2. Check if you have any life insurance policies and /or Death in Service policies in place. If you do, check what circumstances they pay out under and how much. Again, make a note of who they have been nominated to (if anyone has been nominated).
3. Make a summary of your assets (including any pensions/life policies/Death in Service. This summary should include an estimate of it's current value and if co-owned, who you own it with.
4. Think about who you would like to benefit and what their needs will be in the foreseeable future. You don't need to know how to benefit anyone. That will often become apparent when you have established who you want to benefit and their likely needs. If the how isn't clear, that is one of the things you should ask the Solicitor's advice on.

06/09/2026

Are you co-habiting with your partner?

Do you own your property?

Are you unsure how you hold your property?

If you answered yes to these three questions, you may find that you aren’t protected in the event of death. A difficult conversation – yes. Much easier than never having the conversation.

With it being the weekend, you have time to take the first step. Contact me to arrange an initial no-obligation discussion and I can guide you through the process.

There are many things that I know I need to do but put off. For me this can be cutting the grass … which I regret as soon as it starts raining as it seems to be the one time I am suddenly free to d…

05/09/2026

Are you married?

Do you have children?

If you answered yes to both of these questions, you may find that you are in one of the four really common situations where not having a Will can cause real issues for your loved ones. Unsure why? Point 4 in my latest article explains more.

With it being the weekend, you have time to take the first step. Contact me to arrange an initial no-obligation discussion and I can guide you through the process.

There are many things that I know I need to do but put off. For me this can be cutting the grass … which I regret as soon as it starts raining as it seems to be the one time I am suddenly free to d…

04/09/2026

Are you a personal representative for an estate and you are struggling to locate a beneficiary? This can be a very rel and frustrating challenge.

Here are 4 things I would do to locate them:
1. Ask friends and family. It is surprising who has old contact details that turn out to be used still. Even if they have old details, make a note of them as they can still be useful for later steps.
2. Advertise in a local newspaper that circulates in the area where the beneficiary was last known to live. Often someone will know.
3. Contact the General Register Office. They maintain archives for births, adoptions, marriages, civil partnerships and deaths in England & Wales.
4. Employ a tracing agent. Using any details that you hold for the beneficiary, they are able to search online records that are not available to the general public. They can also go out to addresses to try to make contact with the beneficiary if they locate them.

If you still cannot find the beneficiary then either an application to the court or an indemnity policy may be required. For either option though, you will usually be expected to have exhausted all other options.

03/09/2026

Executor? Attorney? Administrator? Deputy?...

Who exactly can decide?

If you are unsure I have put together this flowchart.

Like if you find this useful.

02/09/2026

If you are looking to put in place your Will, a question you may ask is ‘Who can you benefit?’. I explain in this short video.