Inheritance: Bank Fees Now Capped

The government is putting an end to excessive fees on bank estates. A decree issued in August 2025 establishes a national cap of €850 on the fees charged by banks on the accounts of the deceased. This measure marks a turning point in protecting heirs from opaque and unfair practices.

A Long-Awaited Cap for Fair Pricing
Until now, banks have been free to charge whatever fees they wished for estate settlement services, with amounts varying widely by institution—ranging from a few dozen to several hundred euros. Some major banks had even introduced flat fees exceeding €1,000 to close an account or transfer funds to heirs. The government has decided to address this lack of clarity in pricing through regulatory action.
 

The decree of August 14, 2025, effective as of November 13, now caps these fees at €850, regardless of the value of the assets held by the deceased. This cap replaces the previous limit of 1% of the assets held, which was introduced in 2022. The decree also stipulates that this threshold will be adjusted annually for inflation to ensure it remains equitable over time.
 

For Maxime Chipoy, president of MoneyVox, this new measure is “the final nail in the coffin of previous practices,” bringing an end to an era when banks “had complete freedom to set their own rates, leading to incomprehensible price discrepancies from one institution to another.”

Exemptions for small estates, across-the-board cap
Beyond the overall cap, the decree introduces a progressive scale based on the size of the estate. By the end of the year, three systems will coexist:
• No fees at all for small estates, simple estates, and those involving minors;
• A cap of 1% of assets for the majority of cases;
• An absolute cap of €850, even if the 1% exceeds this amount.
This reform directly benefits heirs, who are often faced with complex situations during a time of vulnerability. It is part of a broader effort to regulate bank fees, which began with limits on late fees, account portability, and the requirement for fee transparency on bank statements.
 

According to MoneyVox, the new regulations should also promote competition among financial institutions: banks will no longer be able to set themselves apart by charging excessive fees for services that are difficult to understand. On average, nearly 500,000 bank estate settlements are processed each year in France, representing both a social and economic challenge for families.