Inheritance bank charges: what you'll pay at most under the new cap

The fees applied by banks for transactions on the account of a deceased person may not exceed 850 euros , according to a decree published Thursday, August 14, 2025 in the Official Journal.

The law, passed in May, had already banned certain fees for simple inheritances: minors, balance less than €5,910, or simple inheritances. For more complex situations, such as a mortgage or the absence of a designated heir, an initial cap of 1% of the amount held was set.

A ceiling set at 850 euros

The decree now limits all fees to 850 euros, even if 1% of the balance exceeds this amount. This limit will be adjusted annually to keep pace with inflation.

The initiative, led by Socialist MP Christine Pirès Beaune and supported by the government, followed high-profile cases, such as that of parents who had to pay 138 euros to close their deceased child's Livret A savings account.

Minister Delegate Véronique Louwagie welcomed "a step forward to protect families and ensure confidence in the banking system." The French Banking Federation, while respecting the law, regrets "the implementation of administered pricing that denies the reality of the work accomplished."