Inheritance fees applied by banks capped at 850 euros and prohibited in certain cases

This text had already prohibited banks from applying fees from November 13, 2025 – for example, to close a savings account – if the deceased was a minor, if the total balance of the accounts was below a certain threshold, currently set at 5,910 euros, or in the case of the simplest inheritances.

For more "complex" estates, for example when the deceased had a mortgage or had no designated heir, the law authorized fees to be charged but set an initial ceiling of 1% of the amount of the sums held.

The death of an 8-year-old child

The decree published Thursday restricts it even further: in all cases, fees cannot exceed 850 euros, even if 1% of the funds held exceed this amount. This limit will be reassessed annually to keep pace with inflation.

Parliament finally adopted this law in May, proposed by Socialist MP Christine Pirès Beaune and supported by the government.

This initiative followed the high-profile case of parents having to pay 138 euros to close the Livret A savings account of their 8-year-old child who died in 2021.

After the law was passed, the Minister Delegate for Trade and the Social and Solidarity Economy, Véronique Louwagie, welcomed "a step forward to protect families and ensure confidence in the banking system."