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Estate liquidity: will there be enough cash when it is needed?
When someone dies, their estate may need cash to settle debts, taxes and administration expenses before the remaining assets can be distributed. This free calculator helps you estimate whether your estate could have enough available cash, or whether there may be a shortfall. Start with approximate values for your property, investments, savings, cash and life cover. You can then review assumptions and see how the estimate is built. The result is a guide, not a formal estate valuation or tax calculation.
Step 1 of 3
What you own
Enter approximate values for your property, savings, investments, vehicles and other assets. Include bank cash separately. Show life cover payable to your estate separately from cover payable directly to a named person, because they may be treated differently. Leave a line blank if it is nothing, and do not type life cover into the first four lines.
Adjust the assumptions
You can adjust the executor-fee percentage, VAT option and additional administration costs. The calculator uses simplified reference assumptions; actual fees, taxes and deductions depend on the estate and the law applicable at the time. The estimate starts from 3.5% executor’s remuneration on your assets and on cover paid to the estate. Cover paid to a person is not in that fee, and it is not counted as cash. If there is any, it is included in the duty estimate because it is not automatically excluded. VAT is off unless you switch it on. The duty abatement used is R3.5 million, then 20% and 25%. These are reference settings, not an assessment.
Capital gains tax is estimated only if you give a base cost, or it is shown as nil when everything goes to a spouse. Master’s fees, conveyancing, advertisements, valuations, funeral costs and the final income tax return are not given an amount. This tool does not fully model marital property regimes, accrual, a predeceased spouse’s unused abatement, or every estate-duty exemption. Directly nominated policy proceeds may still affect estate-duty calculations. It is not a formal estate assessment, quotation, tax opinion or personalised recommendation.