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Proof of Publication for Estate Notices: What the Master Accepts
Quick Answer Proof of publication for an estate notice means the Gazette page, the newspaper tear sheet or online page copy, and the publisher’s confirmation. The Master of the High Court can call for it whenever the estate file is checked — keep it with the estate documents. Image: Wikimedia Commons contributor, via Wikimedia Commons What Counts as Proof of Publication When a deceased estate notice is advertised, someone must be able to prove it happened. The Master of the High Court accepts: The Government Gazette page containing the notice — downloaded free from the GPW legal gazettes portal, or the tear sheet if lodged by post. The newspaper tear…
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Government Gazette Costs and Deadlines for Estate Notices (2026)
Quick Answer Estate notices appear in the Government Gazette every Friday; lodgement closes roughly seven working days before publication. GPW tariffs are around R250 per notice before newspaper and service fees — through us everything is bundled at a flat R400 per advert. Image: Wikimedia Commons contributor, via Wikimedia Commons The Friday Gazette Rule The Government Gazette that carries estate notices is published by the Government Printing Works (GPW) every Friday. To make a Friday edition, a notice must be lodged well in advance — in practice at least seven working days before publication, correctly formatted and paid. Miss the cut-off and the notice rolls to the next week, which…
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Chief Master Directive 1 of 2025: Online Estate Adverts Explained
Quick Answer Chief Master Directive 1 of 2025 allows deceased estate notices (J193 and J187) to be published in approved online publications where printed newspapers are impractical — the Gazette requirement and prescribed wording stay exactly the same. Image: Wojsyl, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 What Directive 1 of 2025 Says The Chief Master issued Directive 1 of 2025 to modernise estate advertising. In short: where it is not reasonably possible or practical to publish a deceased estate notice in a printed newspaper, the notice may be published in an online newspaper or approved online publication, as long as it circulates in the district where the deceased ordinarily lived…
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J187 Notice: Liquidation and Distribution Account Explained
Quick Answer The liquidation and distribution account is the full financial statement of a deceased estate. Under Section 35(5) of the Administration of Estates Act, the executor advertises it on the J187 form so that the account lies open for public inspection for 21 days before anyone is paid. What the Liquidation and Distribution Account Is The account is the moment of truth in every estate. Prepared by the executor after the J193 notice to creditors has run its 30 days and the debts are known, it sets out every asset the deceased owned, every liability, the costs of administration, and exactly how the remaining balance is divided between the…