The consumer association UFC Que Choisir warns of the “death tax”, these fees deducted by banks from the accounts of the deceased before sending the money to their direct heirs.

These billings are either percentages of the amount transmitted, or a fixed rate. On average, for a typical inheritance of 20,000 euros, these costs amount in France to 233 euros!

The banks justify these amounts by the fact that they have to manage, before the transfer of the inheritance, a certain number of transactions that the living customer does himself in normal times, such as the payment of his electricity bills by example.

Except that the details of the costs incurred by the bank during such a transaction remain very opaque, especially since the costs charged can vary from one to four times from one bank to another, according to UFC Que Choisir.

The 28% increase in the amount of these fees since 2012 further reinforces the impression that these fees are very disconnected from the fees incurred by the management of the accounts of deceased persons.

The consumer association therefore calls for the establishment of a regulatory cap on the costs of closing the bank accounts of deceased persons. This “death tax” is moreover twice as high in France as in Belgium or Italy, and three times more expensive than in Spain. Germany even made it illegal!

Another invoicing within the framework of the closure of a deceased person’s account seems somewhat abusive… Indeed, in 1 out of 4 banks, if the heir’s account is not with the same bank, excessive costs, up to 145 euros, still added! These same interbank transfers between accounts of living persons generally cost no more than 5 euros, or are even free in some cases.

Find below the 8 banks in which these inheritance costs are the highest, according to Le Figaro.