It’s a good idea to plan ahead to make sure your loved ones will be financially supported during this time, especially if they don’t have their own income or have been financially dependent on you.
If you have a partner, one way to do this is to have at least one joint bank account together. When one partner dies, any property (including money) that is owned jointly with the other partner will automatically belong in full to the surviving partner. This means that all the money in the joint account will immediately belong to your partner when you die.
Another way to do this is to add a direction in your will that your loved ones can continue to live at your property for a set period of time. However, this can be complicated, so it’s best to get a lawyer’s advice if you’d like to include this in your will.
In some cases, your executor might need to distribute money earlier (e.g. for emergencies, medical expenses, or ongoing necessary expenses like paying for your children’s school fees). To distribute any money from the estate before probate is granted, your executor will have to get the approval of all beneficiaries. They take the risk that if someone does end up claiming against the estate, the executor might be personally liable to pay back any money that was distributed before probate. Your executor would likely have to navigate this with the help of a lawyer.