The costs an estate meets
Keep a voucher for each charge for the liquidation and distribution account. How a charge ranks, and how the Master's examiner treats it, is not settled by any published directive on firearm storage; confirm with the Master's office concerned.
- Storage. The estate pays: SAPS guidance places dealer storage for the estate's account. Storage with a licensed heir under the executor's letter of consent costs the estate nothing in storage.
- Transport. Nothing to pay where the executor, holding authority for the firearm, delivers it. Otherwise it is moved by a transporter holding a firearm transporter's permit, with the holder's written consent, at the estate's cost.
- Valuation, where the inventory or a sale needs one.
- Compliance and administration. The Regulation 103 notices, reports and instructions, done by the executor or the estate's attorney, or by a provider for a fee.
- Sale commission. On a sale through a licensed dealer, the dealer deducts its commission from the price before paying the balance to the estate.
- The heir's own costs. An heir who keeps a firearm pays the SAPS application fees (the amounts reported for 2025/26 were R92 for a competency certificate and R183 for a licence; confirm the current amount at the station), competency training and a safe that meets SANS 953-1.
Firearmdesk's fees
Firearmdesk publishes one fee schedule, version 3, effective 4 October 2026. Each fee is shown once, as the total charged. Firearmdesk is not registered for VAT, so no VAT is added to our fees. Optional services and a worked example are on the fees page.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Firearms Control Act compliance services to the executor, custody matter (per matter) | R2,242.50 |
| Firearms Control Act compliance services to the executor, in-situ matter where a licensed heir keeps the firearms (per matter) | R1,437.50 |
| Custody coordination (per firearm received into custody, charged once and not by the month) | R632.50 |
| Licensed dealer intake, at cost (per firearm; the dealer's own fee, with no mark-up) | R200, plus the dealer's VAT where it is registered for VAT |
| Licensed dealer storage, at cost (per firearm per month from day 15 after receipt; the dealer's own fee, with no mark-up) | R110, plus the dealer's VAT where it is registered for VAT |
| Written valuation | R402.50 for the first firearm, plus R172.50 for each additional firearm |
| Transfer administration to an heir (per firearm, paid by the heir) | R1,437.50; not refundable if the licence is refused |
| Dealer's sale commission (charged by the selling dealer and deducted from the price) | 10% of the sale price, with a minimum of R400, plus VAT if the dealer is registered for VAT; Firearmdesk takes no share |
| Surrender or destruction administration (per firearm) | R747.50; waived in an insolvent estate. Not for transport: we book a permitted transporter, which invoices the estate on its quote |
| Licensed dealer surrender preparation, at cost (per surrender) | R200, plus the dealer's VAT where it is registered for VAT |
| SAPS fees | Recharged at cost, with no margin |
How the fees are applied
- Two itemised invoices per matter, at intake and at release, addressed to the estate care of the administering attorney. The dealer's storage is reported monthly on a statement and invoiced once, at release.
- The custody coordination fee and the dealer's intake and storage apply only once a firearm enters custody. Firearmdesk pays the dealer on the executor's behalf and recovers exactly the dealer's fees, with no mark-up.
- Firearmdesk never stores, carries or transports a firearm. Where a licensed heir who will inherit already holds the firearms, they stay with that heir; otherwise Firearmdesk books a permitted transporter for the estate. The transporter invoices the estate, and anything Firearmdesk pays it is passed on at cost, with nothing added for carriage.
- The heir's transfer fee is invoiced to the heir under a signed heir engagement, never through the estate account.
- Sale proceeds never pass through Firearmdesk: the selling dealer deducts its commission and pays the balance to the estate or the attorney's trust account.
- Fees are paid by EFT. Payment status never affects whether a firearm is released.
- In an insolvent estate the surrender administration fee is waived and the dealer's storage is recovered for no more than 6 months.
- The schedule in force when the executor signs the custody mandate applies to that matter until it closes.
What sets the pace of each stage
No one can give a date that depends on the Master, SAPS or a court. These are the stages in order, and what decides how long each takes.
- Appointment. The Master's letters of executorship can themselves take weeks to issue. Before then, anyone who must hold the firearms needs a section 21 authorisation on form SAPS 518.
- Notice to the Registrar. Due within 14 days of appointment; the Registrar acknowledges within 30 days.
- Storage. Set by the executor's availability to hand the firearms to a licensed dealer, or to sign a letter of consent for a licensed heir.
- Valuation and instruction. The valuation follows receipt. The instruction follows as soon as the executor signs, once each heir has said whether they want a firearm transferred, sold, deactivated or surrendered.
- Sale. Depends on the market for the firearm.
- Transfer to an heir. Depends on the Central Firearms Registry deciding the heir's licence, which can take months. The competency certificate is a separate application with its own waiting time. The Minister of Police reported an average of 120 working days for licence applications in November 2024, and the Supreme Court of Appeal recorded in 2023 that possession licences took six to eighteen months.
- Finalisation. The executor may apply to the Master only after the Registrar has notified that all the firearms have been transferred, with progress reports to the Registrar at least every three months until then.
The periods fixed by law
- Inventory and notice to the Registrar: within 14 days of appointment (Regulation 103(3)).
- Registrar's acknowledgement: within 30 days (Regulation 103(6)).
- Progress reports: at least every three months until every firearm is dealt with (Regulation 103(7)).
- Finalisation: only after the Registrar's notification that every firearm has been transferred (Regulation 103(9)).
Weigh storage against value early
Storage accrues every month while a firearm waits for a licence, a buyer or an instruction, so weigh it against the firearm's value early. A licensed heir who stores the firearm under the executor's letter of consent avoids the charge. Where no heir wants a low-value firearm, a sale, deactivation or surrender ends it.
On Firearmdesk matters the executor receives a written economic review, setting the firearm's value against the charges so far, at months 6 and 12, and is asked for a disposition instruction at month 18. Where the valuation is under R3,500, the executor receives written advice on whether a sale is economic before instructing one.
How Firearmdesk helps
Firearmdesk's fees are fixed and published, itemised on two invoices to the estate care of your firm, and the dealer's storage, passed on at cost, is reported every month so the firm and the executor see the charge build. Dealer custody under the order of 15 September 2026 opens once a check of the court file confirms that no late application for leave to appeal was lodged. That check is under way. See the full fee schedule or refer an estate.
Questions
Who pays for storing firearms from a deceased estate?
The estate. SAPS guidance places dealer storage for the estate's account, and each charge needs a voucher for the liquidation and distribution account. A licensed heir who stores the firearm under the executor's letter of consent costs the estate nothing in storage.
Who pays for an heir's firearm licence?
The heir. The SAPS application fees, competency training and a safe are the heir's own costs. On Firearmdesk matters the transfer administration fee of R1,437.50 per firearm is paid by the heir under a signed heir engagement, never through the estate account.
How long does an heir's firearm licence take in South Africa?
Usually months. The Minister of Police reported in November 2024 that licence applications took an average of 120 working days from capture on the Registry's system, and the Supreme Court of Appeal recorded in 2023 that possession licences took six to eighteen months. The competency certificate is a separate application with its own waiting time.
How long before an estate with firearms can be finalised?
Until the last firearm is dealt with. The executor may apply to the Master to finalise only after the Registrar has notified that all the firearms have been transferred (Regulation 103(9)), so the slowest route, often an heir's licence, sets the pace.
Is it worth storing a low-value firearm?
Often not for long. Storage accrues every month, so the executor weighs it against the firearm's value early; where no heir wants the firearm, a sale through a licensed dealer, deactivation or surrender ends the charge. Where the valuation is under R3,500, Firearmdesk gives written advice on whether a sale is economic.
Are Firearmdesk's fees fixed?
Yes. They are published in one schedule, and the version in force when the executor signs the custody mandate applies to that matter until it closes. Any waiver or discount is issued as a credit note against the invoice.
Sources
- Firearmdesk fee schedule, version 3: effective 4 October 2026
- Firearms Control Act 60 of 2000 (SAFLII): sections 21, 31, 86, 147 and 148
- Firearms Control Regulations, 2004 (SAFLII): regulations 70, 86 and 103
- SAPS: questions on firearms in deceased estates
- Minister of Police, reply to parliamentary question NW2425: November 2024: licence processing times
- Outdoor Investment Holdings (Pty) Ltd v Minister of Police [2023] ZASCA 72: dealer storage and licence waiting times