**Interested party** (noun) — A person who has a legal, financial, or beneficial interest in an estate, trust, will, or probate proceeding. This typically includes beneficiaries, creditors, heirs, executors, trustees, and anyone else who might be affected by the outcome of the matter. Also called an interested person.
An interested party is someone who has something at stake in how an estate or trust is handled.
If you're named as a beneficiary in a will, you're an interested party—you stand to gain or lose depending on what happens. If you're owed money by the deceased, you're an interested party because you have a claim against the estate. If you'd inherit under the law if there were no will, you're an interested party even if the will leaves you nothing, because you might have grounds to challenge it.
The concept matters because interested parties generally have rights that others don't. They're entitled to receive notice of court proceedings. They can request information from the executor about how the estate is being administered. They can object to the executor's actions or apply to have the executor removed. And they have standing to bring or defend legal proceedings related to the estate.
Not everyone who knew the deceased is an interested party. A friend who isn't mentioned in the will and has no legal claim to the estate isn't an interested party, even if they're emotionally invested in what happens. The test is whether you have a legal or financial interest, not whether you care about the outcome.
⏱ When you'll encounter this term
Understanding who counts as an interested party helps clarify who has rights in estate and trust matters.
When an executor applies for probate, they typically need to notify all interested parties—everyone who's named in the will as a beneficiary, anyone who would inherit if the will were invalid, and sometimes creditors or other claimants. These people need to know what's happening so they can raise concerns if necessary.
Interested parties also have the right to request information. If you're a beneficiary and you're concerned about how the executor is managing the estate, you can ask for accounts and explanations. The executor has a duty to keep interested parties reasonably informed about the administration of the estate.
If there's a dispute—perhaps someone wants to challenge the validity of the will, or remove the executor, or contest the distribution of the estate—only interested parties have legal standing to bring those proceedings. The court won't entertain challenges from people who have no legal stake in the outcome.
For executors and trustees, it's important to identify all interested parties early. Failing to notify an interested party of probate proceedings can cause serious problems later. And keeping interested parties informed throughout the administration process—even when they're not asking questions—can prevent disputes and protect the executor from claims of mismanagement.
If you think you might be an interested party but you're not sure, it's worth getting legal advice. Rights in estate and trust matters can be lost if you don't exercise them in time.
**Related terms:** [Beneficiary](/dictionary/beneficiary), [Creditor](/dictionary/creditor), [Executor](/dictionary/executor), [Probate](/dictionary/probate)
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