How to Apply for Probate UK: The Executor's Step by Step Guide

If you have been named as an executor in a will, sooner or later you will type "how to apply for probate uk" into a search bar and find a wall of firms quoting four figure fees for work you are legally allowed to do yourself. This guide walks through the whole process for England and Wales: what probate is, the forms, the new 2026 fee, the timeline, and where a solicitor genuinely earns their money. It is general information, not legal advice.

What probate actually is, and when you need it

Probate is the legal right to deal with someone's estate, their money, property and possessions, after they die. If there is a will, the executors apply for a grant of probate. If there is no will, the closest relative applies for letters of administration instead. According to gov.uk, you may not need probate at all if the estate is small, if assets were held jointly and pass automatically to the surviving owner, or if banks agree to release funds without a grant. Each bank sets its own threshold, so the first practical job is to write to every institution, report the death and ask whether they require a grant.

Probate without a solicitor: yes, you can do it

Probate without a solicitor is not a loophole or a shortcut. It is the standard route that HM Courts and Tribunals Service provides for any executor. Applying for probate without a solicitor means you complete the same application a law firm would complete on your behalf, either online through the GOV.UK service or on paper. Thousands of executors do it every year, and for a straightforward estate, one property, a few bank accounts, no inheritance tax to pay, no disputes, it is mostly careful administration: valuing assets, filling in forms accurately and keeping records.

Diy probate uk searches spike every January for a reason: probate firms often charge a percentage of the estate, and on a 300,000 pound house that percentage stings. Doing it yourself, your main cost is the application fee. The trade is your time, typically a few evenings of paperwork spread over several weeks.

How to apply for probate uk, step by step

1. Register the death and gather the paperwork. You will need the death certificate (order extra copies), the original will, and details of every asset and debt.
2. Value the estate. Write to banks, pension providers and insurers for date of death balances. Get a realistic valuation for any property. List debts, including household bills and the funeral.
3. Report the estate to HMRC if needed. Most estates with no inheritance tax to pay are "excepted estates" and are reported as part of the probate application itself. If inheritance tax is due, you must send full form IHT400 to HMRC first, and gov.uk says you should wait 20 working days after submitting it before applying for probate.
4. Make the grant of probate application. Apply online through GOV.UK, or by post using form PA1P if there is a will (PA1A if there is not). The online route is faster for most estates.
5. Pay the fee and send the documents. You will send the original will and death certificate to the probate registry. Order official copies of the grant at the same time, one per institution you will deal with.
6. Wait for the grant, then collect and distribute. Once the grant arrives you can close accounts, sell or transfer property, settle debts and taxes, and distribute what remains under the terms of the will.

Probate fees 2026: what you will pay now

The headline change this year: the probate application fee in England and Wales rose from 300 pounds to 526 pounds on 13 July 2026, as part of the Ministry of Justice update to court and tribunal fees announced on gov.uk. Estates valued at 5,000 pounds or less still pay no application fee. One small saving arrived with the increase: official copies of the grant ordered with your application now cost 2 pounds each, down from 16 pounds.

The fee is the same whether you apply yourself or through a solicitor. A firm's charges come on top, which is why probate fees 2026 comparisons matter more than they did when the application cost 300 pounds.

Grant of probate application: the forms you need

Every form is published on GOV.UK, and searches such as pa1p form download and probate forms download uk gov all lead to the same official pages, so never pay a third party site for a form. The core set:

• PA1P, the paper application where there is a will. Use PA1A where there is not.
• IHT400 and schedules, only where inheritance tax is due or the estate does not qualify as excepted.
• The online service, which replaces PA1P for most applicants and lets you track progress.

Accuracy matters more than speed. The most common reasons the registry stops an application, according to HM Courts and Tribunals Service guidance, are missing original wills, unexplained differences between names on documents, and estate values that do not match the inheritance tax figures.

Executor duties checklist

Executor of a will duties go well beyond the application itself. Keep this executor duties checklist beside you from day one:

• Locate the original will and check for a later version or codicil.
• Register the death and order at least five death certificates.
• Secure and insure any empty property, and tell the insurer it is unoccupied.
• Notify banks, pension schemes, HMRC, DWP and utility providers.
• Value every asset and debt at the date of death, in writing.
• Report the estate for inheritance tax, or confirm it is excepted.
• Apply for the grant and pay the fee.
• Open a record of every payment in and out, beneficiaries can ask to see it.
• Settle debts, funeral costs and taxes before distributing anything.
• Distribute the estate under the will and get receipts from beneficiaries.

How long it all takes

According to gov.uk, you will usually get the grant within 16 weeks of submitting the application, and it can take longer if the registry needs more information. Add the weeks spent valuing the estate before you apply, plus the 20 working day wait after an IHT400, and a realistic start to finish window for a simple estate is six months to a year. Nothing about that timetable changes if you hire a firm, they wait in the same queue.

When diy probate uk is the wrong call

Doing it yourself is sensible for most straightforward estates, but bring in a solicitor when any of these apply: the estate owes inheritance tax and the sums are complex, the will is contested or unclear, there are foreign assets or business interests, a beneficiary cannot be found, or the estate may be insolvent. Executors are personally liable for mistakes, so paying for advice on a genuinely complicated estate is money well spent.