How to apply for probate
Applying for probate means asking the Probate Registry to confirm your legal authority to deal with someone's estate. An executor named in the will applies for a grant of probate; where there is no valid will, the closest relative applies for letters of administration. Most straightforward estates can be applied for personally, online, without a solicitor.
Jurisdiction: England & Wales. Last reviewed 13 August 2026.
In this section
Before you apply
The application itself is the short part. Almost all of the work happens before it, and getting that work right is what keeps an application from being rejected or delayed.
- Register the death and order several certified copies of the death certificate.
- Find the original will and any codicils. The registry needs the original, not a photocopy.
- Confirm you are entitled to apply — as executor under the will, or under the intestacy order of priority.
- Write to every bank, pension provider, insurer and registrar for date-of-death balances and valuations.
- Value the property, and value personal possessions honestly at open-market value.
- List every liability: mortgage, loans, credit cards, utilities, funeral account.
- Work out the Inheritance Tax position, and report to HMRC before you apply if the estate is not excepted.
Who can apply
| Situation | Who applies | Grant issued |
|---|---|---|
| Valid will naming a living, willing executor | The executor(s) | Grant of probate |
| Valid will but no executor able or willing to act | A beneficiary, usually the residuary beneficiary | Letters of administration with will annexed |
| No valid will | The closest relative under the intestacy rules | Letters of administration |
The application, step by step
- Complete the Inheritance Tax reporting first where the estate is not excepted — HMRC must process it before the registry will issue the grant.
- Start the online application (or form PA1P on paper where the online service cannot be used) and answer the questions about the deceased, the will and the estate.
- Make the statement of truth. This is a legal declaration that the information is correct — read it carefully before signing.
- Pay the court fee of £526 (estates of £5,000 or less are exempt).
- Post the original will and any codicils to the Probate Registry with the cover sheet the service gives you, using tracked delivery.
- Answer any requisitions — requests for clarification — promptly. This is where most applications stall.
- Receive the grant, order the extra copies you need, and start collecting in the estate.
The documents you will need
- The original will and any codicils
- Certified copies of the death certificate
- Date-of-death valuations for every asset: bank balances, property, investments, possessions
- A list of every debt, including the funeral account
- The Inheritance Tax forms or reference where tax is reportable
- Details of every beneficiary named in the will
What it costs
The court fee is £526 for estates above £5,000, and nothing at or below that value. Extra office copies of the grant cost £2 each when ordered with the application. Our guided self-help package is £349, paid once, and is entirely separate from the court fee.
Two different payments
The court fee is paid to HM Courts & Tribunals Service. Our fee is paid to us for the guidance, forms preparation, document pack and estate accounts. Neither replaces the other.How long it takes
Where the estate is excepted for Inheritance Tax and the paperwork is complete, a grant commonly arrives within eight to sixteen weeks of applying. Where a full Inheritance Tax account is needed, add the time HMRC takes to process it before the registry will even look at the application. Requisitions — the registry's requests for missing information — are the most common cause of long delays, and almost all of them are avoidable.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I have to use a solicitor to apply for probate?
- No. Executors and administrators are entitled to apply personally. A solicitor is sensible where the estate is disputed, insolvent, taxable, holds a business or trust interest, or includes foreign assets.
- How long do I have to apply for probate?
- There is no fixed deadline for applying, but Inheritance Tax is due by the end of the sixth month after the month of death and interest runs from then, so delay costs money.
- Can two executors apply together?
- Yes. Up to four executors can be named on the grant, and they act jointly. One executor can also apply with power reserved to the others.
Dealing with a straightforward estate yourself?
Our free probate checker helps you work out whether this estate appears suitable for a self-help route. It asks about jurisdiction, disputes and complexity, takes a few minutes, and needs no account.
£349 one-off service fee if you go ahead. Court fee and any Inheritance Tax are paid separately.
Guides that go deeper
- PA1P: applying for probate where there is a willA section-by-section walkthrough of form PA1P, the documents to send with it, and the mistakes that cause HMCTS to stop an application.
- PA1A: applying for letters of administrationHow to complete form PA1A for an intestate estate, who is entitled to apply, the evidence of entitlement required, and common errors.
- The statement of truth: what you are actually signingWhat the probate statement of truth commits an executor to, who must sign it, what happens if the information is wrong, and how it replaced the oath.
- The probate timeline, month by monthA realistic month-by-month timeline for administering an estate in England & Wales, from registering the death to final distribution.
- The grant has arrived — what happens next?The order of work after a grant of probate or letters of administration is issued: collecting assets, paying debts, notices, accounts and distribution.
Sources
Continue your probate journey
Apply For Probate Online is an independent self-help service and is not part of HM Courts & Tribunals Service or GOV.UK.