How to apply for probate without a solicitor

Is this estate suitable for a DIY application?

Self-help works well where the picture is clear. Stop and take professional advice where any of the following apply.

• Anyone is disputing the will, or has hinted they might
• The estate may be insolvent — debts exceed assets
• There are assets abroad, or the deceased was not domiciled in the UK
• A trust is involved, either created by the will or already in existence
• A beneficiary is a minor or lacks capacity
• There is a business or agricultural property with relief to claim
• The will is damaged, unsigned, or cannot be found

The steps

1. Register the death and order several certified copies of the death certificate.
2. Find the original will and check who is named as executor. Executors named in the will apply for a grant of probate; if there is no will, the closest relative applies for letters of administration.
3. Notify every organisation holding an asset or owed a debt. Ask each for a written date-of-death balance or valuation.
4. Value the property. Get at least one written appraisal, or a RICS valuation where tax is in play.
5. List debts: mortgage, credit cards, loans, utilities, council tax, funeral costs.
6. Work out the tax position. Establish whether the estate is excepted or whether a full account is required, and whether the transferable nil-rate band applies.
7. Report to HMRC and pay any Inheritance Tax due. Where tax is payable, this must happen before the grant is issued.
8. Complete the application — PA1P where there is a will, PA1A where there is not — or apply online.
9. Sign the statement of truth, send the original will, and pay the court fee.
10. Wait for the grant, then send sealed copies to each institution to collect the assets.
11. Settle the debts, publish statutory notices, and keep a clear record of every transaction.
12. Prepare estate accounts, distribute to the beneficiaries, and get written receipts.

What you need to hand before you start the form

• The original will and any codicils
• The death certificate
• Full names, addresses and dates of birth for all executors
• The deceased's last permanent address and National Insurance number
• Written date-of-death values for every asset and debt
• Details of gifts made in the seven years before death
• Details of the late spouse's estate, if you are claiming a transferable allowance

The mistakes that get applications rejected

• Names on the application that do not exactly match the will or the death certificate
• Sending a photocopy of the will instead of the original
• Staple holes or attachments to the will suggesting a missing document
• Figures on the application that do not reconcile with the tax account
• Missing renunciations where a named executor does not wish to act

GOV.UK — Applying for probate