The probate process
How to Apply for Probate in England and Wales: a Step-by-Step Guide
Applying for probate in England and Wales involves a defined sequence of steps. Understanding the full process before you begin helps you plan what information you need and in what order.
Step 1: Register the death
Register with the local registrar within five days. Order several certified copies of the death certificate (£11 each). Ask about the Tell Us Once service to notify government agencies simultaneously.
Step 2: Locate the Will
Search thoroughly for the original Will. Check the deceased’s home, their solicitor, their bank, and the National Will Register. If no Will is found, the estate is treated as intestate.
Step 3: Value the estate
Contact every bank, building society, investment platform, pension provider, and insurer for date-of-death valuations. Arrange a property valuation. Identify all outstanding debts. The net estate value determines whether IHT may be due.
Step 4: Complete the HMRC inheritance tax return
For most deaths from 1 January 2022, the IHT400 must be submitted to HMRC before or alongside the probate application. Once HMRC processes the return, they issue an IHT421 reference needed for the probate application. YouCanDoProbate completes the IHT400 and all supplementary schedules automatically.
Step 5: Submit the probate application
Use form PA1P (with a Will) or PA1A (without a Will), submitted with the original Will, death certificate, IHT421 reference, and the £526 application fee. Order additional official copies of the Grant at £2 each.
Step 6: Receive the Grant and administer the estate
Present the Grant to financial institutions. Place a Statutory Notice for Creditors in The Gazette. Obtain HMRC tax clearance. Pay all debts and expenses. Distribute the estate to beneficiaries. Draw up estate accounts.
The easy and affordable way to apply for probate
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Highly recommend this company. The intuitive software is easy to use and the friendly and professional telephone support is excellent. On the advise of the team I posted off my documents as I had considered using the government online form assuming it may be quicker! However Probate was granted in 15 days from when I posted my documents. Thank you to all the team at You Can Do Probate for making a stressful and emotional task much easier to navigate without the need of expensive solicitors! Nb The only improvement that I feel would be beneficial is the function to print the breakdown of all the values and calculations
A very professional company and service, so easy to use from start to finish, but always available to answer any questions quickly, no matter how trivial, saved so much money compared to traditional solicitor. Highly recommend.
I was so happy I found YouCanDoProbate. I did not even know where to start with this process but as soon as you register with them on line (and pay the fee) it guides you through step by step. You then just print off the the forms and send them off. It made a complicated system really simple for us.
The process was simple and the support provided spot on.
Very prompt, efficient and friendly. Certainly helped me in difficult times. Very straight forward and the step by step forms were a great help.
Very easy to use; user friendly, good people to deal with, very helpful, great software, well designed
Excellent service received from You Can Do Probate. The staff were very helpful and friendly.
Title : I cannot recommend YouCanDoProbate more for a dedicated and high quality service ! When I first registered with YouCanDoProbate I was dubious: as it was an on-line format and I am incredibly poor with anything electronic, but I need not have worried. As soon as I sent a pleas for help my emails were answered and followed up with a phone call from Tom or Adam on the same day, and often within an hour ! They both had lots of patience and understood my concerns (which were really minor issues !) I was never felt to feel foolish and always treated with respect and professionalism. I had recently helped my brother to obtain probate when his wife passed away, and he paid thousands of pounds to a Solicitor for much less than I have had to do with my case. I only hope my application is accepted, and I now have substantial records to refer to regarding the estate due to this process.
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