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When did you purchase access to your YouCanDoProbate account?
On or after 1st March 2025
On or before 28th February 2025
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Who can use our platform

This page explains in plain terms exactly what the platform covers, the situations where it is worth speaking to us first, and the small number of cases where a different route would serve you better.

Honest from the start

We think you deserve a clear answer before you spend any time or money. This page explains every scenario in plain language, including the nuanced ones where the answer is “it depends” rather than simply yes or no.

If your situation is covered, you can register and get started straight away. If you are not sure, or if something on this page matches your situation but you want to check, just call us. We will give you an honest answer in minutes.
When the platform is right for you.

YouCanDoProbate is designed for your estate if any of the following apply.

The platform supports a wide range of estates, including those that require IHT400 Inheritance Tax forms alongside the probate application. Here is what is covered.
The person died on or after 1 January 2022
YouCanDoProbate currently supports estates where the death occurred on or after 1 January 2022. If the death was before this date, please see the amber section below, as a legacy version of the platform may be available.
The deceased was domiciled in England or Wales
Domicile relates to where a person considered their permanent home to be. For most people who lived and worked in England or Wales, this is straightforward. If there is any uncertainty, for example if the deceased was born abroad or held property overseas, call us before starting.
PA1P and PA1A Probate forms
PA1P is the probate application form used when there is a valid Will. PA1A is the application for Letters of Administration used when there is no Will. YouCanDoProbate completes whichever applies to your estate, filled in accurately from the answers you provide.
IHT400 Inheritance Tax forms and schedules
YouCanDoProbate completes the full IHT400 Inheritance Tax account and all applicable supplementary schedules. You do not need to know which schedules are required. The platform selects and completes the correct ones automatically.
Estates with a valid Will
If the person who died left a valid Will, YouCanDoProbate guides you through a Grant of Probate application. You enter the Will details and the platform guides you through the rest.
Estates without a Will (Intestacy)
If there is no Will, YouCanDoProbate includes an Intestacy Walkthrough. This guides you through the Rules of Intestacy to establish who is entitled to inherit, and then completes the application for Letters of Administration.
Estates with an inheritance tax liability
If the estate is above the available thresholds and inheritance tax is due, the platform handles this fully. It calculates the tax owed, applies all available exemptions and completes the IHT400 and all required schedules. The tax itself is paid to HMRC separately.
Transfer of Nil Rate Band (TNRB)
If the deceased was married or in a civil partnership and their late spouse did not use all of their nil rate band, the unused portion can be transferred and added. This can significantly reduce or eliminate an inheritance tax liability. YouCanDoProbate calculates and applies this automatically.
Residence Nil Rate Band (RNRB)
Where a residential property was owned by the deceased and is being left to a direct descendant such as a child or grandchild, an additional nil rate band allowance may apply. YouCanDoProbate calculates and applies this automatically, including checking whether the estate qualifies and by how much.
Transfer of Residence Nil Rate Band (TRNRB)
As with the standard nil rate band, any unused Residence Nil Rate Band from a deceased spouse or civil partner can be transferred and added. YouCanDoProbate handles this automatically alongside the RNRB calculation.
Estates with overseas assets
YouCanDoProbate can be used where the deceased held assets outside the UK. Where the total value of overseas assets exceeds £100,000, inheritance tax forms will be required. The platform covers this fully, including the relevant overseas asset schedules within the IHT400.
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Speak to us before you start

These situations are more nuanced. You may still be able to use the platform.

The following scenarios are not straightforward yes or no answers. In some cases the platform can handle the majority or all of your application and we just need to talk through the specifics. A short conversation with our team will give you a clear picture before you commit to anything.
The person died on or before 31 December 2021
YouCanDoProbate's main platform currently supports deaths from 1 January 2022 onwards. However, if the person died before this date and the estate qualifies as an excepted estate, a legacy version of the platform may be available. This covers PA1 Probate forms and the IHT205 and IHT217 forms that apply to deaths before these dates.
What to do:
Call us on 0800 689 1447 before registering and we will confirm whether the legacy platform is suitable for your situation and how to access it.
You are claiming that gifts made by the deceased were part of normal expenditure out of income
If the deceased made regular gifts from their income and those gifts formed part of their normal expenditure, these may be exempt from inheritance tax under a specific relief. The platform cannot provide guidance or calculations for this type of claim. However, it can still produce all other probate and inheritance tax forms. Because the value of these gifts does not affect the estate calculations when exempt, the overall estate figures remain accurate for everything else.
What to do:
Call us first so we can talk through your specific situation. The relevant section of the IHT403 dealing with this exemption would need to be completed independently. Everything else would be handled by the platform as normal.
There are assets held in trust for the deceased (Excluding an immediate post death interest trust).
Trusts vary in their structure and implications. Life Interest trusts, where a surviving spouse has the right to occupy a property or receive income during their lifetime, are usually compatible with the platform. Discretionary trusts, or trusts where assets were settled into trust during the deceased's lifetime, can introduce complexities that may prevent the platform from being used.
What to do:
Call us before registering and describe the trust arrangement. We will tell you quickly whether the platform is appropriate for your situation.
You wish to claim a reduced rate of inheritance tax
Where 10% or more of the estate is left to a qualifying charity, a reduced rate of 36% inheritance tax may apply. The platform does not currently produce the calculations required to support this claim. However, it can still produce all other probate and inheritance tax forms. The claim for the reduced rate itself would need to be made independently outside the platform.
What to do:
Call us first. If the overall inheritance tax saving from the reduced rate is significant, you may want to take independent advice on this specific element. We can then confirm whether using the platform for the remainder of the application makes sense.
Want to know if it's suitable?

We'll give you an honest answer

If you are not sure, or if something on this page matches your situation but you want to check, just call us. We will give you an honest answer in minutes.
Try it risk-free · 14 Day Money Back Guarantee
Call 0800 689 1447 · Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm
When the platform cannot help.

Please seek alternative advice if any of the following apply.

The following situations are outside the scope of YouCanDoProbate. If any of these apply to the person who died or their estate, we would recommend speaking to a probate solicitor or specialist provider. We will always be honest about this.
The deceased was not domiciled in England or Wales
If the person who died did not consider England or Wales their permanent home, or was not a long-term UK resident living in England or Wales, the estate falls outside the scope of the platform. Estates with a non-UK domicile have different inheritance tax rules and often require specialist advice.
The surviving spouse or civil partner was not domiciled in England or Wales
Where the estate involves a transfer between spouses or civil partners and the surviving spouse was not domiciled in England or Wales, the inheritance tax treatment differs from the standard rules. The full spousal exemption does not apply in the same way and the calculations required fall outside the scope of the platform.
Contested probate or disputed Wills
If the validity of the Will is being challenged, or if there is a dispute between beneficiaries, legal representation is essential. This is not something a platform can or should handle.
The deceased made gifts with reservation of benefit
A gift with reservation of benefit occurs when the deceased gave away an asset during their lifetime but continued to benefit from it. A common example is giving a property to a child but continuing to live in it without paying a market rent. These gifts require specific forms and calculations that the platform does not currently support. Note this is different from regular gifts made outright, which the platform handles fully.
You need to claim Business Asset Relief on assets other than stocks and shareholdings
The platform can handle Business Asset Relief where it applies to quoted stocks and shareholdings. However, where the relief applies to other business assets such as a sole trader business, a partnership interest or unquoted shares in a private company, the platform does not currently support the necessary calculations and schedules.
You need to claim Agricultural Relief
Agricultural Relief reduces the inheritance tax value of qualifying agricultural property such as farmland or a working farm. Estates involving agricultural property and a claim for Agricultural Relief fall outside the scope of the platform. We would recommend seeking advice from a probate solicitor with agricultural estate experience.
Certain assets held in trust for the deceased (Excluding an immediate post death interest trust).
Where the trust involved is discretionary in nature, or where assets were settled into a trust during the deceased's lifetime in a way that creates complex inheritance tax treatment, the platform cannot be used. Please call us to describe your specific situation and we will give you an honest assessment.
National Heritage assets were involved in the estate
National Heritage assets include historic houses, land of outstanding natural beauty, works of art of national importance, and archives or manuscripts of historical significance. These assets can qualify for conditional exemptions from inheritance tax but the relevant rules are highly specialist and fall entirely outside the scope of the platform.
Want to know if it's suitable?

We'll give you an honest answer

If you are not sure, or if something on this page matches your situation but you want to check, just call us. We will give you an honest answer in minutes.
Try it risk-free · 14 Day Money Back Guarantee
Call 0800 689 1447 · Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm
Trustpilot five star rating
Probate forms

When completing the forms, any query I had as soon as I emailed them they got back to me straight away. Also it would not let you finish the section until you had filled out all that was needed. Helpful that you could save and go back in when you had the answer you needed.

anna smullen
Trustpilot five star rating
Easy and Simple to use

Easy and Simple to use

Stephen
Trustpilot five star rating
Smooth

Any problem that I came up against, was sorted out over the phone , I highly recommend youcandoprobate

Andrew
Trustpilot five star rating
Was dubious at first but after…

Was dubious at first but after messaging a couple of queries and receiving replies almost immediately I purchased the software process and it was amazingly easy would definitely recommend

Gill readman
Trustpilot five star rating
The whole process was very simple

The whole process was very simple. If I can do probate with this website, anybody can!

KD
Trustpilot five star rating
This was money well spent made life so…

This was money well spent made life so much easier and prevented any time being wasted by not sending all relevant documents and having to re submit.

Mr Walker
Trustpilot five star rating
Excellent service received from You…

Excellent service received from You Can Do Probate. The staff were very helpful and friendly.

Lesley Sylvester
Trustpilot five star rating
The dedication and professionalism of…

The dedication and professionalism of Tom and the team was TRULY outstanding. If I as a 70 something and barely computer literate can do it with their help, then anyone can. Outstanding, brilliant service and amazing value.

Trevor
Trustpilot five star rating
Excellent produce and service

Looked carefully at online support for undertaking probate and decided to use this company due to the consistently high Trustpilot feedback. It did not disappoint. The process is easy to follow, excellent support documentation and I made use of the Support telephone service once – which was prompt and helpful.

angela french
Trustpilot five star rating
YCDP asked all the right questions.

YCDP asked all the right questions, it was fairly easy to complete. I spent about 2 months preparing the application, getting valuations etc. Probate was approved in 3 weeks from posting the application.

J Newton
Trustpilot five star rating
Posted the completed Probate form and received the Grant of Probate letter 4 working days later…amazing service.

This was the first Probate I’d applied for. Initially, I assumed I’d have no choice but to go via a solicitor who would have asked me to gather all the information required yet charge thousands of pounds for the service. After carrying out further research online, I came across the YouCanDoProbate website, read their Trustpilot reviews and made some other sensible checks. I phoned them and had an initial conversation with Tom who was friendly and knowledgeable and asked several questions about the estate (it was over the individual IHT threshold but would be using the Transferable Nil Rate Band of a pre-deceased spouse) and he confirmed the platform would be able to deal with this. I was a little nervous initially about whether this was the right way forward but decided to go for it, signed up and paid the £499 fee which gave me access to the platform via my usual web browser so no special software needed. From then on, it was a relatively straightforward administrative task of putting in the information required. I loved that it saved all the information so that if I was interrupted or had to stop, I could just go back to it later and pick up where I’d left off. It went through the estate details very logically – personal info of all those involved – the deceased, pre-deceased spouse, executors, beneficiaries then assets, liabilities, expenses, gifts etc. After filling in all the required information, the platform then generated the Estate Summary (in my case showing there was no inheritance tax to pay and confirming that I didn’t have to fill in a separate form to send to HMRC). It had autofilled all the relevant information I’d input in the previous sections and made all the calculations for me with a detailed breakdown as to how the figures were arrived at. When I needed help and a bit of reassurance on 4 occasions via support ticket email, requesting a callback for a specific time or calling directly, Adam and Tom answered my queries quickly and knowledgeably and I was fully reassured that the forms had been completed correctly. Once I was satisfied with the Estate Summary details, I was able to move on and the system generated the autofilled Probate form which I could download and print off for review before signing. If anything needed to be amended, it was possible to go back and do so throughout the entire process before completing one stage and moving on to another. While I chose to complete the forms over the course of several days, I think it would be possible to complete the whole process in a few hours if there were no interruptions. On Thurs 28th May, I posted off the PA1P probate form with all the other relevant documents required including the probate fee postal orders (so no time waiting for a cheque to clear). I used the 1st class Royal Mail tracked service which was delivered the next day. I received an acknowledgement of receipt email on Mon 1 June with a reference number, another email on Tues 2 June confirming that Probate had been approved and, finally, on Thurs 4 June, I received the Grant of Probate letter in the post, 4 working days after sending off the application. I was expecting to have to wait 3 or 4 months for a response and am truly amazed at the speed of the turnaround. I cannot thank YouCanDoProbate enough. It is an amazing service, worth every penny of the £499 cost and I highly recommend it.

JA
Trustpilot five star rating
This made a very difficult time and…

This made a very difficult time and task painless. I had a few queries which were answered very efficiently. The whole process from start to finish and obtaining probate was 6 weeks.

LCc
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£499

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Additional costs: The probate registry fee of £526 (for all estates over £5,000) and any additional official copies at £2 each. (Payable directly to HM Courts and Tribunals Service by cheque or postal order, enclosed with your application forms).
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© YouCanDoProbate • YouCanDoProbate is a trading name of Kabing Ltd.
YouCanDoProbate is an online platform providing legal forms and information. YouCanDoProbate is not a law firm and is not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Our online probate and inheritance tax service is an online platform providing probate and inheritance tax forms and information to allow you to complete inheritance tax returns and apply for probate yourself. Our telephone, email and livechat support provides guidance only, we do not provide bespoke advice, including estate planning or tax advice and it is not a substitute for a lawyer’s advice about complex estate planning or tax issues.
© Kabing Ltd | All Rights Reserved. Company number 12125399.

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