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On or after 1st March 2025
On or before 28th February 2025
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What is probate?

What is the Difference Between a Grant of Probate and Letters of Administration?

Both are types of Grant of Representation. Both give the named person legal authority to deal with the estate of someone who has died. The core difference is simply whether or not the deceased left a valid Will.

Grant of Probate

Issued when the deceased left a valid Will with a named executor willing and able to act. The application uses form PA1P. The executor distributes the estate in accordance with the Will.

Letters of Administration

Issued when there is no valid Will, or when a Will exists but no executor can act. The application uses form PA1A. A qualifying relative (the administrator) manages the estate, distributing it according to the Rules of Intestacy.

Are they treated differently by banks and institutions?

No. Banks, financial institutions, and the Land Registry accept both documents equally. What matters is that it is an original or sealed official copy (£2 each) issued by the Probate Registry. YouCanDoProbate supports both. The platform determines which forms apply and completes them automatically.

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The easy and affordable way to apply for probate

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Our team of experts are on hand to help. Call us, or Request a Callback. No obligation. Just honest answers.
Trustpilot five star rating
Supportive staff team. Confidence.

The staff team were supportive and return calls were reasonably prompt, its important to account for other customers feeling swamped by the experience too. The online forms were clear and the finance running totals displayed at the top of the form so calculations are as exact to the info you put in to the form. I liked the fact that I felt more confident in completing probate, that I did not feel silly when asking questions. The team are respectful and account for the emotional situation you fnd yourself in.

Betty Tuur
Trustpilot five star rating
YouCanDoProbate is a brilliant piece of software

This is a brilliant piece of software. Very easy to use and intuative and, makes the daunting task of applying for a Grant of Probate easy for anyone who can use a computer. It makes using a solicitor for this task completely redundant. Also, the on line help is excellent as you can actually speak to a human.

STEPHEN JOHN CLARK
Trustpilot five star rating
This saved so much time and cost

This saved so much time and cost. They answered all my questions and I was able to submit all the forms myself. Great service. I would reccomend this to anyone rather than using a solicitor.

Ben Gale
Trustpilot five star rating
How to do Probate the easy way

My experience of using the YouCanDoProbate programme has been good and certainly it is a well put together one. Firstly it specified the information which would be required by the Probate Office so that I could save time when using the programme. It then went on with what is basically a copy of the Government sheets so that the information could be added. Adding the information required was not as easy as it would seem.This was not a fault of the programme, but rather the way the person who had designed the sheets for the Government had expressed their requirements. On several occasions I was a bit stuck and and sent a message to YCDP requesting assistance. I found that they could not have been more helpful and I would like to thank both Adam and Tom for their assistance. They both answered my queries and made it clear that they would spent as much time as was necessary in doing so, very much a PLUS point in this day and age where many companies cannot get away fast enough. They would contact me either by phone or email, whichever I preferred. Another thing that I particularly liked was that the programme would not allow me to tick the box as finished in error, until each section it was complete. By doing so it meant that the Probate office should not have to return it as incomplete. The current programme is designed to cater for a maximum nett figure of £325,000 before Inheritance tax is payable. There are circumstances where there is only one son or daughter who will inherit and the Government will allow up to a nett figure of £500,000 before Inheritance Tax is due, and I was informed that they are working on an amendment to the programme to allow for this. I can fully recommend this programme which is considerably cheaper than putting it in the hands of a Probate Specialist.

Brian Pullin
Trustpilot five star rating
An excellent service

An excellent service. The team are happy to talk you through the options before you commit and make sure that the software will work for your circumstances. Once you get started it is easy to use and save your work. Very good and recommended.

simon hawkins
Trustpilot five star rating
Probate application.

This was my 1st time having to apply for probate and it looked pretty daunting. I found YCDP platform online and it made the task easy to follow. Saved me a lot of money not using solicitors. The courts received the application on the 15 April and I received the Grant of Probate 3 weeks later. Fantastic service which I would highly recommend this company.

k.witney
Trustpilot five star rating
Excellent service

Clear, easy to follow information and instructions on the website; helpful, knowledgeable and friendly staff who were quick to respond to all of my queries either on the phone or by email; really speeded up and simplified the process of applying for probate.

Suzie W
Trustpilot five star rating
Easy step by step process

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.

Lucia
Trustpilot five star rating
Excellent service, guaranteed peace of mind

From my first call to YouCanDoProbate I felt confident in the help I would receive throughout the process of applying for grant of probate for my mum’s estate. The HMRC forms are not complicated but having access to support and having confirmation that no tax is due and that you have declared everything correctly, is very reassuring. It is worth the money for peace of mind and cost much less than hiring a solicitor

MISS RACHEL NAYLOR
Trustpilot five star rating
I am so glad I found this online…

I am so glad I found this online company. I was a bit sceptical at first but as the cost of using a solicitor was fairly considerable I decided to opt for this. I am glad I did. The Probate Platform was easy to use and on the odd occasion that I had a query the telephone support was great. I have just been informed by HMCTS that the application has been approved. I have no hesitation in recommending this company.

John McGuire
Trustpilot five star rating
First time having to go through the…

First time having to go through the probate process, so used this service for peace of mind.had. A call back very quickly on a query I had sent the forms off and received my ref number after two weeks. And probate was granted the following week. Can’t recommend this service enough.

martyn wykes
Trustpilot five star rating
The form was quite easy to follow

The form was quite easy to follow. But the support from the staff was fantastic and very helpful.

R Z
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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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