Grant of Probate UK: What It Is & the 2026 Fee

Contact the financial organisations the person who died used, for example their bank and mortgage company, to find out if you will need probate to get access to their assets. Every organisation has its own rules. You should not make any financial plans or put property on the market until you have got probate.

You may not need probate if the person who died:

• ✗No: Only had savings
• ✗No: Owned shares or money with others, because this automatically passes to the surviving owners unless they have agreed otherwise
• ✗No: Owned land or property as joint tenants with others, because this automatically passes to the surviving owners

• With a will: executors named in the will, or in an update to it known as a codicil, can apply
• Without a will: the most entitled person, who is the closest living relative, can apply to become the administrator of the estate
• You get a grant of probate if the person left a will, letters of administration with will annexed if the will does not name an executor or the named executor cannot apply, or letters of administration if the person did not leave a will

The closest living relative is normally the husband, wife or civil partner (including if you were separated), followed by any children 18 or over (including legally adopted children but not step-children). You cannot apply if you are the partner of the person but were not their husband, wife or civil partner when they died. The intestacy rules decide who inherits when there is no will: see dying without a will.

You will only inherit assets if you are also named as a beneficiary in the will. If more than one person is named as an executor, you must all agree who makes the application for probate, and up to 4 executors can be named on the application. You will need to send the original will with your application and cannot use a photocopy. The probate registry will keep the will and it will become a public record.

If Inheritance Tax is due, start making payments: HMRC will then send you a unique code that you need before applying. You can apply for probate straight away if it is an excepted estate. See our guide to Inheritance Tax for the threshold and who pays.

You can challenge an application for probate (enter a caveat) before it is granted, for example if there is a dispute about who can apply for probate or whether there is a will. Already have a grant reference, or need to check whether probate has been issued for someone else's estate? See how to search for a grant of probate or a will.

• If the value of the estate is over £5,000, the application fee is £526
• There is no fee if the estate is £5,000 or less
• Extra copies of the probate document cost £2 each when you submit your application, and £16 each if you order them afterwards
• You can apply for probate yourself online or by post, which can be cheaper than paying a probate practitioner (such as a solicitor) to apply for you
• You may be able to get help to pay the probate fee and other court fees if you have a low income or are on certain benefits

Once you have the grant of probate or letters of administration you can start dealing with the estate. Send copies of the probate document to organisations that hold the assets of the person who died, for example their bank. As a personal representative (an executor or administrator) you are legally responsible for the money, property and possessions of the person who died, from the date of death until everything has been passed on to the beneficiaries.

• Pay any debts left by the person who died
• Sell assets such as properties or shares
• Report the estate value, income and tax liability to HM Revenue and Customs

Place a notice in The Gazette giving any creditors 2 months to claim anything they are owed. Do not distribute the estate's assets until the 2 months is up. If you do and the estate then cannot afford to pay a debt, you may have to pay it yourself. See debt and death for who is responsible for the debts.

Once you have paid any debts and taxes, or you are sure the estate has enough money to do so, distribute the estate according to the will, or the law if there is no will. If you are passing on a property you must update the property register with HM Land Registry. Once all the estate is distributed you can prepare the final estate accounts, which should be approved and signed by you and the main beneficiaries.

• Scotland: the equivalent is confirmation, a legal document from the court giving the executor authority to uplift money or other property from the holder, such as the bank, and an application is lodged with the sheriff court
• Northern Ireland: you may need to get authority from the High Court to deal with the deceased's estate, and this is called probate

In Scotland there are two types of confirmation, for small estates and large estates. A small estate is one where the total value of the deceased's money and property is £36000 or less, and the procedure, forms and fees are different for each type. For a small estate the sheriff clerk will be able to help you prepare the inventory, and for a large estate the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service recommends seeking legal advice.

In Northern Ireland a Grant of Probate is issued if the deceased left a will and a Grant of Letters of Administration if there is no will. You must be 18 or over to apply. A Grant of Probate is almost always needed when the person who died leaves around £20,000 in any one account, stocks or shares, certain insurance policies, or property or land held in their own name or as tenants in common. You may not need a grant if the deceased left less than £20,000 or owned everything jointly with someone else and everything passes automatically to that person.