PROBATE & ESTATE
ADMINISTRATION SERVICE

The executor named in the will can apply for probate or if you are named in the will to receive some/all of the estate and there is no executors willing to apply. If there is no will, then the next of kin may apply: spouse, civil partner, children (including adopted), parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles.

If more than one person applies then a joint application may be made. No more than four applications is permitted, and the applicants are required to attend an interview with the Probate Service at HMCTS.

Fees tend to be case specific however £150-£250 for investments priced at £5,000 or more is about average. Generally, charges are set at cost recovery rates. 

You can’t get a Grant of Probate if there is no Will, but through a slightly different method called intestacy you can apply for a Grant of Administration. Only spouses, civil partners, children and immediate relatives can inherit under these rules.

An executor simply put is a person nominated by the deceased to deal with the administration of their estate after their death. A beneficiary is an individual who will inherit that property. It is common for the executor and beneficiary to be the same person.

A simple estate with a few UK-based assets and a small number of beneficiaries would take less time to handle than a large estate with multiple assets both in the UK and abroad, with a large number of beneficiaries some of whom may not be easily found.

Generally, you will need a grant of probate if the person who died held assets in their own name. There are exceptions, if the assets value does not exceed more than £5000, or where all assets are kept in joint names.

A will must be dated and signed.