Free tool · England & Wales
How much does probate cost?
Enter the estate value and see the court fee, sealed copies and — if you want help — the typical professional ranges across the market. Figures verified on gov.uk. No sign-up, no obligation.
The estate
How will the application be handled?
Add detail (optional)+
Which inheritance-tax forms?
Most estates where no inheritance tax is due count as “excepted estates” and need only the probate application itself. Larger or more complex estates must file a full IHT400 account with HMRC first — typically adding weeks of preparation and professional cost before the probate application can even be submitted.Paying IHT on the property in instalments
Inheritance tax attributable to property can usually be paid in 10 annual instalments rather than up front — useful when the estate is asset-rich but cash-poor. Interest is charged on the outstanding balance, and the remainder falls due if the property is sold.How long does probate take?
HMCTS says you’ll usually get a grant of probate within 12 weeks of submitting the application (gov.uk). Administering the full estate — collecting assets, settling tax, selling property, distributing — typically takes 6 to 12 months, and longer for complex or contested estates.Estimated cost
Applying for a grant of probate on an estate of £350,000:
£380
Court fee plus sealed copies — your time is the main cost of applying yourself.
- Court application fee
- £300
- Sealed copies (suggested 5 × £16)
- £80
- Estimated total
- £380
£300 for estates over £5,000; no fee at £5,000 or below. Source: gov.uk.
One per bank, insurer or registry — so institutions can be dealt with in parallel.
- Because the estate includes property, any inheritance tax due on it can usually be paid in annual instalments over up to 10 years — although interest is charged on the outstanding balance.
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Guidance, not advice — and estimates only, for England & Wales. Court fees verified on gov.uk (June 2026). Professional figures are typical ranges across the UK market, not our fees: estate administration is a reserved legal activity and we do not provide probate services. Your actual costs depend on the estate and who you instruct.
How probate fees work
The court side is refreshingly simple. HMCTS charges a single application fee of £300 where the estate is worth more than £5,000, and nothing where it is £5,000 or less. Extra sealed copies of the grant cost £16 each, and it is worth ordering four to six with the application so every bank, insurer and registry can be dealt with in parallel rather than one at a time. The fee is identical whether there is a will (a grant of probate) or not (letters of administration), and whether you apply yourself or through a professional. Source: gov.uk.
How long does probate take? HMCTS publishes its own expectation: the grant usually arrives within 12 weeks of submitting the application (gov.uk). The grant, though, is only the gateway — administering the whole estate, from valuing assets and settling inheritance tax through to selling property and distributing, typically takes 6 to 12 months. Our guide to how long probate takes walks through the timeline stage by stage, including the home-and-mortgage trap that catches asset-rich, cash-poor estates.
Doing it yourself vs paying for help
An honest answer: for a straightforward estate — a valid will, UK assets, no inheritance tax to pay — applying yourself is genuinely realistic, and thousands of executors do it every year for nothing more than the court fee and their own time. Professional help earns its fee where the estate is more tangled: an IHT400 account to prepare, property or business assets to value, foreign assets, or family tension. Across the UK market, fixed-fee work for straightforward estates commonly runs around £1,500–£3,000 plus VAT, while full estate administration is often priced at 1%–2.5% of the estate — typical ranges, not our fees. Estate administration is a reserved legal activity and we do not provide probate services; what we do is the planning that makes probate cheaper and cleaner when it comes, as part of our estate planning service. And before spending anything, check whether a grant is needed at all with our do-I-need-probate checker.
Probate costs: common questions
How much does probate cost in the UK?+
Two layers. The court costs are fixed: a £300 application fee for estates over £5,000 (no fee at £5,000 or below) plus £16 for each extra sealed copy of the grant — figures published on gov.uk. Professional help is the variable layer: across the UK market, fixed-fee work for straightforward estates commonly runs around £1,500–£3,000 plus VAT, while full estate administration is often priced at 1%–2.5% of the estate. Those are typical market ranges, not our fees — and if you apply yourself, the court costs are all you pay.
What is the probate court application fee?+
£300 where the value of the estate is over £5,000, and nothing where it is £5,000 or less (gov.uk). The fee is the same whether you apply yourself or through a professional, and the same for a grant of probate or letters of administration. Extra sealed copies of the grant cost £16 each — most executors order several so banks, insurers and the Land Registry can be dealt with at the same time.
Is probate different if there's no will?+
The court fee is the same, but the process differs. With a valid will, the executors named in it apply for a grant of probate. Without one, only certain relatives can apply — in a fixed legal order — for letters of administration, and the estate is then divided by the intestacy rules rather than anyone's wishes. No-will estates are often slower and more prone to family disagreement, which is one reason a will makes an estate cheaper and easier to administer.
How long does probate take?+
HMCTS says you'll usually get the grant of probate or letters of administration within 12 weeks of submitting your application (gov.uk), though incomplete applications take longer. The grant is only the start: administering the full estate — collecting assets, settling inheritance tax, selling property and distributing — typically takes 6 to 12 months, and longer for complex or contested estates.
Do small estates need probate at all?+
Often not. Banks and other institutions set their own thresholds — typically somewhere between £15,000 and £50,000 — below which they will release funds without a grant. Jointly owned homes and accounts usually pass to the surviving owner automatically, outside probate altogether. So a modest estate, or one where everything was held jointly with a spouse, may need no grant at all.
Can you do probate yourself?+
Yes — and many people do. The application is designed to be made in person, especially for “excepted estates” where no inheritance tax is due and no full IHT400 account is needed. If the estate is straightforward — a will, UK assets, no tax to pay, no family friction — doing it yourself saves the entire professional fee, at the cost of your own time and paperwork. Professional help earns its fee where there is inheritance tax to calculate, property or business assets, foreign assets, or any hint of a dispute.
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