Applying for probate in England and Wales means proving you have legal authority to deal with someone’s estate. In short, you work out whether a grant is needed, value the estate, deal with any inheritance tax, then apply online or on paper using form PA1P (if there is a will) or PA1A (if there is not), pay the fee and send in the original will. This step by step guide walks through the whole process for 2026.
Here is what the application itself involves at a glance.
| Item | Detail in 2026 |
|---|---|
| Form if there is a will | PA1P (or apply online) |
| Form if there is no will | PA1A (grant of letters of administration) |
| Application fee | £300 for estates over £5,000 (free if £5,000 or under) |
| Extra sealed copies | £1.50 each |
| Inheritance tax account | IHT400 if the estate is taxable or not “excepted” |
Plain-English guide written by Simon Jenkins — covering every stage of the probate process.
Step 1: Check whether you need a grant of probate
Not every estate needs probate. Banks and other asset holders each set a threshold above which they insist on seeing a grant, and property held as joint tenants passes automatically to the survivor outside probate. If the estate is small and simple, or everything was jointly owned, you may not need to apply at all. Where assets are held in the deceased’s sole name above the relevant limits, a grant is almost always required before anyone can release funds or sell property.
Step 2: Value the estate
Before you apply you must establish the value of everything the person owned and owed at the date of death. That means writing to banks, pension providers, insurers and share registrars, and obtaining valuations for any property. Keep evidence for every figure. This valuation feeds directly into both the inheritance tax position and the probate application, so it pays to be thorough. Our guide on how to value the estate for inheritance tax explains the detail.
Step 3: Deal with inheritance tax
Inheritance tax is settled before the grant is issued, not after. There are two broad routes:
- Excepted estates. For deaths on or after 1 January 2022, most estates that owe no tax are “excepted”. You no longer file the old IHT205 form. Instead you report the headline estate values directly on your probate application.
- Full account (IHT400). If the estate owes inheritance tax, or does not qualify as excepted, you complete form IHT400, submit it to HMRC and, for most estates, wait 20 working days before applying for the grant. Any tax due on the estate must be arranged first.
Getting this step right matters, because the probate registry will not issue a grant until the inheritance tax position is cleared with HMRC.
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Step 4: Complete the application, online or on paper
You can apply in two ways:
- Online. Most executors and solicitors now use the digital probate service. It guides you through the questions, checks the application as you go and is generally processed more quickly.
- Paper. Use form PA1P where there is a valid will, or PA1A where the person died without one (an application for letters of administration). Paper applications are more likely to be delayed by small errors.
Whichever route you choose, the executors or administrators named must sign a legal statement (this has replaced the old sworn oath) confirming the information is true.
Step 5: Pay the fee and send the original will
The application fee is £300 for estates worth more than £5,000, and there is no fee for estates of £5,000 or less. Order extra sealed (official) copies at £1.50 each, because you will need one for every bank, pension and asset holder you write to. You must send the original will and the death certificate to the registry. Never staple, unstaple or write on the will, as any alteration triggers extra questions.
Step 6: Wait for the grant and administer the estate
Once submitted, a complete application typically reaches a grant within about 16 weeks, though it can be longer. When the grant arrives you can close accounts, sell or transfer property, settle debts and distribute the estate to the beneficiaries. Working through the probate process in a logical order is the best way to avoid delay.
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📊 Get Fee EstimateCommon mistakes when applying for probate
- Applying before the estate has been fully valued.
- Getting the inheritance tax route wrong, or filing the account late.
- Mismatched names or values between the will, the death certificate and the application.
- Ordering too few sealed copies of the grant.
- Damaging or marking the original will.
If any of this feels daunting, you do not have to do it alone. Our team can handle the application from start to finish.
Speak to a probate specialist
Curtis Legal acts for executors and administrators across Torfaen and South Wales. If you would like a specialist to check your figures or take the whole application on, call 0800 214 216 for a same-day callback.
About the author
Written by Simon Jenkins, Director and Solicitor at Curtis Legal. SRA 167489. Firm SRA 450129. Simon leads the Curtis Legal private client team and has guided hundreds of executors through probate applications across South Wales. He writes to make a formal legal process feel manageable.
This article is general information about the law in England and Wales and is not a substitute for tailored legal advice. Sources: GOV.UK guidance on applying for probate and GOV.UK probate fees.
