Is this normal?

mauly_2

I received confirmation that probate was approved less then 12 hours from when I submitted the online applications. And received the letters of administration by post 2 days later! Is this normal or have I really lucked out?

Vortigern

Same thing happened to me. Simple estate, just cash <£100K, no property.

Not sure how they justify the fee.

getmore4less

Something seems to have changed significantly in the way the courts are processing applications.

Fast tracking the simple cases makes sense to get them off  the numbers brings average process times down a lot very quickly.

not done an application recently but what ID checks  are they asking for that can be verified quickly?

I wonder if there are some new KPI put in place that are helping streamline the process.

back end of 2019 they were 10k+ behind which is a couple of weeks worth of applications.

There are around 1/4m applications each year about 1/2 of the people that die.
(goes up as population grows)

the stats for probates applications are in the family court quarterly reports
https://www.gov.uk/crime-justice-and-law/family-justice-system
latest( today 20 Feb 2021,  next release around end March 2021)
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-court-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2020

seems they were median around 5-8 weeks back then be interesting to see what the next set shows.

Vortigern

getmore4less said:

... what ID checks  are they asking for that can be verified quickly?

Just to log in via Government Gateway, which I'd used previously for income tax purposes. There may have been a one time password by SMS?

Horsin

Can I ask,;when you put your application in, do you receive a reference...and is that the same whether you apply online or send a paper application? I am having troubles with a probate manager, who has said there is no reference until probate is granted!?!?!

JGB1955

When I sent my application in (online) there was no acknowledgment or reference.  The first I heard was when probate was actually granted 10 days later.  I DID receive a reference number from HMRC to confirm that no IHT was payable

tiengomar

JGB1955 said:

When I sent my application in (online) there was no acknowledgment or reference.  The first I heard was when probate was actually granted 10 days later.  I DID receive a reference number from HMRC to confirm that no IHT was payable

hi, which month did you apply for probate?

SevenOfNine

All done on-line in November.  HMRC first & that gave me a number to quote for completing the probate application, referring to it as an 'identifier' (estate was roughly £280k). 

The final part of the probate application had a sheet which had to be printed & accompany the original Will. It had a 16 digit reference number on it & the address of where to send it with the Will. I also got an immediate automated email of confirmation from the Probate Registry Notification Services stating " your probate application for >>>name<<<  was received and the reference for this case is ‘<<<16 numbers>>>’.  

I heard no more until day 7 when I got email notification that the documents had been received at 11:22 followed at 11:25 with 'approved'.  By day 10 I had hard copies of the Grant through the mail.

I don't know if any of this is different if all done by post, or LoA as opposed to probate, this method was new to me from when I've been executor 3 times before. Without a doubt this time round there is an application reference number.

Horsin

Oh, so some saying yes and some saying no to being given a reference number.....odd?

JGB1955

tiengomar said:

JGB1955 said:

When I sent my application in (online) there was no acknowledgment or reference.  The first I heard was when probate was actually granted 10 days later.  I DID receive a reference number from HMRC to confirm that no IHT was payable

hi, which month did you apply for probate?

I sent the will off on 25 August.  Probate was granted on 3 September 2020.

Pennylane

Wish Mine had come through that quickly and I wouldn’t be in the position I am now.   I posted mine off just over 2 weeks ago. received an email acknowledging receipt and 2 days ago  received the Death Certificate back. Thought all was going well then yesterday got an email to say a stop had been put on the application because someone has put a caveat on it.  It was a very straightforward matter. Just a smallish estate, one bank account no property, no shares, trusts etc.  I am beyond fed up!