Probate - how long?

m1kjm

doodle483 said:

Pleased to say I have an update.

02/02/25: Requested IHT reference number.
18/02/25: IHT reference received. 
25/03/25: Sent IHT forms, arrived the next day. IHT already paid by NS&I transfer and online payment.
22/04/25: IHT code generated/confirmed IHT all paid.
23/04/25: Probate application submitted online and will sent 24-hour delivery.
23/06/25: Found out through my own chasing that they've been sitting on an incorrectly scanned will for months without doing anything about it.
24/06/25: Registered a formal complaint... a few hours later, probate was granted.

Just waiting for the grant by post.

What link did you use for your formal complaint please? I need to stick a rocket up them too.

Snuggles

We had a really good experience with the Probate service despite potential issues and a request for further information. The potential issue was that one of the executors (DH), without thinking, had unstapled the will to copy it and had then re-stapled it, so there were old staple holes present. This had been done whilst the deceased (MIL) was still alive and well, when she gave the will to DH for safe keeping.

On the probate application we explained why it was done, when and who by, but having seen scare stories online we were expecting this would likely be a problem and cause delays. 

02/06/25 Online application
03/06/25 Will sent by special delivery
06/06/25 Email received confirming receipt of will
13/06/25 Email received requesting further information - we were asked to provide any foreign wills or confirm there were no other wills
13/06/25 Reply sent via the probate hub confirming there were no foreign wills
18/06/25 Email received confirming probate granted
20/06/25 Grant received in post

So no issue raised around the will having been un-stapled and very quick even with the request for further info.

We were initially confused as to why we were asked to provide foreign wills. However MIL had used a will writing service, and when we checked, the will said it related to assets in the United Kingdom, which is presumably standard wording used by the will writing service. However, it did read as though there might be overseas assets which weren't covered by the will, but MIL had no such assets. 

doodle483

m1kjm said:

doodle483 said:

Pleased to say I have an update.

02/02/25: Requested IHT reference number.
18/02/25: IHT reference received. 
25/03/25: Sent IHT forms, arrived the next day. IHT already paid by NS&I transfer and online payment.
22/04/25: IHT code generated/confirmed IHT all paid.
23/04/25: Probate application submitted online and will sent 24-hour delivery.
23/06/25: Found out through my own chasing that they've been sitting on an incorrectly scanned will for months without doing anything about it.
24/06/25: Registered a formal complaint... a few hours later, probate was granted.

Just waiting for the grant by post.

What link did you use for your formal complaint please? I need to stick a rocket up them too.

Sorry, delayed reply but it's this one: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-courts-and-tribunals-service/about/complaints-procedure

Received the response by email about two weeks later - turns out that my mum's will was incorrectly scanned by their 'scanning contractors' not once, but twice! Same page missing each time. Definitely worth complaining as who knows what is going on there.

AHWGenX

Speediest Grant ever?

08/07/25 Online application for Letters of Administration
10/07/25 Email received Approving the Application - upto 10 working days for the physical letters to be received.

Was quite anxious about the wait as a friend had just spent 19 weeks waiting for Approval.

Hopefully the Letters arrive shortly.

Spencerdoodle21

June 13,25 Sent off probate application Royal mail guaranteed next day delivery, it was a Friday so Monday delivery. I had to do it by mail as one executor had lost capacity (dementia) therefore needed a Dr to complete a PA14 which then means you cant do it online. 

June 16,25 Supposed to arrive at Probate office but tracking just showed at Harlow DO and this never updated to being delivered which was very stressful as it could have been lost. Post office just said I would need to file a lost claim if it didn’t show up. 

June 24,25. Email from Probate saying application received, big sigh of relief. 

July 11, 25. Email saying Probate granted.

July 17,25 Grants received in mail in Canada as I had travelled home after submitting them.

Very pleased with the relatively quick process especially for a paper application with a couple of possible issues with the one executor having lost capacity (if you know this ahead of time get the will rewritten as it will be easier) and another executor having power reserved as we both live out of country so decided it was easier to just have one person as executor. Probate did not query anything. 

DancingBadger

I'm dealing with probate for the survivor of a married couple.  On the first death no IHT was payable so IHT400 was sent directly to the Probate Registry.  This time IHT was due; the difference in the process and the fact I'd be dealing with two separate entities took an hour or so and a fair bit of reading to sink in.  

When someone says they're applying for probate it's easy to assume it's a one size fits all procedure.  That said, once you get the bit between your teeth in a relatively straightforward estate, the advice on this forum to DIY without the involvement of solicitors makes perfect sense. 

Timeline:

20/4/25 - IHT422 posted (I didn't realise I could have applied for it online).  No code received after 25 working days, so I phoned to chase and it was given it then.  The letter with the code (dated 8 May 25) was eventually received on 27 May 25.

10/6/25 - IHT400 and schedules posted to HMRC.

2/7/25 - Unique code to apply for probate received from HMRC.

5/7/25 - Online application for probate and original documents posted.

15/7/25 - Email to confirm receipt of documents.

21/7/25 - I used the online probate checker and saw probate had been granted.  (No email received.)

23/7/25 - Grant of Probate received in the post.

Chrispyyy

Probate timeline of my late grandfather, inherited nil-band as the surviving spouse. Excepted estate.

10th July - Probate submitted online.
14th July - Sent Will via RM special delivery.
15th July - Tracking states Will delivered.
21st July - Probate portal confirms documents received.
25th July - Probate granted.
28th July - Grant of probate received. 

SnowMan

Here are the HMCTS June probate wait times. The table has been created by me from the data.  The monthly update data is published on the second Thursday of each month, so the next update will be the July data which comes out in September.

Overall there were 26,818 applications received in June and 25,574 grants issued (so slightly more received than issued). The overall average wait time is down at 5.6 weeks, although the average wait times for paper cases is up slightly. Variations between consecutive months can be as a result of differences in which cases HMCTS have been working on. This is why the overall wait time has reduced despite the excess in receipts over issues in June. Note these are mean (average) figures and there can be considerable variation from the mean in individual cases even within categories. For example the mean time for digital stopped applications is currently 12.2 weeks but the time for an individual digital stopped case may vary considerably from this figure.

SnowMan

And here is my chart from that data of the average wait times over time for digital/paper, stopped/non stopped grants issued up to June 2025.