Applying online for probate

Cazzaloulou68

Morning, last time i applied for probate it was all paper forms and post. I have seen that it says you can apply online. Ive had a Quick Look so i know what i need to get together. Does the system let you enter everything online and then “press enter” sorry if this seems like a daft question, assume you need to do this from a pc not a tablet? There will be IHT tax to pay, so I’m aware i need to apply for a ref before sending the iht400

Runner_Duck

I seem to remember setting up an account, then I could make a start, save the form and return once I had all the info needed.  There was an opportunity to review all the details before pressing  the final complete button.  You had to enter all the executors plus their email addresses and they had to approve the application before it was deemed complete.  Next day I mailed (tracked and signed for) the original will to the address they provided.
I used a pc so I don't know about using a tablet. I recall that there was a 4 week period between sending all the IHT forms in and being able to apply for Probate.

Cazzaloulou68

Thank you for your reply-that makes sense. Have already set up the account..

mattsaze

Yes, very easy, just need a government gateway account to access the .gov system. It will also work on tablet or pc and it allows you to save as you go, so you can start the form and complete and submit later. Hope it all goes smoothly for you. 

pjs493

I've never had to apply for Probate before so have no knowledge of the paper system but the online application was straightforward. I was able to save it and return to it to complete it if I realised I needed something I didn't have to hand. Once you submit you can track the progress of your application, but you get email updates anyway. There isn't much info to be gleaned for checking the application once it has been submitted. From what I've read elsewhere on the forum, it goes straight from 'documents received' to 'granted' (unless there are any hold ups) and doesn't necessarily show you when it has been assigned to a caseworker. 

It gets updated once they acknowledge receipt of the original documents when they receive them (I found that there was a delay of over a week between them being signed for using the Royal Mail tracking service and the receipt of the documents being acknowledged). But I got an automated email telling me they'd acknowledged receipt anyway, so there's no great need to keep checking the status online because they'll email you once something changes.

Cazzaloulou68

Does anyone know if you send the completed iht400 forms and schedules, do you have to wait for a reply before applying for the probate, or can you do it at the same time?

Hoenir

HMRC has to approve first. Here's a link that explains everything. 

https://www.rixandkay.co.uk/2024/01/25/hmrc-revises-probate-application-procedure/

Cazzaloulou68

@hoenir, thank you for that link-that explains it better than what i found. Ok will get my act together..