Probate time - Any chance in under a week?

lohr500

Sorry for your loss.

My father passed away in November last year, leaving all his estate to my mother.
There was no IHT to pay. The estate was classed as excepted, based on using the onlime IHT calculator tool.

I applied online for Probate on 1st December, posting the will and a PA17 form by special delivery on the same day.
An email arrived on the 8th December advising that Probate had been granted, and the hard copy probate certificate along with the requested copies arrived in the post on 11th December.

So it would appear that for simple estates, the turnaround can be quick. Not sure if we were lucky or if that's typical.

YBR

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82004704#Comment_82004704

I'm sorry you've had such a troublesome time with it all, hoping nothing else goes wrong for you.

I'm sure brain mush is very much normal following bereavement, a time we just need things to go smoothly. I feel for you.

Colliedog1

Sorry for your loss. My dear Dad died in March after a long illness. I looked after him for quite a few years.

I got all the information together from the banks and had the estate agents round to get a valuation for probate. I then filled in the online forms on a Sunday and sent the will special delivery on the Monday. Friday morning I received an email confirming probate had been granted.

Hope your probate application goes through as smoothly.

WillowLeaf

4 days for my dads straightforward estate in 2021, so it is possible.

Technosaurus

I'm heartened to hear so many actual tales of a matter of days rather than weeks.

I wonder if technology is actually being deployed to good effect here (get some sort of fast-track team maybe using AI to "read" the application and "read" the will for simple cases) - if anyone reading this has any inside track I'd be fascinated to know how it works? When we did it for my parents in 2015/2016, I was told it all actually went through a full process involving people doing all the legwork before it was officially stamped, which seemed very labour intensive for what was more-or-less a box ticking exercise.

WillowLeaf

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82005688#Comment_82005688

I was thinking it was more like the Simpsons episode where Homer's tax return was thrown and fell either in to 'severe audit' or 'small rebate' buckets 😉

bunnygo

2nd parent death Q3 2025. Had been POA so knew all details. No IHT to pay but had to submit the forms to claim allowances.

requested IHT ref no 7 Sept, received 18 Sept by email. During that time had obtained valuations. IHT forms sent 7 Oct by post, code for probate received 28 Oct. Probate app and will sent 31 Oct, notified of grant approved by email 12 November and grant copies arrived in post 15 November. i.e. 12 days to grant and 15 days to receipt of copies.

Unless something tricky with will (trusts, arguing executors, lots of difficult property, lots of foreign assets) don't use a solicitor which will slow it down massively as well cost a lot and save you no work at all. And of course apply online, not with paper.

hope it will be as quick for you.