The Ministry of Justice are proposing to increase the Probate Fee from £155.00 for probate professionals and £215.00 for personal applicants to a flat fee of £273.00 for all applicants, regardless of the size of the estate.

A Grant of Probate is a document issued by the Probate Registry which gives Executors the legal authority to administer a deceased person’s estate.

The Probate Courts have undergone radical changes over the past two years including many of the district probate registries being closed and a shift to online probate applications which has led to many technical issues with HM Courts and Tribunals Service claim are fixed, but practitioners still report difficulties with applications, especially as the timescale for Grants of Probate being issued has increased from an average ten-day turnaround, to over eight weeks.

We will keep updated on the progress of the consultation and hope that the additional funding will help provide a better service at an already very difficult and stressful time for families.

To speak to the private client team, please telephone 01524 846846.