WE MAKE PROBATE EASY

Step 1 

If you are unsure if you need to apply for probate, you can take our Quick Quiz, or call us for advice.

Step 2

Provide us with your contact details and the name of the deceased and we will send you an information pack, including our terms of business and full details of the costs involved, and a checklist of the information and documents we will need from you.

Step 3

Complete the questionnaire to the best of your knowledge and return it to us with the information and documents detailed on the checklist, together with your payment. If your completed pack contains any original documents, such as a will, you should send your pack to us by Special Delivery.

Step 4

We will confirm receipt of your pack and your payment and begin to prepare your application. We will let you know if we have any questions or need more information from you.

Step 5

If your application requires the more detailed IHT400 form instead of the basic IHT205, an additional charge will apply and we may require more information from you. The IHT400 will be submitted to HMRC on your behalf and we have to wait 21 days before we can submit the application for the Grant of Probate. This is to allow HMRC to process the form and update the Probate Registry. Any Inheritance Tax may need to be paid at this stage.

Step 6

Once any Inheritance Tax has been paid (or a deferment plan agreed), we will submit the application for the Grant of Probate to the Probate Registry and let you know once this is done.

Step 7

It usually takes the Probate Registry around 8 weeks from the date of submission to process the application and issue the Grant of Probate. We are unable to give you an exact date when the Grant of Probate will be issued. This timescale can vary depending on how busy the Probate Registry is at any one time and whether the Probate Registry has any queries. We will contact you if the Probate Registry raises any questions or requires any additional information.

Step 8

Once the Grant of Probate has been issued, we will send you 5 original copies (unless you request additional copies) and we will return any original documentation you have sent to us by Special Delivery. The original will is kept by the Probate Registry and not is returned. We will retain a copy of the will should you require it. Once you have the Grant, you will then be able to freely administer the estate.

Step 9 (Complete Estate Service only) 

If you require assistance in dealing with the estate, you can ask us to carry out our Complete Estate Service, which includes us administering the entire estate on your behalf. If you choose this option, once the Grant of Probate has been issued we will begin to administer the estate. This will typically include closing bank accounts, cashing in any investments, life and insurance policies, and selling any other assets included in the estate.

Step 10 (Complete Estate Service only)

Once we have collected in all of the estate assets, we will issue the statutory notices, pay any funeral costs or other debts that are owed by the estate, carry out the required anti-money laundering checks and then make payments to beneficiaries. Once complete, we will issue a detailed set of Estate Accounts to the executors.