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Digital probate applications rise from 17% in FY 19/20 to 80% April 2024 to December 2024

ended 24. March 2025

HM Courts & Tribunals Service has today announced that digital probate applications have risen steeply from 17% in FY 19/20 to 80% April 2024 to December 2024. It adds that over 1 million digital probate applications have been received since 2019. Newspage asked probate experts and IFAs how efficient the probate system in the UK now is — and whether consumers are aware that they can do this themselves or believe you have to use a solicitor, which can prove much more costly? Their views are below.

2 responses from the Newspage community

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David Robinson
Co-Founder at Wildcat Law
DIY at your own peril. The probate process is a mess, with applications regularly lost and backlogs timed in months. Want to speak to the probate office? Well clear a good 30 minutes to an hour. Both individuals and probate practitioners can use the online system but many applications need to be done via paper and if yours is one of them then it is akin to buying a lottery ticket. If you are exceptionally lucky all will be well and it will be processed but unfortunately too many applications hit problems. For example the probate office provides two addresses you can send paper applications to but in fact only one office currently processes paper applications. The other will return it and tell you to resend to the other. Typically the trickiest part of managing an estate is dealing with the IHT calculation which can involve multiple forms and until this is complete with HMRC you cannot complete probate. An error on the calculation can cost you more than employing a professional.
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Phil Weston
Director at Berkeley Weston
The Government’s portal is much faster than the paper-based process and is clearly gaining traction. Probate can be an absolute minefield in terms of the potential impact on people's pockets. In our experience far too many people pay far too much for probate. Traditional solicitors and probate companies charge a percentage of the estate, which results in a legal bill of as much as five times what you need to be paying to get probate completed. On top of that, solicitor-led probate often takes six months to complete. Many consumers don’t realise they can apply for probate themselves or use a fixed-fee provider. In our experience of having worked with over 10000 cases probate should only take 3-4 weeks to obtain after applying. Consumers should explore their options. Avoiding excessive solicitor fees and delays allows families to manage probate efficiently and keep more of their inheritance intact. Having probate granted faster provides peace of mind at what can be an emotional time.