Costs
What is the cheapest way to get probate?
Written and reviewed by our experienced team. Checked against GOV.UK and the sources listed at the end on 15 September 2026. ProbateCheck is an independent service, not a law firm.
The cheapest way to get probate in England and Wales is to apply yourself: the court fee is £526 from 13 July 2026 (£0 if the estate is £5,000 or less) and nothing else is compulsory. The cheapest fixed-fee grant-only services we verified on 15 September 2026 start at £585 plus that fee. Full estate administration by a solicitor is typically 1% to 5% of the estate plus VAT.
There are three ways to get a grant of probate (or letters of administration): do it yourself on GOV.UK, pay a fixed-fee firm to obtain the grant and hand the rest back to you, or hand the whole estate to a firm that charges a fixed fee or a percentage. The court fee is the same £526 whichever route you take; everything above it is the professional's charge. Checked against the sources listed at the foot of this page on 15 September 2026.
What each route costs, checked 15 September 2026
| Route | Price on 15 September 2026 | Covers | VAT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do it yourself on GOV.UK | £526 court fee (£0 if the estate is £5,000 or less). Extra copies of the grant £2 each if ordered with the application, £16 each later. | Nothing is done for you: you value the estate, complete the Inheritance Tax forms and apply online or by post. | No VAT on the court fee |
| Online Probate, DIY portal (guided do-it-yourself) | £199 one-off, plus the £526 court fee. A solicitor-written step-by-step portal; you still make the application yourself. | Guidance, templates and checklists from death to distribution | Not stated on the page |
| Octopus Legacy, grant only | £585 with no Inheritance Tax forms, £1,290 with them, plus the court fee. Their page still says the court fee is £300; it is £526. | Grant of probate only | Included |
| UK Probate (ICAEW-regulated accountants), grant only | £1,025 all in, made up of £499 plus the £526 court fee. Only for estates with no Inheritance Tax to pay. | Grant of probate or letters of administration only | Not stated on the page |
| Farewill, grant only | From £895 plus the £526 court fee and £2 per copy of the grant. | Grant of probate only | Not stated on the page |
| Cunningtons (solicitors), grant only | £1,140 including VAT plus the court fee (their page quotes £300; it is £526). Excepted estates only. | Grant only for a non-taxable, straightforward estate | Included |
| Jacksons (solicitors), grant only | £995 plus VAT for an excepted estate, from £2,000 plus VAT where a full IHT400 account is needed, plus the £526 court fee and £2 per extra copy. | Grant only; you administer the estate | Extra, at 20% |
| Online Probate, grant only | £1,500 plus VAT, plus the court fee. Their full administration service is 2% of the estate. | Grant only, with pay-as-you-go advice for the rest | Extra |
| Kings Court Trust, grant only | £1,395, or £2,817 for the enhanced service, excluding VAT and the £526 court fee. Paid upfront. | Grant of probate only | Extra, at 20% |
| Octopus Legacy, full estate administration | From £2,730 plus the court fee. Their worked examples: £4,882.50 with a property to sell, £6,352.50 with property and shares. | Everything, from valuation to paying beneficiaries | Included |
| Farewill, complete probate service | The price card says from £2,750; the same page's FAQ says the service starts at £1,500 with a fixed quote before work begins. Plus the court fee. | Everything | Not stated on the page |
| UK Probate, full estate administration | 1% of the net estate plus VAT. | Everything | Extra |
| Kings Court Trust, full estate administration | Estimator bands: £3,900 to £7,500 (simple), £7,500 to £15,000 (intermediate), from £15,000 (complex), excluding VAT and the court fee. Taken from the estate once funds are collected. | Everything | Extra, at 20% |
| Solicitor charging a percentage | Usually 1% to 5% of the estate's value plus VAT and disbursements (MoneyHelper). One published example: Clarkson Wright & Jakes charge 2% of the gross estate plus VAT, or £200 to £375 an hour plus VAT. | Everything | Extra, at 20% |
| Co-op Legal Services | Could not be verified: the pricing pages blocked our checks on 15 September 2026, so no figure is printed here. | ||
| Probate Compare, Trust Inheritance, Final Duties, Just Clear, Simplify Probate | Quote only. None publishes a price. Beyond has closed and now redirects to Farewill. |
Prices copied from each provider's own page on 15 September 2026. They change without notice; treat the table as a snapshot and check the linked page before you commit. ProbateCheck has no commercial relationship with any of these firms and earns nothing if you use them.
The court fee changed on 13 July 2026
The probate application fee rose from £300 to £526 on 13 July 2026 (Ministry of Justice, confirmed on gov.uk/applying-for-probate/fees). Several providers' pages, and most "probate costs" articles, still say £300 or less. If a page quotes £300, or £1.50 for a copy of the grant, it is out of date.
Worked example: a £340,000 estate
Take an estate worth £340,000 in England: a house and some savings, a will, no dispute, and no Inheritance Tax to pay (whether tax is due depends on who inherits and the allowances, and is separate from the fees below). Here is what each route would cost using the prices in the table, with the £526 court fee and two £2 copies of the grant added in every case.
| Route | Professional fee | Court fee and copies | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do it yourself | £0, plus your time | £530 | £530 |
| Do it yourself with the Online Probate portal | £199 (VAT not stated) | £530 | £729 |
| Grant only: Octopus Legacy (no IHT forms) | £585 (VAT included) | £530 | £1,115 |
| Grant only: UK Probate | £499 (VAT not stated) | £526 included in their £1,025, plus £4 copies | £1,029 |
| Grant only: Cunningtons | £1,140 (VAT included) | £530 | £1,670 |
| Grant only: Jacksons (excepted estate) | £995 plus VAT = £1,194 | £530 | £1,724 |
| Grant only: Farewill | From £895 (VAT not stated) | £530 | From £1,425 |
| Grant only: Kings Court Trust | £1,395 plus VAT = £1,674 | £530 | £2,204 |
| Grant only: Online Probate | £1,500 plus VAT = £1,800 | £530 | £2,330 |
| Full administration: Octopus Legacy | From £2,730 (VAT included); £4,882.50 in their property-to-sell example | £530 | £3,260 to £5,412.50 |
| Full administration: UK Probate at 1% | £3,400 plus VAT = £4,080 | £530 | £4,610 |
| Full administration: Kings Court Trust, simple band | £3,900 to £7,500 plus VAT = £4,680 to £9,000 | £530 | £5,210 to £9,530 |
| Solicitor or firm at 2% of the estate (Clarkson Wright & Jakes; Online Probate full administration) | £6,800 plus VAT = £8,160 | £530 | £8,690 |
| Solicitor at 5% (top of MoneyHelper's range) | £17,000 plus VAT = £20,400 | £530 | £20,930 |
Where a provider does not state VAT, the total assumes none is added; if 20% applies the figure rises accordingly. Disbursements (for example a statutory notice to creditors or a bankruptcy search) are extra on every route and are not included.
The honest winner for each situation
- Simple estate, you have the time and the paperwork: do it yourself. £526 is the whole cost, and the online service walks you through the Inheritance Tax questions. GOV.UK's applying for probate guide is the place to start.
- You want the grant obtained for you but can handle the banks and the house afterwards: a grant-only fixed fee. On 15 September 2026 the cheapest published were Octopus Legacy at £585 (no Inheritance Tax forms) and UK Probate at £1,025 all in (no Inheritance Tax to pay). Both are well under a solicitor's hourly bill.
- You want everything handled and the estate is ordinary: a fixed-fee full administration. At £340,000 the published fixed fees (from £2,730 at Octopus Legacy) undercut a percentage-based solicitor at 2% by around £5,000, and undercut 5% by more than £15,000.
- Inheritance Tax is due, there is a trust, a business, foreign assets or a family dispute: a solicitor or chartered accountant on an hourly or percentage basis may earn their fee. Fixed-fee firms often exclude exactly these cases or add supplements (Kings Court Trust lists £1,200 for a non-taxable IHT400 and £5,125.50 for a non-UK domicile), so compare like with like.
- Estate of £5,000 or less: there is no court fee at all, and probate is often not needed. Check whether you need probate before paying anyone.
The other court fees you may meet
| Fee | Amount | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Application for a grant | £526 (£0 at or under £5,000) | Every application, whoever makes it |
| Extra copies of the grant | £2 each with the application; £16 each afterwards | One per bank, pension provider or conveyancer |
| Second application for the same estate | £22 | For example an executor who held power reserved and later applies; payable even at or under £5,000 |
| Standing search | £4 | To be sent the grant automatically when it is issued (six months, extendable) |
| Caveat | £4 | To stop a grant being issued while a dispute is resolved |
| Copy of a will or grant already issued | £16 | Ordering someone else's probate record from the register |
Three ways to keep the bill down whichever route you choose
- Order copies of the grant with the application. They are £2 each at that point and £16 each afterwards. Most estates need three or four (one per bank, one for the Land Registry or conveyancer).
- Check whether you can get help with the fee. If you have a low income or are on certain benefits you can apply for help with fees online or on form EX160 before applying. If you apply online you pay the full fee first and are refunded if the application succeeds.
- Ask what is excluded before signing a fixed-fee quote. The published grant-only prices assume a simple, non-taxable estate. Ask whether the price includes the court fee, VAT, Inheritance Tax forms, and a will search.
Where ProbateCheck fits
We do not apply for probate and we are not a law firm. What we do for £29 is search the England and Wales probate records, obtain the grant and the will where one exists, and explain them. That is useful before you spend on a fixed-fee service: if a grant has already been issued for the person, you can check that in seconds instead of applying twice.
Frequently asked questions
How much does probate cost if I do it myself in 2026?+
The court fee is £526 for estates over £5,000, and £0 for estates of £5,000 or less, from 13 July 2026. Extra copies of the grant cost £2 each if you order them with the application, or £16 each later. There is no other compulsory cost.
Is the probate fee different if I use a solicitor?+
No. The £526 court fee is the same whether you apply yourself or a solicitor applies for you. A solicitor's or probate firm's charge is added on top of it.
What is the cheapest fixed-fee probate service?+
Of the providers whose prices were published on their own sites on 15 September 2026, the cheapest grant-only prices were Octopus Legacy at £585 including VAT (no Inheritance Tax forms) and UK Probate at £1,025 all in including the court fee (for estates with no Inheritance Tax to pay). Farewill starts at £895 and Kings Court Trust at £1,395 plus VAT, each plus the £526 court fee.
Do solicitors charge a percentage of the estate for probate?+
Many do. MoneyHelper says a percentage fee is usually between 1% and 5% of the estate's value, plus VAT and disbursements, and that fixed-fee firms are likely to be significantly cheaper. One solicitor's published example is 2% of the gross estate plus VAT. On a £340,000 estate, 2% plus VAT is £8,160 and 5% plus VAT is £20,400.
Can probate fees be paid from the estate?+
The court fee has to be paid when the application is made; if you apply online you pay it at that point. Some firms defer their own fee: Farewill says there are no upfront payments and the cost can be paid from the estate, and Kings Court Trust takes its full-administration fee from the estate once funds are collected, though its grant-only fees are paid upfront.
Can I get help paying the £526 fee?+
Yes. If you have a low income or are on certain benefits you may qualify for the Help with Fees scheme. Apply online or on form EX160 before applying for probate. Help is not available for the cost of extra copies of the grant.
Why do other websites say the fee is £300?+
Because it was, until 13 July 2026. The fee rose from £300 to £526 on that date, and a separate £2 fee was introduced for copies ordered with the application. Pages quoting £300, or £1.50 per copy, have not been updated.
Do I need probate for a £340,000 estate?+
Almost always, if the estate includes a house or flat in the person's sole name or accounts above the banks' limits. You may not need it if everything was jointly owned and passes to the surviving owner, or if the estate is only small savings. Check with each bank, and read our guide on whether probate is needed.
Is there a middle option between doing it alone and paying a fixed fee?+
Yes. Guided do-it-yourself portals sell structure rather than a service: on 15 September 2026 Online Probate's solicitor-written portal was £199 one-off, on top of the £526 court fee, and you still make the application yourself. That is roughly £400 less than the cheapest grant-only service we found, in exchange for doing the forms.
Sources checked for this guide
- GOV.UK: Applying for probate, fees (£526, £0 at or under £5,000, £2 and £16 copies, £22 second application, help with fees) (read 15 September 2026)
- GOV.UK news: Court and tribunal fees, updates from July 2026 (changes from 13 July 2026, probate fee to £526) (read 15 September 2026)
- Today's Wills and Probate, 26 June 2026: fee rising from £300 to £526 (secondary source for the previous fee) (read 15 September 2026)
- MoneyHelper: When to use a probate specialist (1% to 5% plus VAT; grant-only £500 to £2,000) (read 15 September 2026)
- Octopus Legacy probate pricing (read 15 September 2026)
- UK Probate fixed-fee probate (read 15 September 2026)
- Farewill probate pricing (read 15 September 2026)
- Kings Court Trust pricing (read 15 September 2026)
- Cunningtons solicitors, probate fees (read 15 September 2026)
- Clarkson Wright & Jakes, probate pricing (2% plus VAT; hourly rates) (read 15 September 2026)
- Jacksons Law Firm, probate services fees (£995 plus VAT grant only; from £2,000 plus VAT with IHT400) (read 15 September 2026)
- Online Probate: DIY portal £199 and grant only £1,500 plus VAT, full administration 2% (read 15 September 2026)
- GOV.UK: Search probate records (copies £16, standing search £4) (read 15 September 2026)