Guides
Finding a will & searching probate records
Clear, plain-English guides, each checked against GOV.UK and dated so you know it is current. When you are ready, check the records for free or let us run the whole search for £29.
Costs
How much does a copy of a will or probate record cost in 2026?GOV.UK copy is £16 (the £1.50 fee ended 17 Nov 2025). Or we search, order and explain the will for £29 all in. Free name-and-year check first.Probate search service UK: which option is actually worth it?A probate search service finds the grant and the will for you. GOV.UK is free to search and £16 to copy. Commercial firms charge £65–£300. We do the search, the copy and the explanation for £29.Probate fees in 2026: every court fee, datedThe probate application fee is £526 from 13 July 2026 (£0 for estates of £5,000 or less). Copies £2 with the application, £16 after; standing search and caveat £4. Calculator and dated GOV.UK sources.What is the cheapest way to get probate?The cheapest route is applying yourself: £526 court fee from 13 July 2026, £0 at or under £5,000. Fixed-fee grant-only services verified on 15 September 2026 from £585 plus the fee; solicitors 1% to 5% plus VAT. Worked £340,000 example.
Searching records
Search probate records online (free)Search the England & Wales probate records for free. Enter a name and year to check the public index instantly, then order the will or grant, or let us run the whole search for £29.Why did my probate search find nothing?An empty probate search is usually a false negative, not proof there is no will. The four real reasons a GOV.UK Find a Will search returns nothing, and how to fix each.The grant-year trapProbate records are filed under the year the grant was issued, not the year of death. Because probate takes months, this is the number one reason a search wrongly finds nothing.How to check if probate has been grantedSearch the England and Wales probate index by name and year: if a grant has been issued it appears about 14 days later. Free to search, £16 for a copy (the £1.50 and £3 fees are out of date). Checked 15 September 2026.
When you can't find a will
Can't find a will? Here is what to do nextCannot find a will in the probate records? Here is exactly what to do next: check the grant year, search name variations, lodge a standing search, or have it done for you for £29.Standing search explainedA standing search costs £4 and lasts six months. If a grant is issued, the documents come to you. Or we lodge, monitor and explain it for £29.Named as executor: how to find the willNamed as executor? Your first job is to locate the original will. Where to look, what to do if you can't find it, and how to check if probate has already been granted.How to trace a missing willTo trace a missing will, check the home, the solicitor, the bank and the National Will Register. If probate has been granted, order a copy for £16; if not, lodge a standing search.
How to find a will
How to find out if someone left a willTo find out if someone left a will, search the probate records once a grant is issued. Free to search, £16 for a copy. Step-by-step, plus what to do if probate is not granted yet.Is a will a public document?In England & Wales a will is private until a grant of probate is issued, after which it becomes a public document anyone can order for £16. When and how wills become public.National Will Register vs GOV.UK vs a managed searchNot all wills are registered in the UK. When to use the free GOV.UK probate search (£16 a copy), when the voluntary National Will Register (£65 inc VAT) is the right first step, and what a managed search adds. Checked 15 September 2026.Form PA1S: copy of a will by post vs onlinePA1S is the postal form for a £16 will copy or a £4 standing search. We can lodge it, get the documents and explain them for £29.How to get a copy of probateA copy of the grant of probate and the will costs £16 from GOV.UK. The search is free. Or we obtain both and explain them for £29 all in.
Am I a beneficiary?
How to find out if you're a beneficiary of a willYou can find out if you are a beneficiary once probate is granted and the will becomes public. Search the records, order a copy of the will for £16, and read who inherits.Someone died without a will: what happens?If someone dies without a will, their estate passes under the rules of intestacy and letters of administration are issued. Who inherits, in what order, and how to check the records.Can I see my parent's will after death?You can see your parent's will once probate is granted, when it becomes public and can be ordered for £16. Before probate it is private. What to do, and what happens with no will.
Understanding a grant
Letters of administration explainedLetters of administration are issued when someone dies without a will or without an executor able to act. What they are, who can apply, and how they appear in the probate records.Do all wills go to probate?Not every will goes to probate. Small estates, jointly owned property and accounts below bank thresholds often pass without it, so no public record is created. When probate is needed.How long does probate take?Probate took a mean of 5 weeks from application to grant in January to March 2026 (HMCTS): about 2 weeks for online applications not stopped, 14 weeks if stopped. Estimator plus the full dated table.Do I need probate? Check asset by assetProbate is needed when an asset holder insists on a grant: sole-name property almost always, sole bank accounts above the bank's own limit. Checker plus a dated table of 16 banks' published thresholds, read on their own sites on 15 September 2026.Grant of representation: the three types comparedA grant of representation is the court document that lets someone deal with an estate. The three types compared: grant of probate, letters of administration, and letters of administration with will annexed. Same £526 fee, same public index, £16 a copy.
Family history
Start here
Applying for probate
IHT400 or excepted estate? Which inheritance tax route appliesIHT205 no longer exists for deaths on or after 1 January 2022. An estate is either excepted (below £325,000, or everything to a spouse or charity under £3,000,000) or needs full details on IHT400. GOV.UK's conditions, a checker, and what happens to the probate timing.PA1P or PA1A: which probate form do you need?PA1P is the postal probate application when there is a will; PA1A when there is not. Both carry the £526 fee. PA1S is different: the £16 postal search for an existing grant. Where to send them, who can apply, and the full list of PA forms. Checked 15 September 2026.Probate caveat: fee, form PA8A and how it is challengedA caveat stops a grant of probate being issued. Fee £4 from 13 July 2026 (was £3), form PA8A or online, lasts six months, extend with PA8B. How warnings and appearances work under rule 44. Checked 15 September 2026.The probate process, step by stepThe seven steps of probate in England and Wales, from registering the death to distributing the estate, each with the current fee and the HMCTS timing (mean 5 weeks from application to grant, January to March 2026). Checked 15 September 2026.
Property and the estate
Can you sell a house before probate is granted?You can market a house before probate but cannot complete: HM Land Registry will not register a sale by personal representatives without the grant. Council tax Class F exemption, empty-home insurance limits, and timings. Checked 15 September 2026.Probate house clearance: what you can remove before the grant, and what it costsYou can clear a house before the grant, but the contents belong to the estate and must be valued at selling price for HMRC first. Who may clear it, what to keep, and clearance prices published by national firms on 15 September 2026.How to value a house for probateA house is valued for probate at its open market value on the date of death (s160 Inheritance Tax Act 1984). When HMRC expects a professional RICS valuation, how joint ownership is treated, and what gross and net value mean on form PA1P. Checked 15 September 2026.
Executors and beneficiaries
How long after death is a will read?There is no formal reading of the will in England and Wales. What actually happens: executors find the will, beneficiaries are usually told informally, and the will becomes public once probate is granted, online about 14 days later. Checked 15 September 2026.Renouncing as an executor: renunciation (PA15) or power reserved?Do not want to be an executor? Renunciation on form PA15 is permanent and only possible if you have not intermeddled; power reserved is temporary and keeps your right to apply later (£22 second application). Both verified on GOV.UK, 15 September 2026.Deed of variation: how it works and the two-year ruleA deed of variation changes who inherits after a death. HMRC's conditions: within 2 years of death, signed by everyone who loses out, with a statement that s142 IHTA 1984 and/or s62(6) TCGA 1992 apply. It need not be a deed. Checked 15 September 2026.