Executors and beneficiaries
Renouncing as an executor: renunciation (PA15) or power reserved?
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.
An executor who does not want to act has two routes. Renunciation on form PA15 gives up the role permanently, must be signed as a deed in front of an independent witness, and is only open to you if you have not started dealing with the estate. Power reserved lets you step aside while another named executor applies, and you keep the right to apply later (a second application costs £22). Both are set out on GOV.UK. Checked 15 September 2026.
Being named as executor in a will is an invitation, not an obligation. GOV.UK sets out three ways to step back: give up the right permanently, reserve it for later, or appoint someone to apply on your behalf. Which one fits depends on whether anyone else is named and whether you might want to act in future. Checked against the sources listed at the foot of this page on 15 September 2026.
| Renunciation | Power reserved | Appoint someone to apply for you | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it does | Gives up your right and responsibility to act, permanently | You do not apply now but keep the right to apply later | Someone else applies on your behalf and you remain the executor |
| Form | PA15 (sole executor or one of several; administrators can also use it) | No form: tell the executor who is applying, in writing | PA11, or an enduring or lasting power of attorney |
| Who can use it | Any executor who has not intermeddled in the estate | Only where more than one executor is named in the will | A sole executor, or one where every other executor has reserved power or renounced |
| How it is signed | Signed as a deed by you and by an independent witness who is not related to you and has no interest in the estate | A written notice to the applicant | As the form directs |
| Can you change your mind? | Treat it as no. GOV.UK calls it permanent; under rule 37(3) of the Non-Contentious Probate Rules 1987 a renunciation can only be retracted with the leave of a district judge or registrar, and only in exceptional circumstances once a grant has been made to someone else | Yes: you can apply later; a second application after a grant has already been issued costs £22 | Yes, by revoking the appointment |
| Cost | The form is free to download; the applicant pays the usual £526 application fee (£0 at or under £5,000) | Nothing now; £22 if you later make a second application | Nothing beyond the applicant's fee |
Renunciation: what form PA15 makes you declare
PA15 is titled "Renunciation (Will)" and describes itself as "giving up the right to act as executor/administrator". You declare that you "have not intermeddled in the estate of the deceased and will not hereafter intermeddle therein with intent to defraud creditors", and renounce all right and title to probate. The form's own gloss on intermeddling is that you "have never been involved in the financial affairs of the deceased since the date of death and will not purposely withhold monies owed by the deceased to others". If you have already been collecting in assets, paying bills from the estate or selling its contents, renunciation may no longer be open to you, and you should take legal advice before signing.
- Fill in all sections, saying whether you are the sole executor or one of them.
- Hand sign and date it; then have your independent witness hand sign and date it.
- Give the completed original to the executor who is applying for probate; it goes in with their application.
- Do not use PA15 if what you really want is for someone to apply on your behalf: that is form PA11.
Power reserved: stepping back without giving up
Where the will names more than one executor, you can simply let the others apply and hold "power reserved". GOV.UK asks you to tell the applicant in writing that you are doing so. You stay an executor in name; you take no part in the administration unless you later apply. If you do apply after a grant has already been issued to the others, the second application costs £22, payable even where the estate is £5,000 or less. Up to four executors can be named on any one application.
If you are the only executor
Power reserved is not available to a sole executor, because there is nobody else to apply. You can renounce on PA15, in which case another entitled person, normally a beneficiary of the will, applies and receives letters of administration with the will annexed rather than a grant of probate. Or you can stay executor and use form PA11 (or a registered lasting power of attorney) to have someone apply and act for you. If an executor cannot act because of a mental health condition or impairment, GOV.UK requires form PA14 completed by a medical professional before anyone else applies.
Has someone else already taken out the grant?
If you are unsure whether the other executors went ahead, or whether a grant exists at all, check the probate records. A grant shows who applied and whether power was reserved to anyone.
Frequently asked questions
Can I refuse to be an executor?+
Yes. You can give up the right permanently by renouncing on form PA15, or, where other executors are named, hold power reserved and let them apply while keeping your right to apply later. You can also appoint someone to apply on your behalf with form PA11.
Is renouncing as executor permanent?+
Treat it as permanent. GOV.UK describes renunciation as giving up your legal responsibility and role permanently. Rule 37(3) of the Non-Contentious Probate Rules 1987 does allow a renunciation to be retracted, but only with the leave of a district judge or registrar, and only in exceptional circumstances once a grant has been made to someone else. If you may want to act later, use power reserved instead.
Does renouncing as executor stop me applying as an administrator?+
Not automatically. Rule 37(1) of the Non-Contentious Probate Rules 1987 says renouncing probate as an executor does not renounce any right you may have to a grant of administration in another capacity, for example as a beneficiary, unless you expressly renounce that too. Form PA15 renounces both probate and letters of administration with will annexed, so read what you are signing.
What is power reserved?+
Choosing not to apply for probate now while reserving the right to apply later. It is only available where more than one executor is named. You tell the applying executor in writing. A later second application, after a grant has been issued, costs £22.
What does intermeddling mean?+
Dealing with the estate as if you were acting as executor. Form PA15 defines it as having been involved in the financial affairs of the deceased since the date of death. You must declare on the form that you have not intermeddled, so once you have started administering the estate you may no longer be able to renounce.
How much does it cost to renounce as executor?+
Form PA15 is free to download from GOV.UK and there is no fee listed for lodging it; it is sent in with the applying executor's probate application, which carries the normal £526 fee for estates over £5,000.
Who applies for probate if the only executor renounces?+
Another entitled person, usually a beneficiary of the will, applies and receives letters of administration with the will annexed. The will still governs who inherits.
Can an administrator renounce if there is no will?+
Yes. GOV.UK's PA15 page was updated in November 2024 to say the form can also be used by administrators. There is also a separate form PA16, which HMCTS says can only be used by the spouse or civil partner of someone who died without a will and left children.
Does renouncing mean I lose what I was left in the will?+
No. Being an executor and being a beneficiary are separate. GOV.UK notes you only inherit if you are also named as a beneficiary; renouncing the executor role does not affect a gift to you under the will.
Sources checked for this guide
- GOV.UK: Give up probate executor or administrator rights, form PA15 (permanent; signing and witnessing; give to the applying executor; not for appointing an attorney) (read 15 September 2026)
- Form PA15 Renunciation (Will), November 2024 version (declaration of not having intermeddled; independent witness) (read 15 September 2026)
- GOV.UK: Applying for probate if there's a will (power reserved in writing; PA11; PA14; up to four executors; substitutes and entitled persons) (read 15 September 2026)
- GOV.UK: Applying for probate, fees (£22 second application after power reserved; £526 application fee) (read 15 September 2026)
- GOV.UK: Applying for probate, after you've applied (grant types including letters of administration with will annexed) (read 15 September 2026)
- Form PA16 Renunciation (Intestate, without a will), April 2021 version (spouse or civil partner only, where the deceased left issue) (read 15 September 2026)
- Non-Contentious Probate Rules 1987, rule 37 (renunciation of probate and administration; retraction only with leave, exceptional after a grant to another) (read 15 September 2026)