How much does probate cost in England and Wales?

Probate fees explained for 2026

 Probate in England and Wales now starts with a court fee of £526 for any estate worth more than £5,000, following a fee rise on 13 July 2026. Estates of £5,000 or less pay no court fee. If you instruct a solicitor, their fee comes on top, and it depends on how complex the estate is.

 Losing someone is hard enough without worrying about hidden legal bills, so this guide sets out every cost when it comes to what the court charges, what solicitors typically charge, the extra expenses people forget to budget for, and what a whole estate might cost from start to finish.

 If you would rather discuss your own situation with someone first, call 0208 515 2790 for a free, no-obligation 20-minute chat.

What you actually pay for during probate

Probate is the legal process that gives someone authority to deal with a person's estate after they die: collecting the assets, paying any debts and tax, and passing on what remains to the people entitled to it. If you are new to the process, our guide to what probate is explains it step by step.

The costs fall into three groups:

·    The probate application fee. A fixed court fee paid to HM Courts and Tribunals Service when you apply for the grant.

·    Professional fees. What a solicitor or probate specialist charges if you instruct one. This is optional, and many simple estates are handled without one.

·    Disbursements and expenses. Third-party costs such as property valuations, statutory notices and official copies of the grant.

Everything on this page is about the law of England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own systems and fees, which we do not cover. 

The probate application fee in 2026

The probate application fee in England and Wales is £526, and it applies to every estate worth more than £5,000. Estates worth £5,000 or less pay nothing. The fee rose from £300 on 13 July 2026, an increase of just over 75%.

A few points worth knowing about the court fee:

·    It is the same whoever applies. You pay £526 whether you apply yourself or a solicitor applies for you. Instructing a solicitor never increases the court fee itself.

·    Official copies are cheap if you order them with your application. Copies of the grant cost £2 each when ordered at the same time as your application, but £16 each if you ask for them later. Order enough at the start, because most banks and other institutions each want to see one. Around five is enough for many estates.

·    Help with fees exists. If the person applying has a low income or receives certain benefits, they may qualify for help with the fee through the government's Help with Fees scheme.

·    A second application costs £22. This applies in limited situations, for example where an executor with power reserved later needs their own grant.

The current fees are published on GOV.UK's probate fees page, and the July 2026 changes were announced in the Ministry of Justice fee update. Always check the live figure before you apply, as fees change from time to time.

How much does probate cost with a solicitor?

Solicitor probate fees in the UK usually follow one of three models, and knowing which one you are being offered is the single most useful thing you can do before instructing anyone.

Fixed fees

For a straightforward estate, many firms offer a fixed fee, typically somewhere between £1,500 and £6,000 + VAT for full estate administration, while a basic "Grant-only" service generally costs between £950 and £2,500 + VAT. A fixed fee means you know the cost from the start, which is why we quote this way wherever the estate allows it.

Hourly rates

Other firms charge by the hour, commonly between £150 and £350 plus VAT, and sometimes more in central London. Hourly billing can be fair for genuinely unpredictable estates, but ask for a written estimate of total hours and a promise to warn you before it is exceeded.

Our fees:
We quote a fixed fee for estate administration wherever the estate allows it, so you know the cost from the start. For a straightforward estate with no inheritance tax to pay, our fixed fee is £6500 £4,500 + VAT, plus disbursements (the third-party costs above, such as the court fee and any valuations).

That fee covers the whole administration, not just the grant: identifying and valuing the assets and liabilities, completing the probate application and the relevant HMRC forms, obtaining the grant, collecting in the assets, settling debts, preparing estate accounts, and distributing to the beneficiaries.

Where an estate is taxable, or involves foreign assets, business interests, a trust, or a dispute, the work is greater and we give you a separate fixed-fee quote before you commit. If you would rather administer the estate yourself and only need the grant, ask about our grant-only service.

Percentage of the estate

Some banks and probate providers charge a percentage of the estate's value, sometimes on top of hourly charges. On a home counties property this can dwarf every other cost in the process. If you are quoted a percentage, ask exactly what it buys and compare it with a fixed quote before you sign anything.

What makes solicitor fees higher or lower

The price reflects the work involved, and these are the things that move it most:

·    how many bank accounts, investments and properties there are

·    whether inheritance tax is payable and which HMRC forms are needed

·    how many beneficiaries there are and how easily they can be found

·    whether there is a valid will or the intestacy rules apply

·    foreign assets, business interests or trusts in the will

·    any hint of a dispute between beneficiaries

⚠Whatever firm you speak to, ask three questions: is the quote fixed or an estimate, does it include VAT and disbursements, and what exactly would make it cost more. A good firm will answer all three in writing without being chased.

Other probate costs to budget for

Beyond the court fee and any legal fees, most estates pick up a handful of smaller expenses. None of them is huge on its own, but together they are worth planning for:

·    Property and contents valuations. HMRC expects open market values, and a surveyor's valuation for a property is the safest evidence where tax is in play. Budget a few hundred pounds.

·    Statutory notices. Advertising for unknown creditors in The Gazette and a local paper protects executors from personal liability for unknown debts. Typically, a couple of hundred pounds.

·    Bankruptcy searches. A small fee per beneficiary, checked before money is paid out.

·    Official copies of the grant. £2 each with your application, as above.

·    Property costs while the estate is open. Insurance for an empty home, utilities and eventually estate agent and conveyancing fees if a property is sold. These are often the largest "hidden" costs of all.

·    A genealogist. Occasionally needed to trace missing beneficiaries.

Who pays for probate?

Probate costs are paid from the estate, not from the executor's own pocket. The application fee is usually paid up front, then reclaimed from estate funds, and many banks will release money from the deceased's account directly to the probate registry or towards a funeral before the grant is issued. Solicitor fees are almost always settled from the estate during administration.

If you are an executor worried about cash flow in the early weeks, that is exactly the kind of thing a free initial chat can settle quickly.

What probate costs look like in practice: three examples

Every estate is different, so treat these as illustrations rather than quotes. They are built from the court fee above and the typical fee ranges quoted across the market in 2026.

Example 1: a simple estate, no property

A widow leaves £40,000 in savings and no property, with a clear will leaving everything to her two children. The family applies for probate themselves.

Example 2: a home and savings, no inheritance tax

An estate holds a Harrow house passing within the inheritance tax allowances, plus savings across three banks. The executors instruct a solicitor on a fixed fee for the grant and administration.

Example 3: a taxable estate with several beneficiaries

A larger estate owes inheritance tax, needs a full HMRC account (form IHT400), and has five beneficiaries, one of whom has moved abroad. Work like this is usually charged at the higher end of fixed fees or by the hour.

Inheritance tax itself is on top of these figures, and we explain why in a moment.

What is the cheapest way to get probate?

Applying yourself is the cheapest route. A personal application costs the £526 fee plus small expenses, and GOV.UK's guidance walks you through it. For a small, simple estate with a clear will, one or two bank accounts and no tax to pay, doing it yourself is a perfectly sensible choice, and we will say so if you ask us.

Professional help earns its fee when the estate is not simple (text linking to future “complex estates” from the website). Be honest with yourself about these red flags:

·    inheritance tax is, or might be, payable

·    there is no will, or the will's meaning is unclear

·    assets abroad, business interests or trusts

·    a beneficiary is missing, under 18 or lacks capacity

·    the estate might not cover its debts

·    anyone has hinted at challenging the will

Executors are personally liable for mistakes in estate administration, which is the real reason people pay for help with complex estates. It is insurance against expensive errors, not a luxury. Our guide on why people use a solicitor for probate goes deeper.

One more cost to weigh is time, and how long probate takes depends on whether or not it runs smoothly, with delays having real financial consequences for some estates.

Is inheritance tax a probate cost?

No. Inheritance tax is a tax on the estate, not a cost of the probate process, and plenty of estates pay no inheritance tax at all. The two get tangled together because they arrive at the same time: where tax is due, HMRC must be paid, at least in part, before the probate registry will issue the grant, and the tax forms are often the largest piece of work in the whole administration.

So when you budget, keep the two lines separate: probate costs are the fees on this page, and inheritance tax depends on the estate's value and allowances.

Can you avoid probate costs altogether?

Sometimes, though less often than the internet suggests. Probate may not be needed where assets were owned jointly, because joint bank accounts and homes held as joint tenants usually pass automatically to the surviving owner. Small holdings may also be released without a grant, at each institution's discretion. Our guide on how much an estate has to be worth to need probate covers the thresholds banks apply.

Be careful with schemes that promise to "avoid probate" through lifetime trusts or transferring your home to children. These arrangements have serious legal and tax consequences, can go badly wrong, and probate is often still needed anyway. Genuine estate planning can reduce cost and delay for your family, but it should be planned with advice, not bought off the shelf.