When people talk about applying for Probate, they usually mean an application to the Probate Registry for a Probate certificate.  A Probate certificate allows the Executors of the estate to deal with the deceased’s assets.  

An application to the Registry is usually required when a person passes away and leaves an estate of over £5,000.  For example, if a person dies and they have £30,000 in their bank account, (even if they don’t leave any other assets), the bank may require the Executors to apply to Probate for the certificate to deal with the account (and therefore the deceased’s other assets as well).

As a general rule, if a person leaves assets worth less than £5,000, a Probate certificate is not required.  This means that if a person passes away and they owned a property, Probate would always be required.

If the person who passed away left a Will, the Executors named in the Will should apply for Probate.  If the person who passed away did not leave a Will, their next of kin (closest family members) should apply for Probate.

As part of the Probate application, you will be asked whether there is any Inheritance Tax to pay on behalf of the estate, so it’s a good idea to estimate the value of the estate (all of the deceased person’s assets, less any debts or unpaid bills that need to be settled), before applying.  You should submit an Inheritance Tax report at the same time as applying for Probate.  We will be happy to help you with these documents – please drop us a line here.

The Government fee for a Probate application is currently £273 where an estate is valued at over £5,000.  The application is free is the estate is valued at under £5,000 and you are applying for Probate for another reason.

As you can see, the Probate process can be a paperwork minefield, but here at Castle Family Legal we have long experience of completing Probate applications and Inheritance Tax reports.  So, if you would like us to take this headache away when you need to be spending time with your loved ones, please get in touch and we will happily have a chat with you about your situation.  Once we are familiar with your circumstances we can give you a quote on a case-specific basis – but our professional fees are always very reasonable.  For a free initial conversation, you can call us, send us an email, or get in touch thorough the website here. 

For more information, please refer to our FAQs page here.  We look forward assisting you.