How much does probate cost in the UK?

The short answer: applying for probate in England and Wales costs £526 where the estate is worth more than £5,000, and nothing where it is worth £5,000 or less. That application fee rose on 13 July 2026, and extra sealed copies of the grant cost £2 each when ordered with the application. If you handle everything yourself, the whole exercise can cost under £600.

The full picture is wider than the court fee, though. Most estates also spend money on valuations, bankruptcy searches, statutory notices and, in many cases, professional help, which is where costs climb from hundreds into thousands. This guide itemises each cost so you can see exactly where the money goes, and you can put your own numbers into our free probate cost calculator for a personalised, itemised estimate.

The probate application fee: £526

The fee for applying for a grant of probate (or letters of administration, where there is no will) is set by HM Courts and Tribunals Service and is the same however you apply:

• £526 for estates valued over £5,000, whether you apply online or by post, yourself or through a professional. The fee rose from £300 on 13 July 2026 under an amendment to the Non-Contentious Probate Fees Order.
• No fee for estates valued at £5,000 or less.
• £2 per sealed copy of the grant when ordered with the application, but £16 each if you order copies after the application has been submitted (gov.uk). Order more than you think you need upfront. Each bank, investment platform and insurer typically wants to see an official copy, and sending originals around one at a time slows everything down.
• £22 for a second application where probate has already been granted on the same estate, whatever the estate is worth (gov.uk).

If you cannot afford the fee, you may qualify for help under the Help with Fees scheme, which looks at your savings, income and benefits. Note that eligibility is based on the applicant's own finances, not the estate's, so this mainly helps where an executor must pay upfront before estate funds are accessible.

Before paying anything, it is worth checking whether you need a grant at all. Small estates, jointly owned assets and some pension and insurance payouts pass without probate. Our guide to whether you need probate covers the tests, or run the do I need probate checker.

Valuation costs

Before applying, you must value the estate: every asset and debt at the date of death. HMRC's guidance on valuing an estate requires open market values, and how much this costs depends on how formal you need to be.

Property

• Free: estate agent appraisals. Getting two or three and taking a sensible mid point is common practice for estates comfortably below the inheritance tax threshold.
• £200 to £600 for a standard home, rising towards £900 or more for large, tenanted or unusual property: a formal RICS Red Book valuation from a chartered surveyor. Worth paying for where inheritance tax may be due, because HMRC can challenge valuations and a professional report carries far more weight. It also protects against capital gains complications if the property later sells for more than the probate value.

Chattels and other assets

• Household contents: usually valued informally at secondhand value, which for ordinary contents is modest. A professional chattels valuation (typically £150 to £400) makes sense where there are antiques, art, jewellery or collections.
• Shares and investments: valuations are often free from the platform or registrar, though some charge £20 to £50 for a formal date of death valuation.
• Bank accounts: free. Banks provide date of death balances on request with a copy of the death certificate.

Other disbursements

Disbursements are third party costs paid out during the administration. The common ones:

• Bankruptcy searches: £7 per name by post or DX, £6 per name through the HM Land Registry portal. A search against each beneficiary before distributing, because paying a bankrupt beneficiary directly can leave the executor personally liable to their trustee in bankruptcy.
• Statutory notices: roughly £150 to £300 combined. A notice in The Gazette plus a local newspaper notice under section 27 of the Trustee Act 1925. These protect the executor from personal liability to unknown creditors who surface after distribution. Optional, but cheap insurance on any estate with the slightest chance of unknown debts.
• Extra death certificates: £12.50 each from the General Register Office. Ordering several at registration is cheaper and faster than chasing them later.
• Land Registry fees: £7 for title documents, and a transfer fee (commonly £20 to £305 depending on property value) if a property is transferred to a beneficiary rather than sold.
• Unclaimed asset and share searches: optional, from free (the Dormant Assets Scheme and My Lost Account) to around £25 to £150 for commercial asset searches.

Professional help: the biggest variable

Everything above is measured in tens or hundreds of pounds. Professional fees are measured in hundreds or thousands, and they are the reason two identical estates can cost £600 or £15,000 to administer. In summary:

• Grant only services: a fixed fee, typically around £500 to £1,500 plus VAT, to prepare and submit the application while you do the rest.
• Full estate administration: hourly rates or a percentage of the estate, commonly working out at 1% to 5% of the estate value. On a £400,000 estate that is £4,000 to £20,000.

We deliberately keep this section short, because pricing models, what is included and how to compare quotes deserve their own article: see our detailed guide to probate solicitor costs. And if you are weighing up whether to pay for help at all, that is a separate question again, covered in do you need a solicitor for probate.

Typical total costs by estate complexity

Estate profile	Approach	Typical total cost
Small estate (£5,000 or less)	Often no grant needed; DIY if one is	£0 to £50 (no application fee)
Simple estate: valid will, no inheritance tax, one property, cooperative family	DIY application	£550 to £900 (fee, copies, notices, searches)
Simple estate, professional grant only service	Fixed fee help plus DIY administration	£1,200 to £2,800
Moderate estate: inheritance tax forms, several accounts, a property sale	Professional administration	£3,000 to £8,000 plus disbursements
Complex estate: inheritance tax payable, trusts, business or foreign assets	Full professional administration	1% to 5% of estate value, often £8,000 upwards

These are planning ranges, not quotes. The probate cost calculator lets you adjust each line for your own estate.

Who pays: the estate, not the executor

A worry we hear constantly from first time executors: am I personally on the hook for all this? No. Legitimate administration costs are paid from the estate before any beneficiary receives a penny. That includes the application fee, valuations, notices, professional fees and reasonable expenses such as postage and travel.

The practical wrinkle is timing. The application fee is due before the grant is issued, and estate funds are often locked until the grant exists. Three common solutions:

1. The deceased's bank pays direct. Many banks will pay the probate fee (and the funeral bill) straight from the deceased's account to HMCTS or the funeral director before the grant, on sight of the death certificate and invoice.
2. The executor pays and reclaims. Keep every receipt and reimburse yourself from the estate once funds are released. This is a standard, fully proper first call on the estate.
3. Help with Fees, where the applicant personally qualifies, as above.

One point executors often get wrong: administration costs reduce what beneficiaries receive, but they do not reduce the inheritance tax bill. Inheritance tax is charged on the estate's value at death (less debts at death and funeral costs), before administration expenses. If the estate might be near the threshold, start with our inheritance tax hub.

DIY floor versus assisted: what the gap really buys

The cheapest realistic route through probate on an estate over £5,000 is around £550 to £600: the £526 fee, a handful of £2 copies, a £6 or £7 bankruptcy search per beneficiary, and postage. Add statutory notices and a couple of extra death certificates and a careful DIY executor still lands under £900.

What paying more buys is not the grant itself (the court fee is identical) but time, liability cover and expertise: someone else chasing institutions, preparing inheritance tax forms correctly, and carrying professional responsibility for mistakes. Whether that trade is worth it depends on the estate and on you, and our DIY versus solicitor tool is built for exactly that decision. Bear in mind the money cost is only half the equation; the other half is time, and how long probate takes is a question with its own answer.

Getting the numbers right for your estate

Every estate's cost stack is different: a £4,900 estate pays no court fee at all, while a taxable estate with a business and a holiday home can justify five figure professional fees. Run your own situation through the free probate cost calculator to see an itemised estimate before you commit to anything.

If your estate has moving parts (inheritance tax, trusts, property abroad, family friction) it can help to talk it through. We can introduce you to a vetted probate specialist who will tell you, without obligation, what your estate actually needs and what a fair price looks like. This article is general information for England and Wales, not legal or tax advice.