Probate and inheritance tax research and data
Original, sourced reads on UK probate timeliness and inheritance tax policy, built entirely from official government statistics. Free to read and cite with attribution.
6.4 weeks
mean wait, Q1 2026
UK Probate Wait Times Index
How long HM Courts and Tribunals Service takes to issue a grant of representation, split by digital and paper applications, every quarter since 2019. Digital applications now average 4.5 weeks, paper 16.5 weeks.
Updated Q1 2026
10,500
estates a year newly liable for IHT from 2027
Pensions into Inheritance Tax from April 2027: Impact Model
From 6 April 2027 most unused pension funds count towards Inheritance Tax. HMRC expects 10,500 newly liable estates a year and 38,500 paying more, with worked scenarios showing the effect on real estates.
Updated 2026-07-24