The Change at a Glance
From 13 July 2026, the fee for applying for a grant of probate (or letters of administration) in England and Wales will increase from £300 to £526 — a rise of more than 75 per cent. The increase was announced by the Ministry of Justice and applies to all probate applications submitted on or after that date.
There is one small consolation: the cost of ordering additional copies of the grant at the time of application will fall from £16 to £2 per copy. But for most families, the headline increase will be the figure that matters.
A Brief History of Probate Fees
Probate fees have been on an upward trajectory for several years. The application fee was increased from £273 to £300 in May 2024. Before that, the fee for obtaining copies of the grant was just £1.50 — it rose to £16 in November 2025. The July 2026 increase to £526 represents the largest single jump in the fee’s history.
It is worth remembering that probate fees were almost reformed far more dramatically in 2019. The government proposed a tiered fee structure that would have charged up to £6,000 for estates valued at more than £2 million. That proposal was shelved following fierce opposition, but the steady incremental increases since then have pushed the flat fee to a level that would have seemed implausible just a few years ago.
Who Pays the Fee?
The probate application fee is payable by the estate. In practice, it is usually paid by the executor or administrator at the point of submitting the application. The executor is then entitled to reimburse themselves from the estate once funds become available.
This creates a practical problem. In many estates, the deceased’s bank accounts are frozen until the grant of probate is issued. If the estate does not have sufficient liquid assets that the executor can access — for example, cash in a joint account or funds held in trust — the executor may need to pay the fee from their own pocket and wait for reimbursement.
For estates where the primary asset is property and there is little accessible cash, this can cause real difficulty. The executor is effectively being asked to fund a £526 fee (plus any professional fees for the application itself) before the estate has yielded a single penny.
What Executors Should Know
The Fee Is Non-Refundable
Once paid, the probate application fee is not refunded — even if the application is rejected or withdrawn. Getting the application right first time is therefore more important than ever. Errors on the forms, incomplete documentation, or incorrect valuations can lead to delays and, in some cases, the need to resubmit (and repay).
Fee Exemptions Still Apply
Estates valued at £5,000 or less are exempt from the probate fee. This threshold has not changed. If the net value of the estate (after deducting debts, funeral costs, and any assets that pass outside the estate) is below £5,000, no fee is payable.
Additional Copies Are Now Cheaper
Executors routinely order multiple certified copies of the grant, because banks, building societies, insurers, and the Land Registry each require an original or certified copy to release assets. At £16 per copy, the cost of ordering six or eight copies added up quickly. The reduction to £2 per copy is a genuine saving — though it does not come close to offsetting the increase in the application fee itself.
Timing Matters
If a death has already occurred and the estate is ready for a probate application, submitting before 13 July 2026 will save £226. Executors who are in a position to file should consider doing so promptly. That said, rushing an application simply to beat the deadline is inadvisable if the paperwork is incomplete — a rejected or defective application will cost more in the long run.
The Wider Context
Court Fee Increases Across the Board
The probate fee increase is part of a wider programme of court fee rises across HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). Family court fees, civil court issue fees, and tribunal fees are all increasing from the same date. The government’s stated aim is to ensure that court fees more accurately reflect the cost of providing the service — though critics argue that the fees are increasingly being used as a revenue-raising measure rather than a cost-recovery mechanism.
Professional Costs on Top
The probate application fee is just one component of the cost of administering an estate. Solicitor fees for handling the probate process typically range from £2,000 to £5,000 for a straightforward estate, and significantly more for complex estates involving trusts, business assets, or foreign property. Inheritance tax, if applicable, must be paid (or arrangements for payment made) before the grant is issued. Valuation fees for property, shares, and other assets add further costs.
The cumulative effect is that the administrative cost of dying in England and Wales continues to rise — a burden that falls on families at a time when they are least equipped to deal with it.
What You Can Do to Prepare
1. Keep Your Records in Order
One of the most common causes of delay and additional cost in probate is poor record-keeping. If your executors do not know where your assets are, what debts you owe, or how your property is held, they will spend time (and money) finding out. A simple asset register — kept up to date and stored with your will — can save your family thousands of pounds and months of delay.
2. Choose Your Executors Carefully
Your executors bear the legal responsibility for administering your estate. They will need to fund the probate fee upfront, navigate HMRC’s inheritance tax forms, and deal with banks, insurers, and the Land Registry. Choose people who are capable, willing, and ideally local enough to manage the process without undue difficulty.
3. Consider Whether Probate Can Be Avoided
Not all assets require probate. Assets held in joint names as joint tenants pass automatically to the surviving owner by right of survivorship. Life insurance policies written in trust pay out directly to the beneficiaries. Pension death benefits are paid at the discretion of the scheme trustees based on your nomination form. By structuring your affairs thoughtfully, you may be able to reduce the value of the estate that needs to go through probate — and therefore the complexity and cost of the process.
4. Review Your Will
An up-to-date will makes the probate process faster, cheaper, and less stressful for everyone involved. It ensures the right people are appointed as executors, the right assets go to the right beneficiaries, and there are no ambiguities that could lead to disputes or delays.
Looking Ahead
The direction of travel on probate fees is clear: they are going up, and there is no indication that the trend will reverse. Families who plan ahead — by keeping records, choosing executors wisely, structuring assets efficiently, and maintaining an up-to-date will — will find the process less costly and less burdensome than those who do not.
If you need help preparing your estate plan or understanding how these changes affect you, contact The Legacy Wills Company for a no-obligation conversation.