In England and Wales, the probate application fee is £526 for an estate worth more than £5,000; estates worth £5,000 or less pay no application fee. Extra copies ordered with the application cost £2 each. These court charges are separate from professional fees, valuations and tax. Compare the same scope of work when asking solicitors for a quote.
Check the current official fee and assistance rules before paying: GOV.UK: current probate fees and Help with Fees
What should a grant-only probate quote say it excludes?
Ask whether the quote includes valuing assets, preparing tax forms, collecting funds, paying debts and distributing the estate. Check VAT, court fees and third-party costs separately. A service that obtains the grant may leave most estate administration to you, even if the headline price looks comprehensive.
Worked example: court fee and five copies
For an estate above the fee threshold, the £526 application fee plus five copies ordered at £2 each is £536. That example covers only those court charges. It does not include a solicitor, property valuation, tax or any later copies. Count the organisations needing a copy before applying.
Keep the fee threshold separate from the tax threshold
The £5,000 probate-fee threshold is not an Inheritance Tax allowance and does not decide whether an institution requires a grant. Record these as separate questions: is a grant needed, is an application fee payable and is tax reporting or payment required?
Choose the next step you need
For the application itself: probate steps in England and Wales
For the separate timetable: grant versus estate administration
How much is the probate fee in England and Wales?
The current court fee for applying for a grant of probate or letters of administration is £526 where the value of the estate is over £5,000. If the estate is worth £5,000 or less, there is no application fee. The same fee applies whether you apply yourself or a solicitor applies for you, and whether there is a will or not.
This figure is new. The Court and Tribunal Fees (Miscellaneous Amendments) Order 2026, article 3, replaced the previous £300 fee with £526 from 13 July 2026 (the start date was moved back from 6 July by SI 2026/665). If you are reading older guides or forms that mention £300, they are out of date. You can also see the fee in the current version of Schedule 1 to the Non-Contentious Probate Fees Order 2004.
If you apply online, you pay the full fee when you submit the application. If you apply by post using form PA1P (with a will) or PA1A (without a will), the payment instructions are on the form. Our step-by-step guide on how to apply for probate in the UK covers the application itself.
How much do extra copies of the grant cost?
Each bank, building society, pension provider or share registrar will usually want to see the grant. Rather than posting the original from one organisation to the next, most executors order sealed copies. GOV.UK says extra copies cost £2 each when you order them with your application. If you need more after you have applied, they cost £16 each, so it is worth counting the organisations you will deal with before you submit.
A few other probate registry fees are worth knowing:
Second application: £22, for example if an executor who held "power reserved" applies later. This applies even if the estate is £5,000 or less.
Entering or extending a caveat (a notice that stops a grant being issued while a dispute is resolved): £4.
Depositing a will for safe keeping at a probate registry: £24.
All of these amounts come from the 2026 fees order in force since 13 July 2026.
Can you get help paying the probate fee?
Yes. If you have a low income or receive certain benefits, you may qualify for Help with Fees. You can apply online or with form EX160 before applying for probate. One detail catches people out: if you apply for probate online, you still have to pay the full fee when you apply, and you receive a refund later if your Help with Fees application succeeds. Help with Fees does not cover extra copies of the grant.
To link the two applications, you send your Help with Fees reference number with your probate paperwork or by email to probatehelpwithfees@justice.gov.uk, using the subject line format GOV.UK sets out.
How much does a solicitor charge for probate?
There is no fixed price. GOV.UK notes that applying yourself can be cheaper than paying a probate practitioner, and many people with a simple estate do it themselves. Others prefer professional help, especially with property, Inheritance Tax, a business, assets abroad or family tension.
To make comparing easier, the Solicitors Regulation Authority's Transparency Rules require firms that advertise estate administration to publish cost information on their websites. The rule covers the collection and distribution of assets after a death where the assets are within the UK and the matters are not contested. Firms may price this work as a fixed fee, an hourly rate or a percentage of the estate, and some offer a "grant only" service where they obtain the grant and you deal with the rest. Before you agree, ask in writing:
what the quote covers and what would cost extra
whether VAT is included
which third-party costs (called disbursements), such as the court fee and notices, are added on top
who will do the work and how often you will get updates
What other costs come with administering an estate?
The court fee is often the smallest part of the bill. Depending on the estate, you may also meet the following costs.
Deceased estates notice. Executors often place a notice in The Gazette (and, where the estate includes land, in a newspaper local to it) asking unknown creditors to come forward, which protects them under section 27 of the Trustee Act 1925. The Gazette lists the price as £96.55 plus VAT per notice.
Valuations. Where full details must go to HMRC, GOV.UK says you can get property or land valued by an estate agent or chartered surveyor and a professional valuation for anything worth over £1,500.
Land Registry fees. If a house passes to a beneficiary rather than being sold, the executor transfers it with an "assent", and HM Land Registry charges a Scale 2 fee based on the property's value.
Taxes. Inheritance Tax is charged at 40% on the part of an estate above the threshold, which is normally £325,000. Our guide to Inheritance Tax in the UK explains the allowances. If the executors sell assets that have risen in value since the death, Capital Gains Tax may also be due, as explained in selling a house in probate.
Running costs. Insurance and utilities on an empty home keep running while you wait for the grant, and GOV.UK suggests asking the mortgage lender whether payments need to continue.
Who pays probate costs, the executor or the estate?
In England and Wales, the estate normally bears the cost of administering it. Under section 31 of the Trustee Act 2000, applied to personal representatives by section 35, you are entitled to be reimbursed from the estate for expenses properly incurred, or to pay them directly out of estate funds once you can access them. In practice that means keeping receipts for the court fee, postage, copies, travel and notices.
The awkward part is timing, because the court fee has to be paid before the grant gives you access to the money. For Inheritance Tax, GOV.UK allows payment from the deceased's own bank, savings or investment accounts, and if you pay from your own account you can claim it back once you get probate. The cost of the funeral is deducted, along with debts, when you work out the estate's net value for probate.
How much are confirmation and probate fees in Scotland and Northern Ireland?
Scotland. Executors apply to the sheriff court for confirmation. Under the Sheriff Court Fees Order 2026, Schedule 1, payable from 1 April 2026, there is no fee where the estate does not exceed £50,000, a fee of £351 for estates over £50,000 up to £250,000, and £705 above £250,000. Certificates of confirmation, which you send to banks and other organisations, cost £10 each when ordered with the inventory. For small estates of £36,000 or less, the sheriff clerk's office can help you complete the forms. Where there is no will, a bond of caution (a type of insurance) may be needed, which is an extra cost.
Northern Ireland. The Court of Judicature (Non-Contentious Probate) fee schedule from 1 April 2026 sets no fee where the assessed value does not exceed £10,000 and £326 above that. Personal applicants pay an additional £81 where the estate exceeds £10,000. A certified or sealed copy of a document costs £17. nidirect explains how to apply and how fee exemption works.
Compare professional quotes on the same scope
A low headline fee may cover only obtaining the grant. Before accepting a quote in England and Wales, record:
Service: grant-only assistance or administration through to distributing the estate?
Pricing: fixed fee, hourly rate or percentage; what changes the estimate?
Extras: VAT, court fees, copies, notices, valuations and property work; included or separate?
Responsibilities: who gathers the figures, handles tax forms, contacts organisations and keeps beneficiaries updated?
Next step: named contact, expected stages and when you receive a revised estimate.
The SRA transparency rules require relevant published cost information to explain what is included and excluded. Check the current court fee separately. Scotland uses confirmation and Northern Ireland has its own probate process; do not apply an England-and-Wales quote to every UK estate.
First check whether probate is needed. Then use the executor duties guide to identify the work you would still handle yourself.
Does a grant-only quote cover distributing the estate?
Do not assume it does. Ask the provider to list the work included and the tasks left to you. Grant-only help and full estate administration have different scopes. Compare the written service and all extras before comparing the headline price.
How do you track probate costs already paid and still expected?
Keep one cost record with separate columns for quoted, invoiced and paid amounts. Record who paid each item and where the receipt is stored. A quote is not a bill, and paying a cost yourself does not establish that the estate must reimburse it. Ask the estate administrator or adviser about disputed costs before making assumptions.
Prepare for the next conversation
Record the supplier, purpose, date and receipt location for each expense.
Mark estimated amounts separately from invoices and completed payments.
Review outstanding costs before treating an account balance as money available to distribute.
Related next steps: Understand the application work before choosing assistance; Identify which administration tasks remain your responsibility.
Frequently asked questions: Probate fees
Do you pay a probate fee if the estate is under £5,000?
No. In England and Wales there is no application fee if the estate is worth £5,000 or less. You only pay for any extra copies you order, and the £22 fee applies to a second application.
Is the probate fee paid out of the estate?
The person applying usually pays it up front, because the estate's money is not yet accessible. It is an expense of administering the estate, so it can be reimbursed from the estate later.
How many copies of the grant should I order?
Count the organisations holding assets, such as banks, pension schemes, investment platforms and share registrars, and order roughly that many with your application. At £2 each they cost far less than the £16 charged for copies ordered later.
Will I get a refund if Help with Fees is approved after I paid online?
Yes. Online applicants pay the full fee when they apply and receive a refund if their Help with Fees application is successful. There is no help with the cost of extra copies.
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