Probate fees have risen to £526. Here is what it means for your family

On 13 July 2026 the fee for applying for probate in England and Wales rose from £300 to £526, an increase of 75 per cent. It is the second significant rise in recent years, and it lands alongside another uncomfortable statistic: probate applications that get stopped for errors or missing information now take an average of 13.7 weeks to complete, compared with 4.1 weeks for straightforward digital applications.

What probate actually is

Probate is the legal process that gives your executors the authority to deal with your estate: closing accounts, selling or transferring property, paying any tax due and passing on what remains to the people named in your will. For most estates it is a necessary step before anything meaningful can happen, which means delays in probate are delays for your family at the worst possible time.

The real cost is not the fee. It is the stopped application

£526 is £526 whatever happens. The expensive part is what the figures call a stopped application: a probate application that the registry pauses because something is wrong. A will that was not signed and witnessed correctly. Confusion over which document is the latest will. An executor who cannot be traced. Assets that nobody listed. Each of these can turn a four week process into a three month wait, and in that time property cannot be sold, bills keep arriving and grieving families are left in limbo.

How a professionally drafted will helps

Most stopped applications trace back to problems that good drafting prevents. A professionally prepared will is executed correctly in front of witnesses, so its validity is not questioned. It names executors clearly, with substitutes if your first choice cannot act. It deals with your whole estate, so nothing is left to argument. And it is stored safely, so the right document is found the first time. None of this removes the £526 fee, but it dramatically improves the odds that your family pays it once, waits weeks rather than months, and receives what you intended them to have.

Three things worth checking this week

First, that you have a will at all. If you die without one, the intestacy rules decide who inherits and who can apply for probate, and the process is usually slower. Second, that your executors know where your will is kept and that it reflects your current wishes. A will written before a marriage, divorce or house move may no longer do what you think it does. Third, that someone close to you knows the broad shape of your estate: accounts, property and policies. A simple list saves executors weeks.

If any of those three made you pause, it is worth a conversation. Speak to Bristol Will Writing about a new will or a review of an existing one, or read more about our will writing service.

This article is general information, not legal or financial advice. Probate fees and timescales are as published in July 2026 and may change. For advice on your circumstances, speak to a qualified professional.

Sources: Hodge Jones & Allen on the July 2026 probate fee increase; GOV.UK guidance on applying for probate.