Probate Application Fees to Increase

From 1st May 2024 there will be a 10% increase in the standard application fee for probate. The fee will be raised by £27 to £300.

The increase is a controversial move since the Probate Registry is currently under fire for poor levels of service, particularly the Court backlogs.

During the consultation for the fee increase it was argued that the digitisation of probate applications and streamlining of the administration process should have resulted in significant reductions to its service cost.  The Ministry of Justice replied stating probate fees are only payable for estates valued at over £5000 and are recoverable from the estate.

The Ministry has promised that the additional income raised from the fee increase will go towards reducing the cause of delays and the ‘continued improvement of service delivery’.

If you have any questions about the probate application process, please contact a member of the Private Client Team.