Fact sheet: Probate online
Updated 17 April 2024
Applies to England and Wales
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmcts-reform-family-fact-sheets/fact-sheet-probate-online
We provide a simple, digital service for members of the public and professionals to apply for probate.
When a person dies, the executor of their will or the administrator of their estate often needs to apply for probate so that they can distribute money and belongings as the person wished.
People can apply for probate online. They’ll be guided through the process step-by-step and given links for supporting information. Applying for probate online is often faster than using paper forms, but paper forms remain available for people that need them.
Probate professionals must apply for probate using MyHMCTS. This is our case management system that allows professional users to pay, submit and track the progress of cases and applications online.
1. Headline figures
We have now issued over 1.35 million grants of probate.
2. Main outcomes
The probate service has been developed to meet the needs of the public and probate professionals. It provides better information, is simple, less intrusive and helps people to understand whether or not they need to apply for probate, reducing unnecessary anxiety at a difficult time.
We have also:
- created a specially trained team in our Birmingham Service Centre to process applications
- worked closely with HMRC to streamline processes for personal and professional applicants
- improved guidance to make it easier for applicants to get their applications right first time
- made it possible to professional and personal applicants to track the progress of their applications online at a time that’s convenient for them
- updated GOV.UK so that personal applicants can monitor the progress of their applications.
3. How the service helps members of the public applying for probate
The probate service is accessible for everyone, from any device and is available 24 hours a day. This allows members of the public and probate professionals to complete applications at a time that’s convenient for them.
The Digital Support service is available for members of the public who are not comfortable with using the internet or cannot access a computer or a smartphone. People can get help completing online forms in person or by phone from a specially trained team. This makes sure that everyone who wants to apply online has the support they need and paper forms remain available for people who prefer to apply by post.
4. Further information
Probate professionals can find out more about MyHMCTS and submitting probate applications online.
Members of the public can find out more about how to apply for probate.
Find statistics on the probate service.
5. Contact us
Contact the team if you have a query.
The data included on this page is drawn from either management information or Ministry of Justice (MOJ) official statistics. Management information reflects the data held on our case management system, and is subject to change. Official statistics are fully quality-assured and form the agreed definitive position.