How long will Probate take?

Gathering the valuations about the estate can take some time, especially if you are dependent on third parties or are not familiar with the deceased's affairs. However, once you have the required information an application can be made to the Probate Registry (and HMRC if the estate is liable for Inheritance Tax – see below).

If the estate is not going to be subject to Inheritance Tax, then once the application is made to the Probate Registry it can take between 8-12 weeks for the Grant to be produced.

If the estate is going to be taxable, then this will make the estate administration process a lengthier one. This is in part due to the need for HMRC to sign off the account. The Executor will need to submit an inheritance tax return to HMRC and arrange for any tax that is owed to be paid. This process can add an additional 3-4 weeks on top of the 8-12 weeks as above but could also take longer.

An entire estate administration can take anything from six months upwards but it is difficult to provide an exact timescale.