How long does probate take if you do it yourself?

Usually three to six months from application to grant, depending on how quickly you gather documents and the probate service's workload. Complex estates take longer once complications emerge.

Do you have to use the probate service or can you use a private firm?

You apply to the probate service for the grant itself. A solicitor handles the paperwork on your behalf, but the same probate service issues the grant either way.

What happens if you make a mistake on the probate form?

Minor errors can be corrected with a supplementary form. Major errors, wrong asset values, missed beneficiaries, tax miscalculations, may require reapplication or correction by the probate service, delaying the grant.

Can you do probate without a will?

You can apply for letters of administration, but the intestacy rules are strict and mistakes are common. This is a clear case to get a solicitor.

Do you pay inheritance tax before or after probate is granted?

You must pay inheritance tax before the probate service will issue the grant. If tax is due, you cannot distribute the estate until it is paid.

Can you do probate without a solicitor UK

By Andrew Dunne, founder of Claro · Updated 13 June 2026 · Checked against official gov.uk guidance

Yes, you can apply for probate yourself in the UK. The deciding factor is complexity: a straightforward estate with no disputes, no trusts, no foreign assets, and a clear will is genuinely DIY-able. You'll need to value the estate, pay any inheritance tax due, complete the application form, and submit it to the probate service. Most people who struggle do so not because the process is impossible, but because hidden complications emerge mid-process: a property abroad, a disputed will clause, an insolvent estate. Know your estate's shape before you commit.

What makes an estate simple enough to do alone

A straightforward estate has a valid will, no trusts, no foreign property, no business interests, and beneficiaries who agree on everything.

If those conditions apply, the paperwork is repetitive rather than difficult. You will spend time on it, but not specialist time.

The actual steps to apply for probate yourself

The process follows a fixed sequence you can work through at your own pace.

Register with the probate service and request an access code online
Gather the original will and a certified copy of the death certificate
Value every asset: property, savings, shares, personal items
Calculate inheritance tax liability and pay it (or claim any relief due)
Complete the probate application form with all asset values and beneficiary details
Submit the form and supporting documents to the probate service
Wait for the grant of probate (usually weeks, sometimes months)
Distribute the estate according to the will and probate rules

Each step has a corresponding gov.uk guide. Confusion usually strikes between steps 3 and 4, when you realise you do not know how to value a pension or a shared property.

Where people trip up without a solicitor

Valuation catches most DIY executors. A property needs a professional valuation. A pension requires contact with the provider to confirm its probate value. Shares in private companies need specialist advice.

Disputes emerge late. A beneficiary might challenge the will, or a creditor might surface. If you are deep into the process alone, you will have to stop and get legal advice anyway, having wasted time and money.

Tax mistakes are expensive. Missing a relief or filing late can cost thousands. A solicitor catches these; a spreadsheet does not.

When you genuinely need a solicitor

Get help immediately if the estate includes a trust, a business, foreign property, significant inheritance tax exposure, or a pension with a named beneficiary.

Get help if the will is missing, invalid, or unclear. Get help if any beneficiary has hinted at a challenge or if creditors are known.

Get help if the deceased died intestate. The distribution rules are strict and easy to get wrong. Get help if the estate is insolvent: debts exceeding assets require formal creditor management procedures.

The honest line: when complexity hides until you're halfway through

The real problem is not that DIY probate is impossible for simple estates. It is that "simple" is often a false start. An executor discovers halfway through that a savings account was in joint names (different probate rules), or that property was held in trust, or that a pension has a named beneficiary outside the estate. Unpicking work already done and bringing in a solicitor at that point costs more than hiring one from the start. The checkpoints that mean stop now are: joint assets, trusts, pensions with named beneficiaries, and foreign property. Not a vague "if it's complex", those specific triggers.

When to get professional help

Get help immediately if the will is missing, invalid, or contested. Get help if the estate includes a trust, business, foreign assets, or a pension with a named beneficiary. Get help if inheritance tax exposure is significant or if the estate is insolvent. If none of those apply, valid will, UK assets only, no disputes, clear beneficiaries, you can start alone and reassess as information emerges.