Hike in probate fees by 75% from mid-July

The probate fee will increase from £300 to £526 from 13 July with the government claiming the 75% rise ‘accounts for rising inflation as well as investment in delivering an efficient and modern service’.

Meantime, it has reduced the fee for copies of probate documents required concurrently with a probate application, down to £2 from the current £16 to ‘better reflect the cost of that service’.

The changes will take place on 13 July 2026, subject to parliamentary approval, with the necessary statutory instrument scheduled for this session. 

The Ministry of Justice said the changes were necessary to ‘strengthen cost recovery, improve consistency in how and where fees are charged, and maintain fair access to justice for all’.

The probate increase was put out with a raft of other minor fee increases, with property court fees the only other area with significant hikes in rates.

Sarah Coles, head of personal finance at AJ Bell, said: ‘Having to pay a fee for probate is bad enough, given it creates an endless pile of admin for those you leave behind, so a 75% hike in the fee is adding insult to injury.

‘For those who can’t afford it, there’s a Help with Fees remissions scheme, to cover the cost. For everyone else, this is one more horrible hoop to jump through that makes the paperwork and processes after death such a nightmare. It means we could all benefit from taking steps to make the process easier for our loved ones after our death.’

Estates are going to face even more burdens when the new rules on inheritance tax on pension pots comes into effect next year putting them into scope for 40% tax, and no leniency on the six-month payment window for personal representatives handling probate affairs.

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