Best Online Platforms for Probate Assistance
Probate and estate administration can now be handled almost entirely online, often at a lower cost than a traditional high-street firm. Rather than ranking brand names, here is how the online options actually break down and how to pick the right one.
The most affordable route is the GOV.UK Probate Portal, where you apply for the Grant of Probate yourself. The court fee is £526 for most estates, and nothing for estates valued at £5,000 or less. If you are comfortable with the paperwork and the estate is simple, this is the cheapest option available.
Beyond DIY, online probate services generally fall into two camps. Some offer a fixed-fee, grant-only service: they obtain the grant for you and you do the rest. Others provide full online estate administration, handling valuations, IHT forms, HMRC, debts, and distribution from start to finish, all remotely.
That second camp is where I work: the whole estate handled online and by phone across England and Wales, on a fixed fee of £1,880. My online probate assistance page sets out what the fee covers and what falls outside it.
When comparing them, look past the marketing. Check whether the price is a genuine fixed fee or a percentage of the estate, what it includes, and whether the same person handles your case throughout. A low headline price that only covers the grant can work out dearer once the real work begins.
You deal directly with me, Ade, from the first conversation to final distribution, with no call centre in between. If you are still working out who does what in this market, my guide to what companies offer probate assistance services goes through the types of provider, and a separate page covers whether you need professional probate assistance at all.
The most affordable route is the GOV.UK Probate Portal, where you apply for the Grant of Probate yourself. The court fee is £526 for most estates, and nothing for estates valued at £5,000 or less. If you are comfortable with the paperwork and the estate is simple, this is the cheapest option available.
Beyond DIY, online probate services generally fall into two camps. Some offer a fixed-fee, grant-only service: they obtain the grant for you and you do the rest. Others provide full online estate administration, handling valuations, IHT forms, HMRC, debts, and distribution from start to finish, all remotely.
That second camp is where I work: the whole estate handled online and by phone across England and Wales, on a fixed fee of £1,880. My online probate assistance page sets out what the fee covers and what falls outside it.
When comparing them, look past the marketing. Check whether the price is a genuine fixed fee or a percentage of the estate, what it includes, and whether the same person handles your case throughout. A low headline price that only covers the grant can work out dearer once the real work begins.
You deal directly with me, Ade, from the first conversation to final distribution, with no call centre in between. If you are still working out who does what in this market, my guide to what companies offer probate assistance services goes through the types of provider, and a separate page covers whether you need professional probate assistance at all.