How long does the probate registry take?
The registry usually issues the grant within 12 weeks of receiving your application, according to GOV.UK. It can take longer if you need to provide more information, and GOV.UK says paper applications take longer than online ones. If you applied by post and hear nothing within 12 weeks, you can contact the Courts and Tribunals Service Centre.
What are the official time limits and waiting periods?
Only a few stages have fixed times. The rest depends on how quickly organisations reply and how complex the estate is.
| Stage | Time set by law or guidance | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Register the death | Within 5 days of the medical examiner's confirmation | GOV.UK |
| Pay inheritance tax | By the end of the sixth month after the death, to avoid interest | GOV.UK |
| Send form IHT400, if needed | Within 12 months of the death, and before applying | GOV.UK |
| HMRC's code after an IHT400 | Usually within 20 working days of the form or payment, whichever is later | GOV.UK |
| Grant of probate | Usually within 12 weeks of applying | GOV.UK |
| Gazette notice to creditors | At least two months for claims before distributing | Trustee Act 1925, s.27 |
| Family provision claims | Six months from the grant, unless the court allows a late claim | Inheritance Act 1975, s.4 |
| Distribution | An executor is not bound to distribute before one year from the death | Administration of Estates Act 1925, s.44 |
What happens before you can apply?
You must value the estate before applying, even when no tax is due, because the application asks for the estate's values. For an excepted estate you can apply as soon as you have those figures. If HMRC needs full details, you send form IHT400, start paying any tax, and wait for HMRC's code. How long valuing takes depends mainly on how quickly banks, pension providers and valuers reply.
What slows probate down?
Most delays come from missing information or from the estate itself:
- Queries from the registry when details on the application are missing or do not match the will.
- Inheritance tax: an IHT400 estate waits for HMRC's code, and HMRC may check the figures afterwards.
- A lost original will: you cannot apply with a photocopy, so you need form PA13 to report the loss.
- Selling property: a buyer needs a copy of the grant, so a sole-name property cannot be sold before it is issued.
- Disputes: a caveat stops any grant being issued for six months, and it can be extended.
Wills that are unclear or wrongly witnessed cause some of these problems. See how to sign a will and where to store a will.
What can you do while you wait for the grant?
You can keep the estate safe and get ready to act quickly once the grant arrives: keep buildings insured, gather statements and valuations, list the debts, and tell beneficiaries what to expect. Order extra copies of the grant with the application at £2 each, so you can send them to several organisations at once. The executor checklist sets out the order, and probate costs lists the fees.
Sources
- GOV.UK: Applying for probate (before you apply, apply, after you've applied, fees)
- GOV.UK: If there is Inheritance Tax to pay
- GOV.UK: Register the death
- GOV.UK: Stop a probate application
- Trustee Act 1925, section 27
- Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, section 4
- Administration of Estates Act 1925, section 44
Sources checked 24 September 2026.