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What is probate?

What is the Difference Between a Grant of Probate and Letters of Administration?

Both are types of Grant of Representation. Both give the named person legal authority to deal with the estate of someone who has died. The core difference is simply whether or not the deceased left a valid Will.

Grant of Probate

Issued when the deceased left a valid Will with a named Executor willing and able to act. The application uses form PA1P. The Executor distributes the estate in accordance with the Will.

Letters of Administration

Issued when there is no valid Will, or when a Will exists but no Executor can act. The application uses form PA1A. A qualifying relative (the administrator) manages the estate, distributing it according to the Rules of Intestacy.

Are they treated differently by banks and institutions?

No. Banks, financial institutions, and the Land Registry accept both documents equally. What matters is that it is an original or sealed official copy (£2 each) issued by the Probate Registry. YouCanDoProbate supports both. The platform determines which forms apply and completes them automatically.

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Trustpilot five star rating
Easy to use

Easy to use , never needed to contact them , awaiting the grant but confident having used you can do probate I’m not expecting mistakes

Debbie Zappa
Trustpilot five star rating
10/10

It was so easy ,a couple of teething problems that were sorted out quickly by the contact team .I would recommend this company highly,if your probate is pretty straightforward it’s a must and will save you money,it’s a 10/10 for me

Mr huntbach
Trustpilot five star rating
First time having to go through the…

First time having to go through the probate process, so used this service for peace of mind.had. A call back very quickly on a query I had sent the forms off and received my ref number after two weeks. And probate was granted the following week. Can’t recommend this service enough.

martyn wykes
Trustpilot five star rating
As it says

As it says; “You can do Probate” all be it with a little help from the team who are really great. I had my doubts initially but I have managed to complete all of the forms and get my application in for my Mothers estate, and I am in my 70S. It was interesting that funeral expenses are an expense rather than a liability but I suppose if we think about it, it is. Many thanks to the team. I can just wait and see how long it takes to get it from here.

Graham Trim
Trustpilot five star rating
I can recommend this site.

The set was easy to access and user friendly. It was good to be able to go in and out of the site to input data as it became available. The phone line was an additional help to guide me through.

Lesley Cree
Trustpilot five star rating
The whole process was very straight…

The whole process was very straight forward.

Mrs Jean Dennis
Trustpilot five star rating
Solicitors wanted to charge me between…

Solicitors wanted to charge me between £2300 and £2700! They made it sound very complicated. I contacted this firm who offered a fixed fee of £500. Their online platform was easy to follow. When I ran into a couple of things I wasn’t sure of I called their helpline. They guided me through those areas and it was all sorted and posted off the same day. The solicitors had quoted me six to twelve months to get the Grant. I’ve just received it in six weeks! I don’t normally bother with writing reviews but felt I had to with this firm. They were superb. I’m just coming up to eighty and hate form filling. If I can do it , anyone can. Excellent.

Richard Buckingham
Trustpilot five star rating
The process from start to finish was so…

The process from start to finish was so easy and the site actually walks you through everything you need to do, it only brings up the forms that are relevant to your probate claim and even self populates them for you, all this and at a fraction of the cost of employing the services of a solicitor. I would not hesitate in recommending them to anyone.

Stephen White
Trustpilot five star rating
Timely and efficient support at a…

Timely and efficient support at a sensible cost.

Paul
Trustpilot five star rating
This was a god send to me

This was a god send to me, made it all so simple and the support you receive if you have any questions or get stuck is amazing.

Sam Macleod
Trustpilot five star rating
This made a very difficult time and…

This made a very difficult time and task painless. I had a few queries which were answered very efficiently. The whole process from start to finish and obtaining probate was 6 weeks.

LCc
Trustpilot five star rating
Saved a lot of expense using…

Saved a lot of expense using YouCanDoProbate. Everything is easy to follow, could not have been simpler. You answer the questions, you print the generated forms, you send them off. Very glad I used this service.

Winston McDonald
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£499

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Additional costs: The probate registry fee of £526 (for all estates over £5,000) and any additional official copies at £2 each. (Payable directly to HM Courts and Tribunals Service by cheque or postal order, enclosed with your application forms).
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© YouCanDoProbate • YouCanDoProbate is a trading name of Kabing Ltd.
YouCanDoProbate is an online platform providing legal forms and information. YouCanDoProbate is not a law firm and is not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Our online probate and inheritance tax service is an online platform providing probate and inheritance tax forms and information to allow you to complete inheritance tax returns and apply for probate yourself. Our telephone, email and livechat support provides guidance only, we do not provide bespoke advice, including estate planning or tax advice and it is not a substitute for a lawyer’s advice about complex estate planning or tax issues.
© Kabing Ltd | All Rights Reserved. Company number 12125399.

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