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Costs and fees

DIY Probate vs Solicitor: An Honest Cost Comparison

Two routes are commonly considered for Probate: instructing a solicitor, or handling it yourself. This article compares both honestly, including a third option that sits between the two.

What a solicitor provides

Handles the technical paperwork on your behalf: IHT400, Probate application, liaising with HMRC and the Probate Registry. You are responsible for providing all the estate information.

Cost: typically £1,500 to £5,000 or more for a straightforward estate. Percentage-based fees can reach £10,000 to £20,000 on larger estates.

What doing it entirely yourself provides

Using GOV.UK guidance and completing all forms yourself means you pay only the unavoidable government fees.

Cost: government fees only (£526 Probate Registry fee plus £2 per copy of the Grant).

Risk: errors in the IHT400 can cause delays, HMRC queries, and incorrect tax calculations. There is no support if you get stuck.

What YouCanDoProbate provides

The platform does the technical work (forms, calculations, exemptions) while you provide the estate information, just as you would with a solicitor. The difference is the cost.

Cost: £499 inc. VAT, all-inclusive, no add-ons.

Included: PA1P or PA1A, full IHT400 and all supplementary schedules, every exemption applied automatically, unlimited support and guidance, ICAEW accreditation, 4.9 Excellent on Trustpilot.

The honest recommendation

For most estates in England and Wales, YouCanDoProbate is the smarter choice. The only reason to instruct a solicitor is genuine legal complexity: contested Wills, complex trusts, business asset reliefs, or overseas assets. For everything else, our platform provides the same technical quality at a fraction of the cost.

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Trustpilot five star rating
Such a great help at a time of loss

Such a great help at a time of loss

Steven O'Brien
Trustpilot five star rating
Really simple to use

Really simple to use, easy step by step process that took a few hours. My application for probate has already been processed in less than a week. Fabulous platform saving £ thousands not using a solicitor.

Mark Brown
Trustpilot five star rating
From the beginning I have had helpful…

From the beginning I have had helpful advice. Tom has shown oodles of patience. My hearing is not of the best, neither is my eyesight, but I plodded on with his gentle pushing. I have not finished yet, a paper has gone missing which will hold up the finish for a few days. Which this service had been available four years ago!!!

Hazel Stone
Trustpilot five star rating
How to do Probate the easy way

My experience of using the YouCanDoProbate programme has been good and certainly it is a well put together one. Firstly it specified the information which would be required by the Probate Office so that I could save time when using the programme. It then went on with what is basically a copy of the Government sheets so that the information could be added. Adding the information required was not as easy as it would seem.This was not a fault of the programme, but rather the way the person who had designed the sheets for the Government had expressed their requirements. On several occasions I was a bit stuck and and sent a message to YCDP requesting assistance. I found that they could not have been more helpful and I would like to thank both Adam and Tom for their assistance. They both answered my queries and made it clear that they would spent as much time as was necessary in doing so, very much a PLUS point in this day and age where many companies cannot get away fast enough. They would contact me either by phone or email, whichever I preferred. Another thing that I particularly liked was that the programme would not allow me to tick the box as finished in error, until each section it was complete. By doing so it meant that the Probate office should not have to return it as incomplete. The current programme is designed to cater for a maximum nett figure of £325,000 before Inheritance tax is payable. There are circumstances where there is only one son or daughter who will inherit and the Government will allow up to a nett figure of £500,000 before Inheritance Tax is due, and I was informed that they are working on an amendment to the programme to allow for this. I can fully recommend this programme which is considerably cheaper than putting it in the hands of a Probate Specialist.

Brian Pullin
Trustpilot five star rating
Excellent and easy service to use and a great price

We decided to use you can do private after realising how much a solicitor would charge us The forms were easy step by step all information and questions we needed to ask were easily found. The online and telephone support was excellent we are still going through it as takes up to 16 weeks for it to be completed We were very impressed and so would our dad be if he thought it was saving us money

Amanda Gilbert
Trustpilot five star rating
Excellent solution

Excellent solution Easy no nonsense approach to take you through the process

Sarah
Trustpilot five star rating
YouCanDoProbate helped me out so much

YouCanDoProbate helped me out so much. I was really struggling with all the questions & forms before I found it. It makes everything SO much easier and guides you through the process with all the information you need and you can ask questions. I would definitely recommend to anyone who is trying to do Probate themselves.

Julia Holt
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
Trustpilot five star rating
Everything clearly explained.

Explained everything clearly. Guided one to do everything in order. You can save what you have inputted, and come back when you have further information. You can’t proceed until you have given all the correct information. Expensive but foolproof.

Patrick Lynn
Trustpilot five star rating
Awesome and helpful

You Can Do Probate made the process of applying for probate at what is, for most, a difficult time a great deal easier and cheaper, saving money, time and stress. Both the site and the You Can Probate team have been awesome and helpful. It has made this process much easier to understand and without the need to pay over the top for a solicitor.

Zoë Greenslade
Trustpilot five star rating
“Does exactly what it says on the tin”

“Does exactly what it says on the tin” I have Absolutely no legal experience and had never done probate before and I found this was a brilliant tool to get the job done. I was going to be charged over £7,000 by a solicitor and the irony is that all the data that you would need to send the solicitor is exactly the same data you need to complete the probate application yourself. Loved this software and saved an absolute fortune!!!!!

Ian Spence
Trustpilot five star rating
A compass for navigating a difficult journey

Probate is a tricky (and potentially expensive) area for most people to navigate. YouCanDoProbate really does make it possible for anyone who is moderately computer literate to successfully put in an application themselves. The website is arguably the best of its kind that I have ever used. I needed to have four phone consultations to reassure me on various points. The calls were prompt, unrushed, and with someone who really knew what they were talking about. Brilliant.

David Moseley
AFFORDABLE FIXED PRICE
Forms filled in for you
No expertise needed
Unlimited UK support
Save money, time and stress with YouCanDoProbate
One time payment

£499

including VAT
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 not a law firm, is not authorised to conduct reserved legal activities, and is not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Our digital service is a self-help online platform for you to input data, navigate forms, and manage your own inheritance tax returns and probate applications as a lay applicant. It provides administrative utility tools, forms, and general information. Our telephone, email, support ticket, and live chat support provide administrative and technical guidance only. We do not provide legal, estate planning, or tax advice, and our service is not a substitute for a regulated professional’s advice regarding complex estate or tax matters.
© Kabing Ltd | All Rights Reserved. Company number 12125399.

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