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Who can use our platform

This page explains in plain terms exactly what the platform covers, the situations where it is worth speaking to us first, and the small number of cases where a different route would serve you better.

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Honest from the start

We think you deserve a clear answer before you spend any time or money. This page explains every scenario in plain language, including the nuanced ones where the answer is “it depends” rather than simply yes or no.

If your situation is covered, you can register and get started straight away. If you are not sure, or if something on this page matches your situation but you want to check, just call us. We will give you an honest answer in minutes.

When the platform is right for you.

YouCanDoProbate is designed for your estate if any of the following apply.

The platform supports a wide range of estates, including those that require IHT400 Inheritance Tax forms alongside the probate application. Here is what is covered.

The person died on or after 1 January 2022

YouCanDoProbate currently supports estates where the death occurred on or after 1 January 2022. If the death was before this date, please see the amber section below, as a legacy version of the platform may be available.

The deceased was domiciled in England or Wales

Domicile relates to where a person considered their permanent home to be. For most people who lived and worked in England or Wales, this is straightforward. If there is any uncertainty, for example if the deceased was born abroad or held property overseas, call us before starting.

PA1P and PA1A Probate forms

PA1P is the probate application form used when there is a valid Will. PA1A is the application for Letters of Administration used when there is no Will. YouCanDoProbate completes whichever applies to your estate, filled in accurately from the answers you provide.

IHT400 Inheritance Tax forms and schedules

YouCanDoProbate completes the full IHT400 Inheritance Tax account and all applicable supplementary schedules. You do not need to know which schedules are required. The platform selects and completes the correct ones automatically.

Estates with a valid Will

If the person who died left a valid Will, YouCanDoProbate guides you through a Grant of Probate application. You enter the Will details and the platform guides you through the rest.

Estates without a Will (Intestacy)

If there is no Will, YouCanDoProbate includes an Intestacy Walkthrough. This guides you through the Rules of Intestacy to establish who is entitled to inherit, and then completes the application for Letters of Administration.

Estates with an inheritance tax liability

If the estate is above the available thresholds and inheritance tax is due, the platform handles this fully. It calculates the tax owed, applies all available exemptions and completes the IHT400 and all required schedules. The tax itself is paid to HMRC separately.

Transfer of Nil Rate Band (TNRB)

If the deceased was married or in a civil partnership and their late spouse did not use all of their nil rate band, the unused portion can be transferred and added. This can significantly reduce or eliminate an inheritance tax liability. YouCanDoProbate calculates and applies this automatically.

Residence Nil Rate Band (RNRB)

Where a residential property was owned by the deceased and is being left to a direct descendant such as a child or grandchild, an additional nil rate band allowance may apply. YouCanDoProbate calculates and applies this automatically, including checking whether the estate qualifies and by how much.

Transfer of Residence Nil Rate Band (TRNRB)

As with the standard nil rate band, any unused Residence Nil Rate Band from a deceased spouse or civil partner can be transferred and added. YouCanDoProbate handles this automatically alongside the RNRB calculation.

Estates with overseas assets

YouCanDoProbate can be used where the deceased held assets outside the UK. Where the total value of overseas assets exceeds £100,000, inheritance tax forms will be required. The platform covers this fully, including the relevant overseas asset schedules within the IHT400.

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Speak to us before you start

These situations are more nuanced. You may still be able to use the platform.

The following scenarios are not straightforward yes or no answers. In some cases the platform can handle the majority or all of your application and we just need to talk through the specifics. A short conversation with our team will give you a clear picture before you commit to anything.

The person died on or before 31 December 2021

YouCanDoProbate's main platform currently supports deaths from 1 January 2022 onwards. However, if the person died before this date and the estate qualifies as an excepted estate, a legacy version of the platform may be available. This covers PA1 Probate forms and the IHT205 form that applies to deaths before this date.

What to do:

Call us on 0800 689 1447 before registering and we will confirm whether the legacy platform is suitable for your situation and how to access it.

You are claiming that gifts made by the deceased were part of normal expenditure out of income

If the deceased made regular gifts from their income and those gifts formed part of their normal expenditure, these may be exempt from inheritance tax under a specific relief. The platform cannot provide guidance or calculations for this type of claim. However, it can still produce all other probate and inheritance tax forms. Because the value of these gifts does not affect the estate calculations when exempt, the overall estate figures remain accurate for everything else.

What to do:

Call us first so we can talk through your specific situation. The relevant section of the IHT403 dealing with this exemption would need to be completed independently. Everything else would be handled by the platform as normal.

There are assets held in trust for the deceased (Excluding an immediate post death interest trust).

Trusts vary in their structure and implications. Life Interest trusts, where a surviving spouse has the right to occupy a property or receive income during their lifetime, are usually compatible with the platform. Discretionary trusts, or trusts where assets were settled into trust during the deceased's lifetime, can introduce complexities that may prevent the platform from being used.

What to do:

Call us before registering and describe the trust arrangement. We will tell you quickly whether the platform is appropriate for your situation.

You wish to claim a reduced rate of inheritance tax

Where 10% or more of the estate is left to a qualifying charity, a reduced rate of 36% inheritance tax may apply. The platform does not currently produce the calculations required to support this claim. However, it can still produce all other probate and inheritance tax forms. The claim for the reduced rate itself would need to be made independently outside the platform.

What to do:

Call us first. If the overall inheritance tax saving from the reduced rate is significant, you may want to take independent advice on this specific element. We can then confirm whether using the platform for the remainder of the application makes sense.

Want to know if it's suitable?

We'll give you an honest answer

If you are not sure, or if something on this page matches your situation but you want to check, just call us. We will give you an honest answer in minutes.

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Call 0800 689 1447 · Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm

When the platform cannot help.

Please seek alternative advice if any of the following apply.

The following situations are outside the scope of YouCanDoProbate. If any of these apply to the person who died or their estate, we would recommend speaking to a probate solicitor or specialist provider. We will always be honest about this.

The deceased was not domiciled in England or Wales

If the person who died did not consider England or Wales their permanent home, or was not a long-term UK resident living in England or Wales, the estate falls outside the scope of the platform. Estates with a non-UK domicile have different inheritance tax rules and often require specialist advice.

The surviving spouse or civil partner was not domiciled in England or Wales

Where the estate involves a transfer between spouses or civil partners and the surviving spouse was not domiciled in England or Wales, the inheritance tax treatment differs from the standard rules. The full spousal exemption does not apply in the same way and the calculations required fall outside the scope of the platform.

Contested probate or disputed Wills

If the validity of the Will is being challenged, or if there is a dispute between beneficiaries, legal representation is essential. This is not something a platform can or should handle.

The deceased made gifts with reservation of benefit

A gift with reservation of benefit occurs when the deceased gave away an asset during their lifetime but continued to benefit from it. A common example is giving a property to a child but continuing to live in it without paying a market rent. These gifts require specific forms and calculations that the platform does not currently support. Note this is different from regular gifts made outright, which the platform handles fully.

You need to claim Business Asset Relief on assets other than unquoted shares

The platform can handle Business Asset Relief where it applies to unquoted shares, such as shares in a private company, which are reported on the IHT412. However, where the relief applies to other business assets, such as a sole trader business or a partnership interest, the platform does not currently support the necessary calculations and schedules.

You need to claim Agricultural Relief

Agricultural Relief reduces the inheritance tax value of qualifying agricultural property such as farmland or a working farm. Estates involving agricultural property and a claim for Agricultural Relief fall outside the scope of the platform. We would recommend seeking advice from a probate solicitor with agricultural estate experience.

Certain assets held in trust for the deceased (Excluding an immediate post death interest trust).

Where the trust involved is discretionary in nature, or where assets were settled into a trust during the deceased's lifetime in a way that creates complex inheritance tax treatment, the platform cannot be used. Please call us to describe your specific situation and we will give you an honest assessment.

National Heritage assets were involved in the estate

National Heritage assets include historic houses, land of outstanding natural beauty, works of art of national importance, and archives or manuscripts of historical significance. These assets can qualify for conditional exemptions from inheritance tax but the relevant rules are highly specialist and fall entirely outside the scope of the platform.

Want to know if it's suitable?

We'll give you an honest answer

If you are not sure, or if something on this page matches your situation but you want to check, just call us. We will give you an honest answer in minutes.

Buy Now

Request a Callback

Try it risk-free · 14 Day Money Back Guarantee

Call 0800 689 1447 · Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm

See all our reviews

Ease of use

Ease of use , consideration and understanding, knowledge of the system , made it as easy as possible

john

Easy to use and great support – would recommend

I am a qualified accountant (although not a tax specialist, so no IHT experience), but even had that not been the case I’m sure I would have found the software easy and intuitive to follow. Helpline queries were answered very quickly and helpfully (within 24 hours). Absolutely didn’t need a solicitor. All 13 IHT forms were generated for me which I’d never have been able to do without help. I decided to apply for the probate certificate online to save time and just took the printout from the software and replicated it on the probate portal – again very easy.

customer

Outstanding product

I used this platform to complete my father’s HMRC and probate registry applications. The process was clear, straightforward, and easy to follow. I only needed to contact the company once for clarification, and they were very helpful. The platform guides you through questions about assets, gifts, and other estate details, then automatically populates the relevant HMRC and probate forms. It also provides the completed forms ready for printing and submission. Everything was accepted without issue, and probate was granted around eight weeks after submission. As a layperson, I found this service invaluable. It saved me thousands of pounds in legal fees, and I would highly recommend it to anyone handling probate for the first time

Simon Day

You will not regret using YouCanDoProbate

I cannot say enough by way of thanks to this company. I was helped numerous times either by email or by booking a ‘call back’ and nothing seemed too much trouble. I could not have completed this application for probate without their assistance that’s for sure. What they say is so true – you have to supply a Solicitor with the information they need to complete the application so why not use YouCanDoProbate for a fraction of the Solicitor’s cost and do it yourself! All the information you supply is automatically put onto the application form so no writing involved. A massive thank you to Tom for all your help and patience!

Mrs L Whitfield

The experience and the ease plus the…

The experience and the ease plus the excellent help from Tom and his team

William Grice

Step by step guide throughout the process, and friendly helpful advisors.

Mine wasn’t a straight forward case. Following a very friendly informative chat with Tom, I felt confident to try and complete the process for myself. I had to ring and ask for a call back a couple of times, which they did very promptly. Luckily for me, I spoke to Tom on both occasions. He talked me through my issues, and helped me to complete the form the same day. I will be posting my documents tomorrow, and will hopefully do an update once I have received my grant of probate. I couldn’t find fault with any of the service, and would thoroughly recommend it. Thank you Tom.

Maria Denniss

I thoroughly recommend

YCDP really took the stress (as well as quite a lot of admin) out of the Probate application process. Very simple to follow, with clear instructions, and easy-to-follow User Guide. Thorough prompting ensures that you complete everything necessary at each stage before being allowed to print the final Probate application form. I only had to call for support once and my question was dealt with quickly and efficiently.

Chris Kuch

Very professional set up

Very professional set up. My contact Tom was knowledgeable friendly and efficient. I would recommend this service to anyone dealing with probate.

Ken

Throughout the process

Throughout the process, every time we were unsure of something a representative (Tom) of Youcando Probate was at the end of the phone and could not have been more helpful. The whole process was easy and quick to complete.

Nigel

Was really concerned i would struggle…

Was really concerned i would struggle with this but it was an absolute breeze. Great platform and so user friendly.

Shaun Cherry

So easy always called if you have a…

So easy always called if you have a problem super helpful

michelle taylor

I found the whole process quite simple

I found the whole process quite simple, the forms were easy to complete and straight forward to fill in.

Steve Jones

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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).