Wills and intestacy
How to Do Probate Without a Will
Finding yourself responsible for someone’s estate when they left no will is a common situation. But you can still do Probate without a will. This guide walks you through how.
First: make sure there really is no will
Before assuming there is no will, carry out a thorough search:
- The deceased’s home, including document files, filing cabinets, and lockboxes
- Their solicitor’s office (call any firm they may have used)
- Their bank, which may hold a copy
- The National Will Register at Certainty.co.uk
- The Probate Service’s will storage (a certificate of deposit would have been issued)
Only once you have exhausted every reasonable search should you proceed on the basis that no will exists.
What happens to the estate without a will?
When someone dies without a valid will, the Rules of Intestacy set out who is entitled to inherit. Broadly, the estate passes first to a surviving spouse or civil partner, then to children, then to other relatives in a defined order. Unmarried partners have no automatic entitlement. Neither do stepchildren unless formally adopted.
Who applies for Probate without a will?
Without a will, there is no named Executor. Instead, a close relative can apply to become the administrator of the estate. The order of priority broadly follows the intestacy rules: surviving spouse or civil partner first, then children, then other relatives.
How does the application process differ?
Instead of form PA1P (used when there is a will), you complete form PA1A, the Probate application form for intestacy cases. You submit it to the Probate Registry along with the relevant HMRC IHT forms, certified copies of the death certificate, and the £526 Probate Registry fee.
How YouCanDoProbate handles intestacy cases
YouCanDoProbate is equally effective for estates with and without a will. The platform’s Intestacy Walkthrough guides you through the family circumstances step by step, confirms who is entitled to what under the Rules of Intestacy, and uses those answers to complete the PA1A and all required HMRC forms automatically.
The easy and affordable way to apply for probate
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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!
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Less than 8 weeks from signing up to YCDP to the Grant of Probate arriving in the post! As others have said – no need to pay through the nose for a solicitor, the YCDP platform is far quicker and far cheaper than using a solicitor. All relevant IHT forms were generated with ease, printed and then sent via post with accompanying requested documents – this was acknowledged within 3 weeks – then the generated PA1P probate form was sent to HMCTS (again, with accompanying documents & cheque) – Grant of Probate received in the post less than 2 weeks later! Fantastic and saved me thousands. Very happy with the platform and service, relieved to have found this alternative as opposed to instructing an expensive solicitor.
Easy to use , never needed to contact them , awaiting the grant but confident having used you can do probate I’m not expecting mistakes
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.
When completing the forms, any query I had as soon as I emailed them they got back to me straight away. Also it would not let you finish the section until you had filled out all that was needed. Helpful that you could save and go back in when you had the answer you needed.
Simple to follow modules and access to helpline made it all quite straightforward.
I was dreading Probate but ‘You Can Do Probate’ really made things easier. If I had any problems I could request a call to help me with questions. I requested a call about 3 times, and each time somebody call me and sorted out my questions and put my mind as ease. I think I spoke to Tom a couple of times very helpful. You can do bits at a time you don’t have to do the whole thing all at once. Thoroughly recommend. Glad I came across this site.
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