Real stories from people who did probate themselves.
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Our aim is to help you apply for probate, by yourself, at a time and pace that suits you, in the easiest way possible and at an affordable price.
The savings
The cost of a solicitor stops many people in their tracks.
I was quoted thousands to outsource the probate process. I thus thought whether I could do it myself. After doing some research it did seem possible. I came across the YCDP website and the rest is history. The process was easy to follow and help via messaging was super fast. It cost £500 (+£301 for HM Probate department) which was £££ less than the other options. If you feel your sources of potential inheritance are fairly clear then I am happy to recommend YCDP
I found this website incredibly helpful and it saved me a huge amount of money and time. I had been quoted £5-7k for a solicitor to do my mum’s probate, so I thought I would give YouCanDoProbate a try. It was very easy – the website guides you through. When I did have a query, I sent through the question and it was answered really quickly. Also, it was handy that it saved what I had done and I was able to leave it and come back to it again, so you don’t have to do it all at once. I would very much recommend.
When life is at its trickiest and you are expected to be able to navigate probate, this service takes all the hassle out of it. The helpline and email responses are quick and so helpful. It is such good value for money.
This saved so much time and cost. They answered all my questions and I was able to submit all the forms myself. Great service. I would reccomend this to anyone rather than using a solicitor.
It was all clear and concise instructions. You could leave the site at anytime and all your work is saved so you can go back to where you left off. The only negative I feel is that it doesn’t tell you until the end that you have to pay more money which was abit of a shock so maybe you could just make your applicants aware that it isn’t just £399. Thankyou though still as it only took 3 weeks to get the probate done and to become the administrator of my mums estate.
After receiving a very expensive quote from a local solicitors I found this website and as an administrator myself thought how hard can this be. I read the reviews and watched the video before I purchased to make sure it was right for me. I followed the on-line steps and filled in the questions so a little bit of time and effort is required. I had 2 x queries which were dealt with within the hour once on the phone and once by email. Once the forms were complete, I printed off and posted to HMCTS Probate. I had an email from them confirming receipt on 19th June and I received an email yesterday 26th June telling me Probate had been granted so this website has done exactly what I needed it to do.
Extremely helpful, friendly and super fast. I went to several solicitors and companies that offer probate – they were all so expensive. YOU DON’T NEED ANYONE. This is an amazing, user friendly system with as much support as you need. Highly reecommended.
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!
i recently used you can do probate and found the whole process quite straight forward , its a lot cheaper than engaging probate solicitors and the advice and support you can do probate offer is very good , if you need to book a call for advice you get it same day normally within the hour of booking it
Sceptical at first, or putting it off
Trusting an online platform with something this important takes a leap, and probate is easy to defer.
YCDP is excellent. As an 80 year old with very basic and fairly rubbish IT skills I was a bit apprehensive but found the process straight forward and easy to understand. It was very helpful to be given a list of the information I would need before starting. Having been quoted a price of over £1000 from a solicitor to complete the probate application the cost of using YouCanDoProbate was such a saving. I would recommend them to anyo
Title : I cannot recommend YouCanDoProbate more for a dedicated and high quality service ! When I first registered with YouCanDoProbate I was dubious: as it was an on-line format and I am incredibly poor with anything electronic, but I need not have worried. As soon as I sent a pleas for help my emails were answered and followed up with a phone call from Tom or Adam on the same day, and often within an hour ! They both had lots of patience and understood my concerns (which were really minor issues !) I was never felt to feel foolish and always treated with respect and professionalism. I had recently helped my brother to obtain probate when his wife passed away, and he paid thousands of pounds to a Solicitor for much less than I have had to do with my case. I only hope my application is accepted, and I now have substantial records to refer to regarding the estate due to this process.
Probably like so many, probate can be a little daunting once you start to look into it, so I did a little google search and came across YouCanDoProbate. Initially I was suspect, you have to be, but carrying out my own research everything came back good, so gave them a call. I can honestly say they are so so helpful and there online forms make the process so simple with the added benefit of having someone available (an actual person) should you need to either question something or looking for advise. The whole process to less thank 4 hours (with a few queries). All the forms, you actually need, are then printed off for you and or other executors to sign. Today, two and a half weeks since they were sent in, I received an email stating probate has been approved – wow. I’m so glad I went down this route, it removed so much headache and worry and I cannot recommend this service highly, hence 5 stars from me. Maybe the government should use the same platform, oh and lets not forget about the cost if you opt to use a solicitor, £499 to complete the forms and then another £300 for the court applcation/certification
So, so easy. I wish I had found sooner as I put off doing probate thinking it would be bad but it was fine. I got a bit stuck and had a quick call and then all went through smoothly. Thank you, I would definitely recommend to all.
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.
I’m never one for leaving reviews, but this service genuinely deserves the 5* review I’m giving it. I completed the probate application with my Mum shortly after my Dad’s passing. My Mum had been quoted thousands of £s to do this on her behalf, which I felt was unreasonable. After a quick Google I found this website and suggested it to my Mum. She was sceptical at first so I offered to help, and having completed the intuitive online process with her, she quickly told me she could have done it herself! It’s not a nice thing to deal with, particularly at such a difficult time, but I couldn’t recommend this highly enough. It genuinely works and we have just received our letters of administration.
YouCanDoProbate saved me over £2000 (maybe £2500). Their fee of £399 bought me access to an online process that took me step by step through what would otherwise have been a very daunting task – as I suspect it would be for most people. The objective is to obtain a Grant of Probate and however many copies you require. The fee also includes advisors on the end of a telephone should clarification or advice be required – and when one was not immediately available they called me back very quickly. I called them 3 or 4 times and each time the advisor was patient, thorough, very knowledgeable and extremely helpful – each time stressing that if I had further questions I should not hesitate to call them again. The online process (which comes with a comprehensive online guide for each section needed to be completed) called for a lot of information to be entered; mostly regarding the banks, building societies, funeral expenses and much more but if it is not immediately to hand, the process allows you to step out as may times as you like and all the information already entered is retained. It can seem daunting at first but the more I stuck at it, the easier it seemed to get. The end result of the online process is a PA1P Probate Application form which is 90% auto-filled based on the information I entered as I stepped through the online process. Depending on circumstances, other forms may also need to be generated. Once I printed out the form and checked it over, it was simply a case of sending it to HM Courts and Tribunal Service along with a death certificate and the original will (in my case) along with a cheque for £300 plus a £1.50 fee for each Grant of Probate copy required. I believe that had I gone through a solictor to apply for a Grant of Probate, I was probably going to have to pay around £3,000 so YouCanDoProbate saved me a lot of money. I could not recommend them highly enough.
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.
After revisiting the IHT400 form several times and googling some of the terms used, stumbled upon You can do Probate. I was a little sceptical about signing up as it was£499 versus a minimum of £2k for a solicitor. The site breaks everything down into manageable sections. provides plain English guidance and videos to help you complete the form. it turns out I did not have to use the IHT400 as I had an excepted estate. once everything is completed, click print form, signed and sent off. I had probate granted after 7 working days and the certificate after 9. I cannot recommend the service enough
The ease and simplicity
The biggest worry is usually just not knowing where to start.
Easier to complete than I initially thought.
Made probate very easy
Easy platform to navigate, all the totals are done on auto can not fault in any way, once probate and HMRC code completed the grant was issued in less than three weeks.
Easy to understand, online forms easy to understand and complete. telephone back up very good
Easy to follow, well guided
Simple to use the online tools and help to complete my application
Makes everything really simple. Got probate granted in 2 weeks!
Was really concerned i would struggle with this but it was an absolute breeze. Great platform and so user friendly.
The whole process was very straight forward.
Our help and support
Knowing you can reach a real person makes a huge difference.
This is a fabulous piece of software and wonderful support. I have never had to go through the process before and the software made it simple and manageable. When I had a question, they were very very quick to respond and gave me all the time I needed and super advice which saved me time and money. Fabulous company, I highly recommend.
I found You Can Do Probate really helpful, polite, they were very patient with me when I had a problem, and when I rang and left a message, they always came back to me, the proof of the pudding will be if my submission goes through successfully.
So easy always called if you have a problem super helpful
Straightforward and easy to use, I’d recommend this to anyone. I’ve had to apply for probate on an estate with various investments, property and outstanding tax. I entered all information over a couple of days, prompted by they software. I think it would be hard to go wrong. I had questions answered very quickly either by phone or email. There was a slight glitch which resulted in incorrect tax form generation. I sent a query in on a service ticket and got a phone call over a weekend that resolved everything. My IHT400 and Probate were accepted and granted straight away. Providing you have all information about the estate to hand, this makes it very easy. Well worth the money. Thanks.
I found this service was very easy to use and straightforward. I have given it a 5 star rating and I would recommend it. I telephoned the helpline twice and was extremely happy with the help/guidence I received.
Simple to follow modules and access to helpline made it all quite straightforward.
The system was very user friendly, and easy to use. The case was not straight forward and when needed, the telephone support was superb. Will definitely use again. Highly recommended.
Any problem that I came up against, was sorted out over the phone , I highly recommend youcandoprobate
I came across YouCanDoProbate whilst whilst scanning to get a company to help me do probate myself. At first I was surprised that this service was a fraction of the price that I had come across previously. What a great move to choose YCDP A great friendly and professional service. Got through our Probate with ease and total support. We had Tom supporting us. Such a terrific service, and great value Highly recommended Thank you
A weight off their shoulders
Behind every application is a family managing a loss.
At such a difficult time we found the whole process so straight forward. From my initial call to explain how the platform works I cannot fault ‘YouCanDoProbate’. From start to finish the platform was so easy to use, the online and telephone support was excellent. Theres no need to rush and complete in a day as the platform saves your progress so it can be completed as and when you’re ready. In comparison with a solicitor the fees are very competitive! Once completed we received probate forms back within 2 weeks. Thanks again!!
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.
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.
If you want your Probate to come through quickly and efficiently then I cannot recommend this company more highly. We had an appointment with a Solicitor for 5th March 2025 and at a cost of £1,503 and was told it would take 12 weeks or more. I searched the internet for an online Probate Company and came across YouCanDoProbate. Looked at the reviews and saw that someone had put that you don’t pay only the £399 fee – they said there were hidden costs. So read through everything and noted that you also have to send a cheque for £300 for the Courts to gain the Probate. I did phone them to make sure there were no other costs involved and was told that no this was everything charged – no “hidden” costs at all. So on 19th February I sent off all the paperwork together with the cheque for the Courts. Just over a week later I received an email from Gov.uk to say they were dealing with the probate and that it could take up to 12 weeks. A couple of days later I received an email to say Probate had been granted and I would receive it within 10 days – on 5th March the Probate arrived through the post. So it only took 2 weeks from beginning to end. I would recommend this website and if you have any questions they are more than helpful. I don’t know why Solicitors charge such outrageous fees – this was half what was quoted and we had the Probate in our hands before the actual appointment with the Solicitor. I cannot thank you enough for making what is a really difficult time in any families life a straightforward and easy application.
Being 90 years old found the prospect of applying for probate extremely daunting, the registrar of deaths told me to approach the “Bereavement Support Group” who in turn informed me of the web site to down load forms from, this I achieved (all 22pages), and commenced to fill in the answers required, got stuck on one question but the system would then not let me to advance to stage 2 until all was 100% on stage 1. Then phoned “You Can Do Probate” and a gentleman then proceeded to not only help with the unanswered question in Stage.1 but over the next two hours took me thro all the other stages, after which he told me to read very carefully thro the answers for any typo’s or anything not to my liking and to phone him (Giving me his personal phone no) if so. there was one item I was not happy with so made contact again, and he then very carefully took me thro the procedure to make these changes (could never achieved by myself) Then on the 24th July mailed all pages to the Probate Service and on the 14th August received my Probate Certificates Wunderbar
Due to the present extenuating circumstances i.e. Coronavirus Lockdown, I decided to do Probate on my own behalf. Having now completed the paper work. Sincerely I should like to thank the support team for their help and guidance.It was reassuring to know that there was always someone at the end of the phone to call upon if I was uncertain.
I knew no IHT was due but with my mother’s nil residential band bit it meant I had to fill in IHT400, then it became various other IHT forms and I lost the will to live, as many of the questions aren’t in simple English. I had quotes from 3-8k just to fill in forms (One bank account, one shared house & one bond). Found the youcandoprobate website – phoned them up & had chat – no sales pressure. After a few days and looking at the forms again & getting confused, I signed up. Took 3 hours to fill in forms, got slightly lost at one point & requested a call back. Lovely chap found the problem (my input numbers in wrong box) corrected them and then stayed on phone while it re-calculated to make sense. Printed all forms off and have just received my code from HMRC. £495 well spent and peace of mind that all forms were correct. One thinks “ IHT I can manage that”, then IHT435 & 436 and then another one with pensions etc etc. I think I ended up sending about 6 different IHT forms in and I know if I had ploughed on myself I would not have sent all the correct forms in.
Having used a well known company previously to carry out a probate application and being very dissatisfied as it took 12 months (this was not a complex case) I was determined to apply myself this time around. However the government online system is not very user friendly and I found myself rethinking my approach. You can do probate were the perfect middle ground. The cost was considerably less and the availability of experts to consult with throughout the process was very reassuring. Before you go straight to a solicitor or an independent probate firm take a look at we can do probate. The biggest difference is that you are in control of the time frame . I will use them again if the event ever arises.
Although my application was fairly straightforward at my age I needed it to be stress free. The help I received and the clear instructions and information made it just that.