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Wills and intestacy

What Happens if Someone Dies Without a Will?

Dying without a valid Will is called dying intestate. It does not bring the Probate process to a halt, but it does change who administers the estate, how it is distributed, and which forms are used.

No named Executor

Without a Will, there is no named Executor. Before anyone can deal with the estate, a qualifying family member must apply to the Probate Registry for a Grant of Letters of Administration.

Who can apply as administrator?

The priority order broadly follows the Rules of Intestacy: a surviving spouse or civil partner first, then adult children, then other relatives. Unmarried partners have no automatic right to apply without a Court order.

How the estate is distributed

The estate is distributed in accordance with the Rules of Intestacy. Verbal wishes cannot direct the distribution, only a valid Will can do that.

The Probate process without a Will

The application uses form PA1A rather than PA1P. The process is otherwise broadly similar: value the estate, complete the IHT400 if the estate is not an excepted estate (most estates are excepted and need no Inheritance Tax forms), submit the PA1A to the Probate Registry with the death certificate and fee, and await the grant. YouCanDoProbate supports intestate estates fully.

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Trustpilot five star rating
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
Trustpilot five star rating
Made probate very easy

Made probate very easy

DAVID LAMSDALE
Trustpilot five star rating
Very straightforward and intuitive…

Very straightforward and intuitive system with excellent support. A most cost effective solution. We obtained probate within 12 weeks!

Phillip Plato
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
Easy platform to navigate

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.

Rob kemp
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
Very good!

Better then spending 1000s on solicitors fees!

Robert Wright
Trustpilot five star rating
You can do probate made the whole process much easier.

You can do probate made the whole process so much easier. The platform guides you along the way with helpful explanations to questions that you may not understand. Even if you are stuck or confused by anything you can give them a call or online chat and they are happy to help. I really cant fault this service and at a fraction of the cost compared to solicitors. Thank you guys.

Pete Titterington
Trustpilot five star rating
Easy to understand

Easy to understand, online forms easy to understand and complete. telephone back up very good

David Gray
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
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
Happy to recommend

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

Tanvir Khondaker
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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.
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