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On or after 1st March 2025
On or before 28th February 2025
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Going it alone or YouCanDoProbate?

How we compare against applying on your own.

The same forms either way. The difference is knowing which ones you need and how to complete them.

The reality

If you are thinking of going it alone these are the realities most people only discover when they start on their own

Most people who attempt probate alone do not know what they do not know until something goes wrong. These are the issues people wish someone had told them about before they started.
Which forms do you actually need to apply
PA1P or PA1A for the probate application. IHT400 and stacks of supplementary schedules when inheritance tax forms are involved. Identifying the wrong forms delays your application significantly.
How to calculate the estate correctly
Every asset, every liability, every deduction, calculated at the right date in the right way. One error throws the entire estate calculation and can result in the application being returned.
Which exemptions apply to your estate
The Transferable Nil Rate Band and Residence Nil Rate Band can eliminate or significantly reduce an inheritance tax liability. Most people applying alone miss one or both and overpay as a result.
The documentation is difficult to understand
Even when you find the right instructions, they are written for professionals, not ordinary people. Dense, ambiguous and easily misread. A small misinterpretation at this stage can affect the whole application.
How do you know if you've done it correctly?
There is no built-in check and no one reviewing your work. If something is wrong you will only find out when the application is returned weeks later. By which point you may need to start that section again from scratch.
There's limited to no help available
If you have ever tried to contact HMCTS or HMRC you will know how difficult it is to get through, let alone get a useful answer. Official support for people applying alone is extremely limited.

Everything
done for you

YouCanDoProbate solves every one of those problems.

You still provide the estate information. The platform does everything else that going it alone would leave entirely up to you.
You don't need to know what forms you need
No working out which of the dozens of probate and inheritance tax forms your estate needs. The platform identifies them all automatically from your answers.
Calculates the whole estate automatically
Total assets, total liabilities, net estate value and any inheritance tax liability. All calculated automatically at the correct dates.
Applies every available exemption for you
You don't even need to know what exemptions can be used. Transferable and Residence Nil Rate Bands and every other available exemption, identified and applied so you do not overpay.
Completes every form for you ready to submit
Every form filled from your answers, accurately and compliantly. You never face a blank government form or wonder what goes in each box.
Everything correct and compliant
The platform will not generate your forms until every section is finished. Nothing can be left blank or incomplete. Your forms are generated only when everything is in place.
Unlimited support and guidance every step
Plain-English questions with built-in guidance, video instruction and unlimited support from our experts. You always know what is being asked and why.

The easiest way
to do it yourself

Applying for probate yourself is entirely possible, but YouCanDoProbate is the best way to do it.

There is no legal requirement to use a solicitor to apply for probate. Thousands of people apply themselves every year. The challenge is not the concept. It is the execution.

Without guidance, without automatic calculations and without anyone checking your work, applying alone means carrying all the risk of getting it wrong. YouCanDoProbate removes that risk. You are still the executor. You are still the one making the application. The platform just makes sure it is done properly.

How we compare

Applying alone vs YouCanDoProbate.

Here is how the two routes compare on every measure that matters to someone applying for probate themselves.
Scroll right to see full table
How we compare
YouCanDoProbate
Doing it yourself
Cost
£499 fixed
Free forms
Step-by-step guidance
None provided
Forms completed for you
No, you complete them
Right forms chosen
Often confusing
Estate calculations done
Yours to work out
Inheritance tax worked out
Complex and risky
Exemptions applied correctly
Easy to miss
TNRB and RNRB handled
Often missed entirely
Risk of errors or rejection
Significantly reduced
Higher
Support if you get stuck
Unlimited expert support
Online forums and guesswork
Save progress anytime
Not applicable
Typical Grant timeline
3 to 6 weeks from posting
Variable, higher error risk
Scroll right to see full table
Still not sure about something? Call us on 0800 689 1447 · Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm

We are always completely transparent

Sometimes applying yourself could be the wrong choice. For some estates solicitors are exactly right.

We will say this clearly before anything else. There are situations where a solicitor’s involvement is genuinely the right call and we would always recommend one if that is the case.
When you cannot use the platform
Domiciled outside of England or Wales
A surviving spouse domiciled outside of England or Wales
Contested probate or disputed Wills
The deceased made gifts with reservation of benefit.
You need to claim Business Asset Relief (on assets other than unquoted shares)
You need to claim Agricultural Relief
Heritage Assets Conditional Exemption
Assets held in trust for the deceased.
Still not sure about something? Call us on 0800 689 1447 · Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm
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
Easy to use. Great service and a saving of £2000!

I HIGHLY recommend the platform for anyone wanting to save solicitors fees and who wants to apply themselves. £325 gives you an easy to use platform that asks questions that are easy to understand. It is intuitive to use and red flags you if there is anything missing. Support is 1st class, sent an email question on a Sunday afternoon and had a reply 2 hours later! YCDP cuts out large parts of the probate forms that do not apply to your own application….My application was straightforward and the actual time i took on the YCDP platform was probably 30 mins. Quotes from solicitors were £2k to £3k JUST to fill out the forms, bear in mind that you have to provide the solicitors with all the details. Brilliant service – Easy to use.

Mike Adkins
Trustpilot five star rating
First class platform, service and support

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

Jason Whittaker
Trustpilot five star rating
So easy

So easy, why would you use a solicitor?!

Robert Ryan
Trustpilot five star rating
The process was simple and the support…

The process was simple and the support provided spot on.

Sue Byrne
Trustpilot five star rating
Easier to complete than I initially…

Easier to complete than I initially thought.

Lynn Wasnidge
Trustpilot five star rating
System was priced sensibly and easy to…

System was priced sensibly and easy to use

PJM
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
Fantastic service

Fantastic service. Extremely clearly laid out, very intuitive and lots of online help. I used the contact twice: once promptly answered via email, the second via a booked appt – again very polite and incredibly helpful. I took my time over entering and double-checking details but, from beginning to end (IHT done and probate in hand) took 10 weeks including turnaround time for documents. Great value for money and strongly recommended.

Simon Bennett
Trustpilot five star rating
It was all clear and concise…

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.

W.m.porteous
Trustpilot five star rating
Makes the whole process straightforward

The YouCanDoProbate portal made the whole process extremely straightforward and it was at a fraction of the cost of engaging a solicitor, or a probate consultancy service. And, it was quick… Thoroughly recommended!

Nigel Walker
Trustpilot five star rating
As it says

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.

Graham Trim
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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Got questions?

Every question answered about the platform, the price and the process.
© 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.
© Kabing Ltd | All Rights Reserved. Company number 12125399.

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