Do I need probate?
You'll usually need probate if the person who died owned a home in their sole name, or left more with one bank or building society than it will release without a grant. Of the 22 we checked, 16 publish a limit, and 12 of those set it at £50,000.
Bank limits checked 11 October 2026 on each bank's own site · gov.uk: check if probate is needed
Check your situation
Answer for the person who died. The result changes as you go, and nothing you type leaves this page.
Your result
Answer the questions to see whether you're likely to need probate, and why.
A guide based on what each organisation publishes. It isn't legal advice, and every organisation can ask for a grant whatever its published limit.
How much banks release without probate
Every bank sets its own limit. As gov.uk puts it, “Every organisation has its own rules.” These are the limits each one publishes on its own website for money in the person's sole name. Joint accounts pass to the surviving owner unless they agreed otherwise.
| Bank or building society | Releases without a grant | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bank of Scotland | No published limit | |
| Barclays | Up to £50,000 | |
| Chase UK | No published limit | |
| Coventry Building Society | Under £50,000 | |
| first direct | Up to £50,000 with a will, £25,000 without | UK residents only. |
| Halifax | No published limit | |
| HSBC UK | Up to £50,000 with a will, £25,000 without | UK residents only. |
| Leeds Building Society | Under £50,000 | Leeds's Will Indemnity form says £40,000, so its own documents disagree. |
| Lloyds Bank | No published limit | |
| Metro Bank | Up to £35,000 | Over £10,000 needs an indemnity signed before a solicitor or notary. |
| Monzo | Under £25,000 | Monzo doesn't say what happens at exactly £25,000, so it is treated as needing a grant. |
| Nationwide | Under £50,000 | Nationwide says 'less than £50,000', so exactly £50,000 is treated as needing a grant. |
| NatWest | No published limit | |
| NS&I (including Premium Bonds) | Under £5,000; may ask for a grant at £5,000 or more | NS&I says it may ask for a grant at £5,000 or over, and can ask at any value. |
| Royal Bank of Scotland | Under £50,000 | From RBS's indemnity form; a grant is needed at £50,000 or more. |
| Santander | Up to £50,000 | A sole mortgage needs a grant whatever the balance. |
| Skipton Building Society | Under £50,000 | Only if nothing else in the estate needs a grant. |
| Starling Bank | Up to £30,000 | |
| The Co-operative Bank | Up to £50,000 | Includes smile accounts. |
| TSB | No published limit | |
| Virgin Money | Under £50,000 | |
| Yorkshire Building Society | Under £50,000 | Yorkshire's forms say 'under £50,000' and 'over £50,000', so exactly £50,000 is treated as needing a grant. |
Each name links to the page the limit came from, read on 11 October 2026. Bank of Scotland, Chase UK, Halifax, Lloyds Bank, NatWest and TSB don't publish a figure: ask each one's bereavement team what it needs. Banks change these limits, so check the bank's page before you rely on one.
Any of them can ask for a grant below its limit. HSBC UK, NS&I and Coventry Building Society say so outright.
When you don't need probate
gov.uk lists the cases where you may not need it: the person only had savings, they owned money or shares jointly with someone still living, or they owned their home as joint tenants. Jointly owned things pass to the surviving owner automatically.
Savings on their own only stay clear of probate if each bank holding them will release them without a grant. That's what the limits above decide.
How property affects the answer
In their sole name. HM Land Registry won't register a sale or transfer without a copy of the grant, unless the executors are already registered as owners.
Owned as joint tenants. The property passes to the surviving owner. Their executors have no say over it.
Owned as tenants in common. On the register the property still passes to the surviving owner, but the share of the person who died belongs to their estate. A sale by the surviving owner on their own is caught by the Form A restriction on the register, so a second trustee needs to be appointed first. This is the case to take to a solicitor or conveyancer.
Not sure how it was owned? The title register from HM Land Registry shows the owners and any restriction.
Source: HM Land Registry practice guide 6, sections 2.2, 3.3, 4 and 7, read 11 October 2026.
Shares and other investments
Share registrars and investment firms set their own rules, like banks do. Ask each one what it needs for holdings in the person's sole name.
Scotland and Northern Ireland
This checker covers England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own probate rules, and in Scotland the grant is called confirmation.
If you do need probate
Applying online took 1.7 weeks on average in August 2026 when HMCTS didn't need to stop the application, going by its own figures. See how long probate takes for the full picture, month by month.
Common questions
How much money can a bank release without probate?
It depends on the bank. Of the 22 banks and building societies we checked, 16 publish a limit and 12 of those set it at £50,000. The lowest is NS&I (including Premium Bonds) at £5,000. 6 publish no figure, and any of them can still ask for a grant below its limit.
Do I need probate if there is a will?
Whether you need probate depends on what the person owned and how they owned it. The will decides who applies and what the grant is called. first direct and HSBC UK release more without a grant when there is a will: £50,000, against £25,000 without one.
Do I need probate if the house is in joint names?
Not for the house if it was owned as joint tenants: it passes to the surviving owner. If it was owned as tenants in common, the share belongs to the estate, and a surviving owner on their own can't sell until a second trustee is appointed. The title register from HM Land Registry shows which applies.
What happens if I don't need probate?
Expect to send the death certificate and the bank's own claim or closure form. Some, including Santander, Monzo and Metro Bank, also ask you to sign an indemnity form, and each explains what it covers. Tell each organisation about the death and follow what it asks for.
Is it the same in Scotland and Northern Ireland?
No. This checker covers England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules, and in Scotland the grant is called confirmation. Banks often use one limit for both: Barclays asks for probate or confirmation above £50,000. Check the rules for where the person lived.
How this checker works
It applies the rules from gov.uk and HM Land Registry practice guide 6, and compares money in the person's sole name with the limit each bank publishes, added up across all their accounts with that bank. Where a bank publishes a lower limit when there's no will, the checker uses it if you say there wasn't one or you're not sure.
Bank limits were read on each bank's own website on 11 October 2026. Where a bank's own documents disagree, the table follows its main bereavement page and says so in the notes. Compiled by James Burfield. This is general information about probate in England and Wales, not legal advice.