How long does probate take?

Probate in England and Wales is taking 6.5 weeks on average from application to grant, according to HMCTS figures for August 2026. An online application that HMCTS didn't need to stop took 1.7 weeks. One it stopped took 11.7 weeks, and a paper application took 16.4 weeks.

HMCTS figures for August 2026, published 8 October 2026 · HMCTS management information - August 2026

• 1.7weeksOnline, not stopped
• 11.7weeksOnline, stopped
• 16.4weeksPaper, all
• 6.5weeksAll applications

Probate waiting times by route, August 2026

HMCTS received 23,266 probate applications in August 2026 and issued 21,991 grants. 82% of the applications were made online.

“From documents received” starts once HMCTS has the payment and all the paperwork. HMCTS publishes it for online applications only. Source: HMCTS management information CSV, August 2026.

What a stopped application is, and why it adds weeks

HMCTS stops an application when it can't go ahead as submitted. Its release gives the reasons: someone has entered a caveat because of a dispute over who can apply or over the will, or a caseworker has found an error and asked for more information.

In August 2026 a stopped online application took 11.7 weeks, against 1.7 weeks for one that wasn't stopped. That's 6.9 times as long. The clock keeps running while HMCTS waits for the applicant to reply.

HMCTS doesn't publish how many applications it stops. Its open caseload gives an idea of scale: of the 46,594 applications open in August 2026, 24,927 (53%) were stopped or still waiting for documents. Our guide to applying for probate online goes through the documents HMCTS asks for.

How probate waiting times have changed

Between August 2025 and August 2026 the overall average rose from 6.4 to 6.5 weeks. Online applications that weren't stopped fell from 2.4 to 1.7 weeks. Paper applications rose from 13.8 to 16.4 weeks.

Each month is as published in the latest HMCTS release that includes it. HMCTS revises recent months, paper most of all, because paper forms are scanned onto its system after a delay.

How the averages compare with gov.uk's 12 weeks

gov.uk tells applicants they'll usually get the grant within 12 weeks of applying. On HMCTS's own averages, online applications stayed inside that in every one of the last 14 months. Paper applications went over it in all 14, and a stopped paper application averaged 23.6 weeks in August 2026.

These are averages, so plenty of applications take longer than the figure for their route. gov.uk's advice is to apply online if you can.

gov.uk guidance on the 12-week expectation checked 27 September 2026.

The typical wait is much shorter than the average

The Ministry of Justice's official quarterly statistics give the median as well as the average. Of the grants issued in April to June 2026, half took 1.1 weeks or less from application, against an average of 6.3 weeks.

A minority of slow applications pull the average up. 28% of that quarter's grants, 20,188 of 71,076, had been stopped along the way, and those took a median of 9.6 weeks, against 1.0 weeks for the rest. The longest typical wait since the series began was in July to September 2023, a median of 11.9 weeks.

Source: Family Court Statistics Quarterly: April to June 2026, published 24 September 2026, all grants by quarter. Official statistics, which can differ slightly from HMCTS's monthly figures above. The series starts in April to June 2019; HMCTS changed the database that records probate cases in May 2019.

Without a will, it takes longer

The figures don't say why. See the three kinds of grant for when each one applies.

More people apply without a solicitor

In 2025, 45.4% of probate applications were made by people applying themselves rather than through a solicitor, up from 37.6% in 2012. That's 138,332 of 304,975 applications.

Source: Family Court Statistics Quarterly: April to June 2026. Full calendar years only; the current year is left out until it's complete. Applying yourself costs the same court fee as applying through a solicitor; see probate fees.

How many probate applications are waiting

46,594 applications were open in August 2026. Over the year the total rose from 38,713 to 46,594 (+20%), and the number waiting 2 years or more rose from 1,153 to 1,864 (+62%). HMCTS counts an application as open until the grant is issued, the applicant withdraws it, or it's made dormant. Staff can make a case dormant, and it also happens after 6 months with no action.

HMCTS says the count leaves out paper applications that haven't yet been scanned onto its case system, so the latest month can be revised upwards.

The clock starts before HMCTS has your documents

HMCTS measures two waits. One runs from the day an application is submitted. The other starts once HMCTS has the payment and all the paperwork. In August 2026 the gap between them was 1.0 weeks across all applications.

For online applications, that gap is the time between sending the form and HMCTS receiving the documents it needs. It counts towards the headline average.

Probate is one stage of dealing with an estate

These figures cover the wait for the grant. Before you can apply you need a value for the estate. If full details have to go to HMRC on form IHT400, gov.uk says to send it within 12 months of the death, start paying any Inheritance Tax, and wait for HMRC's code before you apply.

After the grant you collect the money and property, pay the debts and any tax, and pass on what's left. No official source publishes how long those stages take, so we don't quote a figure. Start with what probate is and what the grant lets you do.

Scotland and Northern Ireland

HMCTS covers England and Wales only. Scotland has its own process, called confirmation, through the sheriff courts. Northern Ireland has its own Probate Office. Neither is in these figures.

When to use a solicitor

For a simple estate, gov.uk points out that applying yourself can be cheaper than paying a probate practitioner. A solicitor earns their fee when the estate is disputed: a caveat has been entered, someone is challenging the will, or the family can't agree who should apply. The same goes for estates with a trust, property abroad or a business. See probate fees for what each route costs.