Grant of Probate (also Grant of Representation)
A Grant of Probate is a legal document which confirms the authority of an Executor to deal with the property, money and other possessions of a deceased individual.
A grant is required when the deceased leaves one or more of the following:
- A total estate in excess of £5,000 (including property)
- stocks or shares
- certain insurance policies
- property or land
A grant is issued by a section of the court known as the Probate Registry where an Executor is often required to attend a personal interview. Probate Registry’s are regional but adopt the same practices when issuing a Grant of Probate. You can contact us to obtain details of your local Probate Registry.
Institutions will usually need to see the Grant of Probate before transferring control of the assets to the Executor of the estate. It is therefore important to obtain the Grant of Probate as efficiently as possible to allow the payment of outstanding bills.
It is important to note that a Grant of Probate won’t be issued until some or all of the Inheritance Tax payable on the value of an estate has been paid. This causes concern to many Executors who expect to be able to pay Inheritance Tax out of estate funds.
Please note – when a person dies intestate (without a valid Will) a similar procedure is followed to obtain a Grant of Letters of Administration.