Families are set to face a 10pc increase in the cost of applying for a grant of probate from May, alongside rising inheritance tax and property burdens. Additionally, probate fees will increase to £300, compounding challenges for bereaved families already experiencing significant delays in receiving vital legal documents.
The Ministry of Justice justified the fee hike despite significant delays affecting many families, with some waiting almost two years for grants from HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). Normally, the process takes around 16 weeks, but centralization and digitization of the probate system in 2019, coupled with staffing issues and the COVID-19 pandemic, have resulted in prolonged wait times and increased errors.
Partner, Charlotte Watts, has commented in an article by The Telegraph saying that "although the probate registry has made some improvements recently by taking on a number of new staff [...], the more complex postal applications are still taking up to 30 weeks to process"
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