Estate administration is not a paperwork task. It is a legal responsibility that typically runs for 6–12 months, and longer with property or tax to settle.
When nothing was written down, a straightforward estate can still take 80–120 hours of executor time. Complex estates reach 200 hours.
Most of that time goes on discovery and chasing, not the forms themselves.
Indicative planning figure — not a quote — for solicitor-led full estate administration on a straightforward estate, plus VAT. Varies significantly by firm, region, and complexity.
From death to final distribution, most straightforward estates take 6–12 months; a property to sell or inheritance tax to agree pushes that to 12–18. Contested wills or property abroad typically take 18 months or more.
The fee to the Probate Registry to apply for the grant. £526 for estates over £5,000, then £2 per copy of the grant. No fee for estates under £5,000.
What an executor must do
Seven duties, each in sequence. The order matters — acting out of sequence on several of these creates personal liability.
The death must be registered at a local register office within 5 days of the medical examiner's office confirming you can register, in England and Wales.
You receive certified copies of the death certificate — you will need several.
Find the original will, confirm you are named executor, and decide whether to apply for probate yourself or instruct a solicitor.
A probate application without a will uses PA1A; with a will, PA1P.
Tell Us Once — the government service — notifies multiple departments in one go.
Banks, pension providers, insurers, HMRC, and DWP each need separate notification. Sole accounts freeze on notification; shared accounts do not.
Probate gives you legal authority to deal with the estate. Apply online or by post using PA1P (with a will) or PA1A (without).
Pay the probate registry fee. Most estates take 8–16 weeks to grant.
For deaths since 1 January 2022, most estates below the threshold are 'excepted' — their values go in the probate application itself, with no separate IHT form (in Scotland, the C1 confirmation).
Estates above the nil-rate band file IHT400. HMRC must be paid within 6 months of the end of the month of death or interest accrues.
Once probate is granted, you can access accounts, sell property, and collect assets.
Pay all debts, funeral costs, and administration expenses before distributing anything. Distributing too early makes you personally liable for unpaid debts.
Transfer assets to beneficiaries as set out in the will.
Prepare estate accounts showing all assets received, payments made, and distributions. Beneficiaries are entitled to a copy.
Liability runs with the role, not the difficulty. An executor who distributes the estate before all debts are paid is personally liable to creditors — even if they were unaware of a debt. The free executor checklist on this site tracks every required step.
The six-phase timeline
Estate administration runs in six overlapping phases. Most tasks in phases 3–5 cannot begin until the grant of probate is in hand.
- Register the death — register office, within 5 days
- Obtain death certificates (order 8–12 copies)
- Tell Us Once — government departments notified in one visit
- Locate the will, note executor names
- Arrange the funeral — costs come from the estate later
- Notify banks, building societies, pension providers, insurers
- Cancel subscriptions, redirect post
- Value all assets: property, investments, personal effects
- Identify and list all debts and liabilities
- HMRC self-assessment: notify and file if outstanding
- Complete PA1P (with will) or PA1A (without) — online or post
- Pay probate registry fee: £526 plus £2 per copy
- Await grant of probate — typically 8–16 weeks
- File IHT400 if the estate is not excepted — excepted estates report values in the probate application
- Pay any IHT due within 6 months to avoid interest
- Grant received — legal authority to act on the estate
- Collect all assets into an executor's account
- Sell property or transfer to beneficiaries
- Settle all debts, liabilities, and administration costs
- Deal with any HMRC repayments or final tax position
- Distribute specific legacies under the will
- Transfer residuary estate to beneficiaries
- Prepare formal estate accounts for beneficiary sign-off
- Retain records for at least 12 years
- Discharge from executorship once all matters closed
The key government forms
Four forms cover the majority of estate administrations. Valoren has walkthrough guides for each.
Probate Application (with will)
Any executor named in the will. Applied for online via HMCTS or by post.
Probate Application (without will)
The person applying to administer an intestate estate — usually closest next of kin.
Inheritance Tax Account
Required where the estate is taxable — broadly, above the nil-rate band plus any residence nil-rate band.
Excepted estates — no separate IHT return
Most estates — where gross value is below £325,000 (or higher with spouse exemptions), no IHT account is needed for deaths on or after 1 January 2022.
What the Executor's First Hour brief provides
The brief is not a template. It is a 12-section document prepared by hand around your specific situation and delivered within 12 hours.
Twelve sections. Written for your estate.
Delivered within 4 hours.
You answer ten questions about the estate. A Valoren specialist reads your answers and prepares twelve written sections around your exact situation. Not a template. Not a checklist. A brief.
Nothing you start with is wasted. The £179 counts in full toward the Family Handover Dossier’s first year for 30 days — use the same email at checkout and it applies automatically.
Also available: the Estate Readiness Audit — £79 . Where you need to diagnose your own estate position rather than administer someone else's.
Common executor questions
Where the boundary is reached, Valoren refers.
The answer higher up this page holds: most executors apply themselves. The questions above also name the exceptions — and where one of those is yours, you have two routes, and we are straightforward about which one is ours.
Where to go from here
What to do when someone dies
The calm first steps for the hours and days after a death — in the order they actually matter.
Executor's First Hour Pack
Twelve sections, written for your estate by a Valoren specialist. Delivered within 4 hours.
Executor checklist
A blank printable checklist of every required step — from death registration to final distribution.
Inheritance tax explained
Who pays IHT, on what, and what reduces it — thresholds, reliefs, and the April 2027 pension change.
PA1P walkthrough
A question-by-question guide to the probate application form — with completed examples.
The Executor's Register
The estate facts, contacts and accounts an executor needs, written up from your answers into one document — £29, one-off.