How to fill in form PA15 — giving up your right to act as executor
PA15 is the HMCTS form a named executor uses to give up — renounce — their right to act, before they've ever exercised it.
It's most often used by an executor who's elderly, unwell, lives too far away, is estranged from the family, or simply doesn't want the administrative burden of the role, so that another named executor or a replacement administrator can apply for the grant instead.
This walkthrough covers who can and can't use PA15, the declaration that decides whether renunciation is even still available to you, the independent-witness requirement, and why signing it is meant to be the end of the matter, not a pause button.
✓ Official source checked 23 August 2026 · GOV.UK last revised this form 10 December 2024PA15 on GOV.UK ↗
Free
United Kingdom·Informational, not legal or financial advice·Official source: GOV.UK
✓Official form · always current
This is the same official PA15 file HMCTS publishes on GOV.UK — the link below fetches the current version live from GOV.UK the moment you click it, so it can never go out of date.
Current version: December 2024 · confirmed on GOV.UK 23 August 2026
This walkthrough takes PA15 box by box, in plain English. It's a short form, but the decision behind it isn't reversible — once a grant has issued to someone else on the strength of your renunciation, the court will only let you retract it in exceptional circumstances.
Sign this and you cannot easily take it back
Box 7 requires you to declare, under your own signature, that you have 'not intermeddled in the estate of the deceased' — never handled its financial affairs since the date of death, and never withheld money owed to its creditors.
That declaration cuts both ways. If it's untrue — you've already paid a bill from the estate, started clearing the house, or registered the death as executor — renunciation may no longer be open to you at all. And if it's true and you sign, renunciation is meant to be final: rule 37(3) only allows a retraction with the court's leave, and once someone else's grant has already been sealed on the strength of your renunciation, leave is given 'only in exceptional circumstances.' Don't sign PA15 as a placeholder or a 'just in case' move.
The form, in summary
Valoren
PA15·3 pages·14 fields guided
With Valoren10 minutes
with the will's date, any codicils, and the executor's own details already on file
Without Valoren20–30 minutes
to complete, but often longer to arrange — tracking down the exact date of the will and any codicils, and finding a witness with no relationship to the deceased or interest in the estate
Deadline
No deadlinemust renounce before you intermeddle or a grant issues
Who Files
Named executorwho hasn't yet acted in the role
£
Fee
Freeno fee stated on the form itself
Filed with Probate Registry — typically alongside the application of whichever executor or administrator IS applying, though this routing detail sits in secondary guidance rather than printed instructions on the form itself; check GOV.UK's current probate application guidance before relying on it.
PA15 is the mechanism for renouncing — permanently giving up — the right to act as an executor named in a will, before that right has ever been exercised.
Under rule 37(1) of the Non-Contentious Probate Rules 1987, renouncing probate as an executor doesn't automatically renounce a right to a grant in some OTHER capacity — for example, if the same person also stands to inherit on a partial intestacy — unless that right is expressly given up too.
Rule 37(2) then closes the obvious workaround: unless a district judge or registrar directs otherwise, someone who has renounced administration in one capacity cannot later take a grant in a different one.
Renunciation can be retracted at any time with the court's leave (rule 37(3)) — but once a grant has already been made to somebody else on the strength of the renunciation, leave to retract is given only in exceptional circumstances. This statute isn't printed on the form itself; it's the legal rule the form exists to satisfy.
·Who Files — An executor named in a valid will who does not want to take up the role and has not yet intermeddled in the estate — collected assets, paid debts, sold property, or otherwise acted as if already appointed. Not for someone who wants an attorney to act on their behalf instead: GOV.UK is explicit that PA15 isn't for that situation, and not for someone entitled to administer an estate where there's no will — that's PA16.
·3 pages · 14 fields guided
·Draws from your Estate File — Legal Instruments, People, Authority & Contacts
Section01
§11
Section 1
Before you sign — what renunciation means, and who it's for
PA15 does one thing: it gives up your right to act as executor, permanently, before you've exercised it. Confirm it's the right form and the right moment before you fill in a single box.
01
Who this form is for
A named executor under a valid will who does not want the role — most often because they're elderly, unwell, live too far away, are estranged from the family, or simply don't want the administrative burden.
It's for someone stepping away from the role entirely, not someone who wants help carrying it out.
02
Two situations PA15 is NOT for
GOV.UK is explicit: don't use PA15 if you intend to appoint an attorney to act for you — that's a different route, not a renunciation.
And if there's no will at all, PA15 is the wrong form regardless — the equivalent renunciation for an intestate estate is PA16, usable only by a spouse, civil partner or child who would otherwise be entitled to administer it.
03
The one-way door
There's no statutory deadline for filing PA15 — the constraint is an act, not a date. You can renounce at any point before you've intermeddled in the estate or before a grant has already issued to someone else.
Once either of those has happened, renunciation is no longer straightforwardly available — retraction after another person's grant has issued is only granted by the court in exceptional circumstances (rule 37(3)).
PA15 does one thing: it gives up your right to act as executor, permanently, before you've exercised it. Confirm it's the right form and the right moment before you fill in a single box.
HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) — High Court of Justice, Family Division, Probate Registry · PA15❦
Section02
§22
Section 2
The deceased and the will (boxes 1–4)
The first half of the form identifies who has died and which document you're renouncing your role under — get the dates right, since they're what the Probate Registry checks the renunciation against.
01
The person who has died (box 1)
Full name and address, including postcode, of the deceased — copy this exactly as it appears on the death certificate and the will itself, so nothing has to be queried later.
02
Date of death (box 2)
The actual date of death, not an estimate. This is also the reference point for the intermeddling declaration you'll sign in box 7 — 'since the date of death' is the period that matters.
03
Date of the will (box 3)
The date on the will you're renouncing your role under. If the deceased made more than one will, make sure this is the date of the one that's actually being submitted for probate.
04
Date of any codicil (box 4)
A codicil is an addition to the will, signed by the deceased and two witnesses, made after the will itself.
If there's a codicil that also names you as executor, its date belongs here too — leaving it out can mean your renunciation doesn't cover the whole picture.
The first half of the form identifies who has died and which document you're renouncing your role under — get the dates right, since they're what the Probate Registry checks the renunciation against.
HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) — High Court of Justice, Family Division, Probate Registry · PA15❦
Section03
§33
Section 3
You, the renouncing executor (boxes 5–6)
This is where you identify yourself and describe exactly what you held under the will — a sole executor renouncing is a different position from one of several.
01
Your name and address (box 5)
Full name and address, including postcode, of the executor who is renouncing — this should match how you're named in the will itself.
02
Your status under the will (box 6)
Tick one: either 'a sole executor and residuary legatee and devisee in trust', or 'one of the executors and residuary legatee and devisee in trust.'
The form defines the second phrase inline: the person named in the will who receives the remainder of the estate to hold for the beneficiaries. Tick the box that actually describes your position — don't guess if you're not sure whether you're the residuary legatee and devisee in trust; check the will's wording.
This is where you identify yourself and describe exactly what you held under the will — a sole executor renouncing is a different position from one of several.
HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) — High Court of Justice, Family Division, Probate Registry · PA15❦
Section04
§44
Section 4
The declaration and signing (box 7)
One paragraph does all the legal work on this form. Read it before you sign it, not after.
01
What you're declaring
That you have not intermeddled in the estate of the deceased and will not hereafter intermeddle in it with intent to defraud creditors — and that you renounce all your right and title to probate and letters of administration with will annexed and execution of the will.
This single sentence is the whole legal act. Everything else on the form supports it.
02
What 'not intermeddled … with intent to defraud creditors' means
The form defines it for you: you have never been involved in the financial affairs of the deceased since the date of death, and you will not purposely withhold money the deceased owed to others.
If that's not true — you've already paid a bill from the estate, started clearing the house, or dealt with an account in your capacity as executor — say so before signing. Signing anyway doesn't undo what's already happened, and it may not be legally open to you at all.
03
Your signature and an independent witness
Sign the declaration, and have it witnessed by an independent witness — the form defines this as someone who isn't related to you and has no interest in the estate.
The witness prints their name and signs alongside you, and the form is dated.
One paragraph does all the legal work on this form. Read it before you sign it, not after.
HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) — High Court of Justice, Family Division, Probate Registry · PA15❦
Section05
§55
Section 5
After you sign
What happens once the form is complete, and the two things worth knowing before you treat it as done.
01
Where it goes
The signed, witnessed form is generally sent to the Probate Registry, or handed to whichever executor or administrator IS applying, to be lodged alongside their own application.
This routing detail comes from secondary guidance rather than instructions printed on the form itself — confirm the current process against GOV.UK's probate application guidance before relying on it as fixed.
02
Renouncing doesn't automatically clear every route in
Rule 37(1) means giving up probate as an executor doesn't, on its own, give up a separate right you might have to apply as administrator in some other capacity — for example, an entitlement under a partial intestacy.
If you want to step away from the estate entirely, that other right needs to be expressly renounced too, not assumed to disappear with this form.
03
Treat it as final
Once someone else's grant has been sealed on the strength of your renunciation, the court will only let you retract it in exceptional circumstances (rule 37(3)).
Don't sign PA15 to buy time or as a placeholder — if you're not sure yet, wait until you are.
What happens once the form is complete, and the two things worth knowing before you treat it as done.
HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) — High Court of Justice, Family Division, Probate Registry · PA15❦
Many people file PA15 themselves — that is what this walkthrough is for. If the situation behind it has stopped being simple — beyond what a careful person can safely do alone — Signum, Valoren’s own specialist desk, can take it on, and we say so plainly: it starts with a free intake, and if you do not need us, we will tell you. Prefer an independent adviser? STEP and the Chartered Institute of Taxation both keep public member directories, and neither pays Valoren a referral fee.
FAQ
PA15 questions, answered.
PA15 lets an executor named in a will give up their right to act, before applying for probate and before doing anything that looks like acting in the role.
Once it's signed, witnessed and accepted, that person is out of the executor role for good in the vast majority of cases.
An executor named in a valid will who has not yet 'intermeddled' in the estate — has not collected assets, paid debts, sold property, or otherwise dealt with it as if they'd already taken up the role.
It is not for someone entitled to administer an estate where there's no will — that's form PA16 instead — and GOV.UK is explicit it's not for someone who wants to appoint an attorney to act for them; that's a different route entirely.
Renunciation can be retracted at any time with the leave of a district judge or registrar (rule 37(3) of the Non-Contentious Probate Rules 1987).
But once a grant has already been made to somebody else on the strength of your renunciation, the court will only allow a retraction 'in exceptional circumstances.' Treat signing PA15 as final, not provisional.
The form itself defines it: having been involved in the financial affairs of the deceased since the date of death, or purposely withholding money owed to others.
Paying a bill from the estate, instructing a house clearance, or registering the death as executor can all count. If you've already done any of this, renunciation may no longer be available to you — you may be on the hook to apply for probate whether you want the role or not.
An independent witness — the form itself defines this as someone who isn't related to you and has no interest in the estate.
A spouse, a co-beneficiary, or anyone else with a stake in the outcome shouldn't sign as your witness; using one risks the Probate Registry rejecting the form.
Not automatically. Rule 37(1) says renouncing probate as an executor doesn't by itself renounce any right you might separately have to a grant of administration in another capacity — for example, an entitlement under a partial intestacy — unless you expressly give that up too.
Don't assume one signature clears you of every possible route into administering the estate.
No fee is stated on the form or on GOV.UK's publication page for it — there's no equivalent to the probate application fee attached to a renunciation.
Check HMCTS's current fees guidance if you want this confirmed before relying on it.
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Where this fits
PA15 is one form. The file behind it is the rest.
PA15 asks for exactly what Legal Instruments already holds — the date of the will and any codicils — and for the executor's own details, which sit in People, Authority & Contacts. Having both on file before you need to sign turns a form that depends on getting dates right into one you can complete without digging for the original will.
HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) — High Court of Justice, Family Division, Probate Registry·14 fields·No filing fee is stated on the form itself or on the GOV.UK publication page — unlike the probate application, a renunciation has no equivalent fee attached to it. Confirm this against HMCTS's current fees guidance before treating it as an absolute.·10 minutes (with the will's date, any codicils, and the executor's own details already on file) with Valoren
Where this fits
This is one piece of a longer sequence. The Executor's Companion lays out probate step by step, in the order it actually unfolds.