PA8A is the HMCTS form used to enter a caveat — a notice that stops a grant of probate being issued on an estate for 6 months, without saying why.
This walkthrough explains who can enter one, what it costs, what happens if the applicant serves a warning against it, and when the situation has moved beyond what a form alone can resolve.
✓ Updated 2026 · verified against GOV.UK
In design
United Kingdom·Informational, not legal or financial advice·Verified against GOV.UK, 2026
This walkthrough takes PA8A section by section, in plain English. The form itself is short; the judgement call — whether to enter a caveat at all, and what to do if one is warned against you — is the part that benefits from advice.
A caveat pauses the grant — it doesn't win the argument
Entering a caveat stops a grant being sealed, but it doesn't resolve whatever concern prompted it, and it can attract costs.
If the person applying for the grant serves a warning, you have 14 days to enter an appearance or apply to remove the caveat — miss that window and the Registry can allow the grant to proceed. And under the general costs rules, entering a caveat without good reason can leave you liable for the other side's legal costs.
A caveat is a holding measure, not a substitute for taking advice on whether you actually have grounds to contest the grant.
The form, in summary
Valoren
PA8A·5 pages·46 fields guided
With Valoren15–20 minutes
for the form — Valoren's records shorten the paperwork, not the decision to enter a caveat, which should involve advice
Without Valoren20–30 minutes
to complete the form itself; most of the real time goes into deciding whether to act, which the form doesn't help with
Deadline
6 monthsper caveat entered — renewable in the final month
Who Files
Any interested partywith an England & Wales address for service
£
Fee
£4to stop an application for 6 months
Filed with Leeds District Probate Registry (post) or the online caveats service
A caveat is a formal notice to the Probate Registry not to issue a grant of probate or letters of administration on a particular estate without first giving the person who entered it (the caveator) a chance to be heard.
It is entered under rule 44 of the Non-Contentious Probate Rules 1987 and takes effect from the date of entry, stopping the Registry sealing a grant for 6 months.
A caveat is not itself a legal challenge — it doesn't decide anything and doesn't require you to state your reasons when you enter it. It buys time: to take advice, to make enquiries, or to prepare a formal challenge if one turns out to be needed.
Anyone applying for a grant can respond by serving a 'warning' on the caveator, which starts a strict 14-day clock to either enter an appearance (setting out a competing interest) or apply for the caveat to be removed.
·Who Files — Any person with an interest in the estate, or their solicitor — but only if they (or their solicitor's firm) have an address for service in England or Wales.
·5 pages · 46 fields guided
·Draws from your Estate File — Civil Dossier, Legal Instruments, People, Authority & Contacts
Section01
§11
Section 1
What a caveat does — and what it doesn't
A caveat is a procedural pause, not a verdict. Before you file, be clear on what it achieves — and what it can't.
01
What it stops
Once entered, a caveat prevents the Probate Registry sealing a grant of probate or letters of administration on the named estate — for 6 months from the date of entry, under rule 44 of the Non-Contentious Probate Rules 1987.
It applies against any application on that estate, not just one from a specific person.
02
What it doesn't do
Entering a caveat doesn't require you to state your reasons, and it doesn't decide anything about the estate, the will's validity, or who should be the personal representative.
It buys time — nothing more. If the underlying disagreement needs resolving, that happens through a separate process (a warning and appearance, or a court application), not through the caveat itself.
03
When you need a professional, not just this form
If you're questioning a will's validity, alleging undue influence, disputing who should administer the estate, or you've been served with a warning against a caveat you entered, this has moved into contentious probate.
That territory needs a solicitor who specialises in contested probate — a form alone won't tell you whether you have grounds, what your realistic options are, or what it will cost if you're wrong. This walkthrough describes the process; it does not advise on your specific dispute.
A caveat is a procedural pause, not a verdict. Before you file, be clear on what it achieves — and what it can't.
HMCTS Probate Registry · PA8A❦
Section02
§22
Section 2
Can you enter a caveat? (Q1–5)
01
The address requirement (Q1, Q4)
You can only enter a caveat if you have an address for service in England or Wales — your own, or (if you're represented) your solicitor's business address.
Without one, PA8A cannot be used; the form says so directly.
02
Legal representation (Q2, Q5)
If a solicitor is acting for you, their details go in section 5 and HMCTS will send all correspondence to them instead of you directly.
If you're not represented, give your own email (Q3) and address (Q4) — that's where queries, and the confirmation itself, will arrive.
HMCTS Probate Registry · PA8A❦
Section03
§33
Section 3
About the deceased (Q6–9)
These details must match the death certificate exactly — the Registry cross-checks them against the estate the caveat is meant to cover.
01
Full name and date of death (Q6–7)
Enter the name and date of death precisely as they appear on the death certificate.
A mismatch here can stop the caveat doing its job — if the grant application uses a slightly different name spelling, the systems may not connect the two.
02
Other names, and last known address (Q8–9)
If the deceased was known by any other name, say so — or mark 'don't know' if you're not sure.
Their last known address helps HMCTS confirm you're describing the same person the grant application will name.
These details must match the death certificate exactly — the Registry cross-checks them against the estate the caveat is meant to cover.
HMCTS Probate Registry · PA8A❦
Section04
§44
Section 4
The fee and how to pay (£4)
The court fee is small, but the payment section has more options than it needs — pick the one that matches how you're applying.
01
The fee itself
£4.00 to enter a caveat, covering 6 months of protection. The same fee applies again if you extend it for a further 6-month period.
This is separate from — and much smaller than — the main probate application fee, which is paid by whoever is seeking the grant, not by you.
02
Ways to pay
By cheque or postal order made payable to 'HMCTS' if applying by post; in person at a court counter; through a solicitor's fee account if a practitioner is filing on your behalf; or online by card, if you use the digital caveats service instead of the paper form.
03
Help with Fees
If you're on a low income or receive certain benefits, you may not have to pay the fee, or may get money off it, through the Help with Fees scheme — apply online, or attach form EX160 and send it separately to Newcastle District Probate Registry.
The court fee is small, but the payment section has more options than it needs — pick the one that matches how you're applying.
HMCTS Probate Registry · PA8A❦
Section05
§55
Section 5
After you apply — the clock, the warning, and the costs risk
Filing the form is the easy part. What happens next is the part most people underestimate.
01
You'll get a confirmation, not a decision
HMCTS sends a notification confirming your application to stop a grant has been entered — this isn't a ruling on the underlying dispute, just confirmation the caveat is now in effect.
02
The 6-month clock, and renewing it
A caveat lasts 6 months from entry. If you need it to continue, you must apply to extend it within the final month of that period — leave it too late and it lapses, and any protection it gave disappears with it.
03
The warning — a strict 14-day response window
Anyone applying for a grant can respond to your caveat by serving a formal 'warning'. Once served, you have 14 days to either enter an appearance (setting out your competing interest in the estate) or apply for directions if you don't have one but still want to show cause against the grant.
Miss the 14 days, and the Registry can allow the grant to proceed as if the caveat had never been entered.
04
The costs risk
Entering a caveat without a good reason can leave you liable for the other side's legal costs if the matter is later contested.
Try to resolve the concern directly, or take advice, before you file — the Probate Helpline (0300 303 0648) can explain the process, but cannot advise you on whether to proceed.
Filing the form is the easy part. What happens next is the part most people underestimate.
HMCTS Probate Registry · PA8A❦
Many people file PA8A 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
PA8A questions, answered.
01What does form PA8A do?›
PA8A lets you enter a caveat — a formal notice that stops the Probate Registry issuing a grant of probate or letters of administration on a named estate, for up to 6 months, without you having to state your reasons.
02Who can enter a caveat using PA8A?›
Anyone with an interest in the estate, provided they (or their solicitor) have an address for service in England or Wales.
Without that address, PA8A cannot be used.
03How much does it cost to enter a caveat?›
£4, covering 6 months. The same £4 fee applies again if you need to extend it for a further 6-month period.
04How long does a caveat last, and can it be renewed?›
6 months from the date it's entered. To keep it in effect beyond that, you must apply to extend it within the final month of the current period — extensions add a further 6 months each time.
05What happens if someone 'warns' my caveat?›
A warning gives you 14 days to respond, either by entering an appearance (setting out a competing interest in the estate) or applying to the court for directions.
If you miss that window, the Registry can allow the grant to proceed.
06Could I have to pay costs for entering a caveat?›
Yes — if you enter a caveat without good reason and the matter is later contested, you can be ordered to pay the other side's legal costs.
It's worth trying to resolve the underlying concern, or taking advice, before filing.
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Where this fits
PA8A is one form. The file behind it is the rest.
PA8A isn't a form your records prepare you for in the usual sense — it's a response to a dispute that's already under way. What still helps: the Legal Instruments and People, Authority & Contacts records show what wills and named executors were on file before the disagreement started, which is often the first thing a solicitor asks for if you take this further.
HMCTS Probate Registry·46 fields·£4.00 to enter a caveat, covering 6 months. The same £4 applies again if you extend it for a further 6-month period.·15–20 minutes for the form — Valoren's records shorten the paperwork, not the decision to enter a caveat, which should involve advice with Valoren
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