All guidesExecutors & probate

The people who carry out your will, and the process they will face.

Executors settle everything you leave behind, and probate is the legal process they do it through. These guides explain the job, the timescales and the paperwork, so you can choose well and your executors can start prepared.

Name your executors in a solicitor-reviewed will

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Probate7 min read

Applying for probate without a solicitor: what it actually takes

Most estates are wound up by a family member, not a firm. The whole job in order, what it costs, and the honest test for when to hand it over.

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Executors4 min read

Can an executor of a will also be a beneficiary?

Yes, and in most family wills they are. The rule people are half-remembering is about witnesses, and confusing the two costs real inheritances.

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Probate6 min read

Deed of variation: rewriting a will after death

Within two years of a death, beneficiaries can redirect their inheritance and have the tax system treat it as the dead person’s own gift. It is stranger and more useful than it sounds.

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Probate6 min read

How long does probate take in the UK?

The grant itself averages a few months; the whole estate usually takes six to twelve. Where the time actually goes, and what genuinely speeds it up.

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Watercolour of neatly stacked folders, a pocket watch and a cup of tea on a kitchen table

Executors6 min read

What does an executor of a will actually do?

It is an administrative job with legal liability attached, and it usually lands on someone grieving. Here is the whole role, start to finish.

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Probate6 min read

What is probate? A plain-English guide

The word covers a court document, a legal process and several months of paperwork. Here is what probate actually is and when an estate needs it.

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Watercolour still life of a writing desk with fountain pen, sealed letters and envelopes tied with string

Executors5 min read

How to choose your executors

Your executor settles everything you leave behind. Here is what the job actually involves, who can do it, and how to choose well.

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