When a loved one dies and they have a life insurance or assurance policy, that policy may pay out a very significant sum. It’s only natural to question whether the payout forms part of their estate, which may be subject to probate, Inheritance Tax and other taxes, and also liable for any debts they may leave behind.

Following a bereavement, there are a number of tasks to be considered which can make an already difficult time even more challenging. Unfortunately, these tasks can often be complex and can include dealing with complicated legal and tax affairs. The process of dealing with someone’s affairs after they have passed away is known as estate administration, which is often misunderstood with the term probate. Although both terms are associated with the same process, they each have different definitions.

Following a bereavement, there are a number of tasks that need to be considered and completed which can make an already difficult time even more stressful. The things you might need to consider is whether you need probate, what’s involved in the probate process and if you need a probate solicitor. In this blog post, we aim to answer these queries and take away the confusion that surrounds this topic.

As of Monday 14th October 2019, the proposal to increase probate fees has been withdrawn. Click here to read our latest blog post on the matter. On 22 July 2019, HM Courts & Tribunals Service released revised probate fees including costs for applications and additional copies of the Grant of Representation. Although the cost of the application has not changed, any additional copies will now be charged at £1.50 per copy, rather than the 50p that was previously charged.

At Kings Court Trust we’ve always been passionate about helping families at the difficult time of dealing with a bereavement. We achieve this by taking care of the practicalities after death so you can focus on life’s important moments. We’re pleased to announce a group of new estate solutions that will allow us to help even more families.

Back in May 2019, we wrote about how probate registries in England and Wales were suffering from processing delays on Grant of Probate and Grant of Letter of Administration applications. We’re now a couple of months down the line and the backlog continues. Therefore, we wanted to provide our clients and business partners with another update.

Following a bereavement, there are a number of tasks to be considered and completed. These tasks are not always straightforward and can include dealing with difficult legal and tax affairs. We understand that this can make an already difficult time even more stressful. That’s why we’ve created this guide to help you understand your responsibilities and options, as well as what needs to be done.

As of Monday 14th October 2019, the proposal to increase probate fees has been withdrawn. Click here to read our latest blog post on the matter. Probate Registries in England and Wales are currently reporting severe delays on Grant of Probate and Grant of Letter of Administration applications. Due to the rollout of a new IT case management system, the process has been dramatically slowed down. This means that it’s taking longer for the Registries to process applications for Grants of Probate and Letters of Administration.  

According to the Law Society Gazette, the Ministry of Justice plans to close local probate registries and move the work to just one central location in Birmingham. Currently, there are ten remaining regional probate registries in England and Wales and staff have reportedly been informed of plans to scale back operations and shut down the sites in due course.