The free route is free. Getting it right is priceless.
You can absolutely apply for probate yourself using the government forms at no cost. The question is whether you want to do it alone, with no one checking your work, or with a platform that completes everything for you and expert support at your side.
“The perfect compromise between doing it alone and paying a solicitor.”
Verified Trustpilot review
YOUR INSTINCT IS RIGHT
Doing probate yourself is the right instinct. Here is how to do it safely.
There is no legal requirement to use a solicitor, and applying yourself can save thousands. That instinct is a good one. The only risk is going it completely alone with the raw government forms and no support.
The free route gives you blank forms and a set of guidance notes. It does not tell you which forms your specific estate needs, check your calculations, confirm your exemptions, or answer your questions when you are stuck. That is where mistakes and delays happen.
YouCanDoProbate keeps the control and the saving, and removes the risk.
Free forms, or forms done for you. The honest comparison.
YouCanDoProbate
Free GOV.UK route
Cost
£499
Free
Correct forms selected for you
Forms completed for you
Estate calculations done for you
Inheritance tax handled
Exemptions identified and applied
Guidance at every step
Generic notes only
Unlimited expert support
Someone to check your work
Risk of costly mistakes
Low
High
You stay in control
Both routes keep you in control and cost far less than a solicitor. The difference is whether you do all the technical work yourself with no safety net, or the platform does it for you with expert support included.
WHAT YOU LOSE BY GOING FULLY ALONE
Four things the free route leaves entirely to you.
Knowing which forms you need
PA1P or PA1A, and if inheritance tax applies, the IHT400 plus up to a dozen schedules. Pick the wrong ones and your application is rejected or delayed by weeks.
Getting the estate valuation right
Every asset and liability valued correctly at the right date. A single error can throw the whole calculation and the tax position with it.
Applying the right exemptions
The Transferable and Residence Nil Rate Bands can wipe out an inheritance tax bill. Miss them and you could overpay by tens of thousands.
Having someone to ask
The free route has no one to call when you are unsure. YouCanDoProbate gives you unlimited access to real UK-based probate experts.
THE BEST OF BOTH
You keep the saving. You lose the risk.
Everything completed for you
All your forms filled from your answers. No blank government PDFs to decipher.
The saving of doing it yourself
A fraction of a solicitor cost, keeping the money in the estate where it belongs.
The safety of expert support
Unlimited help by phone, email, live chat and callback whenever you need it.
Confidence it is done right
ICAEW accredited, with every calculation and exemption handled automatically.
HOW IT WORKS
Four simple steps to your Grant of Probate
Everything is designed to take you smoothly from registration to ready-to-post forms. Most customers receive their Grant of Probate within 3 to 6 weeks of posting.
Would you rather be talked through it? Call us on 0800 689 1447 and we’ll help.
1
Enter the details
The platform guides you through a logical series of questions about the person who died, their Will if there was one (it works either way), and their estate, including assets, belongings, and gifts. It’s the same information you’d hand a solicitor.
2
Let the platform do the hard part
YouCanDoProbate applies any available exemptions, calculates the full position of the estate, and works out whether any inheritance tax is due. You don’t need to understand the rules. We handle them for you.
3
Get your completed forms
The platform knows exactly which forms you need. It generates your completed probate forms, along with any inheritance tax forms required, ready to print and sign.
4
Print, sign, and post
You receive full submission guidance covering what to send, where to send it, and how. Print your forms, sign them, and post them with confidence.
Expert help is there whenever you need it.
YouCanDoProbate is designed so that most people work through it without needing to contact us. Every section includes built-in guidance explaining what is being asked and why. Video explanations are available throughout the platform so you are never left guessing.
But if you do need help, our UK-based support team is available at every stage of your application. Every question is answered by a real UK-based person who knows probate. Not a chatbot, not an overseas call centre. Someone who can look at your specific situation and give you a straight answer.
Phone and scheduled callback
Call us directly on 0800 689 1447, Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm. Or book a callback from within the platform at a time that suits you. You choose the date and time and a member of the team calls you.
Email, live chat and support ticket
Send a question by email, start a live chat session, or raise a support ticket from within your account. We respond promptly. All support is included in your £499.
Screen share
If you need us to walk through a specific section with you, we can join a screen share session and guide you through it directly. No need to describe the problem. We can see exactly what you are looking at.
People who found the middle path.
Perfect compromise
“I wanted to have a go at doing probate myself but did not have the confidence to go it alone. This platform was the perfect compromise and saved us thousands in solicitor fees.”
Verified Trustpilot Review
Verified Trustpilot review
GOV.UK left us confused
“The probate system via the HMRC and GOV.UK websites just left us confused. YouCanDoProbate has really been the best money spent.”
Verified Trustpilot Review
Verified Trustpilot review
If I can, you can
“If I can, then you can do probate. The process was made easier and less stressful knowing I could ask for help as and when I got stuck.”
Mary M
Verified Trustpilot review
“What I thought was a legal process is in fact an administrative task which everyone is capable of doing. YCDP gave me the control I desired.”
— K S Willis, Verified Trustpilot Review
Is it right for your estate?
Is YouCanDoProbate right for your estate?
YouCanDoProbate works for nearly any estate in England and Wales, including estates with an inheritance tax liability. Here is what the platform covers, when it is worth a quick conversation first, and the small number of situations where a different route would be more appropriate.
Yes, the platform works for your estate
The person died on or after 1 January 2022
They were domiciled in England or Wales, or were a long-term UK resident living in England or Wales
PA1P and PA1A Probate forms
IHT400 Inheritance Tax forms and all applicable schedules
Estates with a Will
Estates without a Will (Intestacy Walkthrough included)
Full submission guidance: what to send, where, and how
Integrated written and video guidance
Save your progress and return any time
Unlimited support by phone, email, live chat and ticket
14-day money-back guarantee
The only additional cost is the official £526 Probate Registry fee for estates over £5,000, paid directly to HMCTS. Compare that to thousands in solicitor fees, for a process you would still have to help with anyway.
Want to know more first
One fixed price of £499. Exactly what it covers and what it costs.
Pricing →
See exactly how the platform works, from first question to completed forms.
How It Works →
Every question answered about the platform, the process and the price.
FAQs →
Apply for probate yourself. With the confidence it is done right.
Keep the control and the saving of doing it yourself. Lose the risk of going it alone. Expert support whenever you need it, all included.
