How long is probate taking right now?
In Aug 2026, a grant of probate in England and Wales took an average of 6.5 weeks from application to grant. Online applications averaged 4.4 weeks and paper applications 16.4 weeks.
All applications: average from submission to grant
6.5 weeks
up 0.1 weeks on Aug 2025 (6.4)
Online (digital) applications
4.4 weeks
down 0.6 weeks on Aug 2025 (5)
Paper applications
16.4 weeks
up 2.6 weeks on Aug 2025 (13.8)
Online applications that were stopped
11.7 weeks
down 2.6 weeks on Aug 2025 (14.3)
Average weeks from submission to grant issued, for grants issued in Aug 2026. Changes are compared with Aug 2025. Source: HMCTS management information - August 2026 (CSV), HM Courts & Tribunals Service.
What this means for you
- Online is faster. In Aug 2026, grants for online applications came through in an average of 4.4 weeks from submission. Paper applications averaged 16.4 weeks. GOV.UK also says paper takes longer and asks you to apply online if you can.
- Getting it right first time matters most. Online applications that HMCTS did not need to stop averaged 1.7 weeks. Ones that were stopped, for example while HMCTS waited for more information or documents, averaged 11.7 weeks. For paper the figures were 8.8 and 23.6 weeks.
- Compared with a year ago, the overall average (6.5 weeks) is longer than Aug 2025 (6.4 weeks). Over the last 12 months it has averaged 6.3 weeks. The highest month in our data was Nov 2023 at 15.8 weeks.
- The queue: HMCTS had 46,594 open probate cases at the end of Aug 2026, 7,881 more than a year earlier (38,713). Of these, 24,927 were stopped or waiting for documents. 3,262 were 12 to 24 months old and 1,864 were 24 months or older.
- These are averages, not promises. They cover grants issued in the month, so your own application could be quicker or slower. GOV.UK says you'll usually get probate within 12 weeks of applying, and longer if more information is needed.
- The grant isn't the finish line. Executors can only apply after valuing the estate, and after starting to pay any Inheritance Tax that's due. After the grant they still have to collect the money, pay debts and perhaps sell property before beneficiaries are paid. No official figures cover those stages. Read the full timeline.
Probate waits since Apr 2020
Monthly averages from submission to grant issued. Hover over or tap a point to see its value.
Combined from 78 months of HMCTS management information. Where a month appears in more than one release, we use the newest figure, because HMCTS revises earlier months. The earliest releases don't include every measure, and HMCTS has changed how columns are named over time. Gaps in the lines mean HMCTS published no figure for that month.
Show every month as a table
| Month | All: weeks | Digital: weeks | Paper: weeks | All: weeks from document upload | Grants issued | Applications received | Open caseload |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2026 | 6.5 | 4.4 | 16.4 | 5.5 | 21,991 | 23,266 | 46,594 |
| Jul 2026 | 6.1 | 4.2 | 17.7 | 5 | 28,948 | 29,281 | 46,598 |
| Jun 2026 | 7 | 5.2 | 17.9 | 5.9 | 25,985 | 27,336 | 47,051 |
| May 2026 | 6 | 4.1 | 15.6 | 5 | 21,951 | 24,169 | 46,380 |
| Apr 2026 | 5.9 | 3.8 | 14.7 | 4.9 | 23,139 | 25,832 | 44,731 |
| Mar 2026 | 5.4 | 3.5 | 15.6 | 4.3 | 27,777 | 28,693 | 42,620 |
| Feb 2026 | 6.4 | 4.6 | 16.5 | 5.1 | 25,789 | 26,621 | 42,374 |
| Jan 2026 | 7.5 | 5.5 | 17.6 | 6.2 | 22,904 | 25,792 | 42,161 |
| Dec 2025 | 6.1 | 4.4 | 15.9 | 4.8 | 19,323 | 19,683 | 39,656 |
| Nov 2025 | 5.8 | 4.2 | 15.1 | 4.4 | 23,754 | 24,094 | 39,767 |
| Oct 2025 | 6.2 | 4.5 | 14 | 4.8 | 23,802 | 25,978 | 39,764 |
| Sep 2025 | 6.2 | 4.6 | 13.3 | 4.6 | 24,316 | 24,794 | 38,436 |
| Aug 2025 | 6.4 | 5 | 13.8 | 4.9 | 23,547 | 23,334 | 38,713 |
| Jul 2025 | 6.6 | 4.9 | 13 | 5.2 | 26,748 | 27,538 | 39,339 |
| Jun 2025 | 5.6 | 4.2 | 14.3 | 4.2 | 25,574 | 26,849 | 39,339 |
| May 2025 | 6.2 | 4.9 | 13.7 | 4.5 | 23,865 | 25,558 | 38,875 |
| Apr 2025 | 6.3 | 4.9 | 12.8 | 4.6 | 23,622 | 26,962 | 38,359 |
| Mar 2025 | 6.3 | 4.9 | 12.4 | 4.9 | 29,316 | 27,661 | 35,713 |
| Feb 2025 | 6.2 | 4.5 | 13.5 | 4.9 | 23,494 | 25,888 | 38,997 |
| Jan 2025 | 6.2 | 4.7 | 13.8 | 4.6 | 28,058 | 26,817 | 37,505 |
| Dec 2024 | 6.5 | 5 | 14.6 | 4.2 | 22,727 | 19,721 | 39,407 |
| Nov 2024 | 7.4 | 6 | 12.3 | 5 | 23,618 | 24,206 | 42,582 |
| Oct 2024 | 9.6 | 7.5 | 15.4 | 7.7 | 27,591 | 27,628 | 42,019 |
| Sep 2024 | 8.8 | 6.6 | 15.7 | 7 | 29,173 | 23,382 | 45,454 |
| Aug 2024 | 9 | 7 | 17 | 7.2 | 28,297 | 24,616 | 52,080 |
| Jul 2024 | 9.3 | 7.5 | 17.7 | 7.4 | 32,002 | 27,889 | 56,535 |
| Jun 2024 | 10.4 | 8.1 | 20.5 | 8.5 | 26,796 | 25,383 | 61,975 |
| May 2024 | 9.7 | 7.4 | 21.3 | 7.9 | 26,834 | 24,716 | 63,365 |
| Apr 2024 | 10.2 | 7.6 | 23.1 | 8.2 | 28,356 | 25,666 | 65,635 |
| Mar 2024 | 11.3 | 8.8 | 23.7 | 9.3 | 28,271 | 24,343 | 69,006 |
| Feb 2024 | 13.7 | 11.2 | 24.5 | 12 | 27,397 | 25,322 | 73,742 |
| Jan 2024 | 13.8 | 12.3 | 22.3 | 12.3 | 27,392 | 26,648 | 76,493 |
| Dec 2023 | 13.6 | 12.3 | 20.7 | 12 | 24,020 | 18,988 | 77,889 |
| Nov 2023 | 15.8 | 14 | 22.3 | 13.9 | 27,006 | 22,566 | – |
| Oct 2023 | 15.2 | 13.5 | 19.8 | 13 | 27,664 | 24,355 | – |
| Sep 2023 | 15.4 | 13.7 | 21.2 | 13 | 25,982 | 23,171 | – |
| Aug 2023 | 15.5 | 13.7 | 22 | 13 | 21,706 | 25,850 | – |
| Jul 2023 | 14 | 12.2 | 22.6 | 11.6 | 22,922 | 27,013 | – |
| Jun 2023 | 13.9 | 12.1 | 21.2 | 11.7 | 23,361 | 25,910 | – |
| May 2023 | 15.4 | 13.3 | 22.4 | 13.5 | 20,175 | 26,006 | – |
| Apr 2023 | 15.5 | 13.2 | 22 | 13.9 | 18,351 | 23,791 | – |
| Mar 2023 | 10.8 | 8.2 | 21.2 | 9.2 | 26,637 | 31,006 | – |
| Feb 2023 | 10.6 | 7.5 | 22.6 | 9.2 | 20,088 | 26,643 | – |
| Jan 2023 | 11 | 8.4 | 20.3 | 9.6 | 19,834 | 27,629 | – |
| Dec 2022 | 10.2 | 7.6 | 19.6 | 9 | 16,699 | 18,214 | – |
| Nov 2022 | 9.4 | 6.9 | 20.4 | 8.3 | 23,720 | 25,071 | – |
| Oct 2022 | 9.3 | 7.4 | 17.4 | 8.1 | 24,142 | 24,166 | – |
| Sep 2022 | 9.25 | 7.23 | 18.63 | 7.8 | 21,780 | 23,480 | – |
| Aug 2022 | 8.76 | 6.94 | 16.69 | 7.37 | 22,443 | 25,376 | – |
| Jul 2022 | 7.9 | 6.3 | 14.9 | 6.2 | 21,933 | 25,634 | – |
| Jun 2022 | 8.4 | 7 | 13.7 | 6.6 | 23,180 | 24,547 | – |
| May 2022 | 8.1 | 6.6 | 13.1 | 6.4 | 25,096 | 26,303 | – |
| Apr 2022 | 8 | 6.7 | 12.8 | 6.7 | 21,880 | 23,327 | – |
| Mar 2022 | 8.4 | 7 | 13.2 | 7.5 | 24,986 | 27,783 | – |
| Feb 2022 | 9.2 | 7.9 | 12.8 | 8.2 | 21,185 | 23,862 | – |
| Jan 2022 | 8.8 | 7.3 | 13 | 7.8 | 22,758 | 24,501 | – |
| Dec 2021 | 9 | 7.4 | 13.5 | 8.1 | 19,202 | 19,052 | – |
| Nov 2021 | 8.7 | 7.2 | 13.3 | – | 22,370 | 22,955 | – |
| Oct 2021 | 9.3 | 7.8 | 13.7 | – | 20,128 | 21,403 | – |
| Sep 2021 | 10.4 | 9.4 | 13.3 | – | 23,699 | 21,718 | – |
| Aug 2021 | 8.9 | 8.2 | 10.6 | – | 25,732 | 21,140 | – |
| Jul 2021 | 8 | 7.9 | 9.9 | – | 22,386 | 23,124 | – |
| Jun 2021 | 6.9 | 7 | 10.3 | – | 21,784 | 24,896 | – |
| May 2021 | 6.9 | 6.2 | 8.4 | – | 22,740 | 26,255 | – |
| Apr 2021 | 7.4 | 6.4 | 9.5 | – | 21,861 | 27,257 | – |
| Mar 2021 | 7.3 | 6.4 | 9.1 | – | 25,698 | 29,111 | – |
| Feb 2021 | 8.2 | 6.8 | 9.9 | – | 23,699 | 24,111 | – |
| Jan 2021 | 8.9 | 7.3 | 10 | – | 24,255 | 22,263 | – |
| Dec 2020 | 7.9 | 6.2 | 9.2 | – | 18,367 | 17,055 | – |
| Nov 2020 | 7.6 | 6.84 | 8.01 | – | 25,029 | 23,792 | – |
| Oct 2020 | 7.6 | 7.03 | 7.86 | – | 22,576 | 26,986 | – |
| Sep 2020 | 7.5 | 6.51 | 7.95 | – | 23,085 | 22,382 | – |
| Aug 2020 | 6.7 | 5.78 | 7.27 | – | 24,251 | 23,739 | – |
| Jul 2020 | 7 | 7 | 7 | – | 25,212 | 28,645 | – |
| Jun 2020 | 7.5 | 7.12 | 7.59 | – | 18,597 | 24,699 | – |
| May 2020 | 7.1 | 5.59 | 7.52 | – | 17,464 | 22,315 | – |
| Apr 2020 | 6.7 | 5.63 | 6.93 | – | 20,299 | 17,016 | – |
| Mar 2020 | – | – | – | – | 16,228 | 17,485 | – |
More detail for Aug 2026
Time to grant (average weeks)
| Application type | From submission | From document upload |
|---|---|---|
| All (digital and paper) | 6.5 | 5.5 |
| Digital: all | 4.4 | 3.2 |
| Digital: stopped | 11.7 | 10.1 |
| Digital: not stopped | 1.7 | 0.6 |
| Paper: all | 16.4 | – |
| Paper: stopped | 23.6 | – |
| Paper: not stopped | 8.8 | – |
HMCTS doesn't publish a "from document upload" figure for paper applications. "Stopped" means the case was paused, for example while HMCTS waited for more information.
Volumes and caseload
| Applications received | 23,266 |
|---|---|
| … of which digital / paper | 19,056 / 4,210 |
| Grants issued | 21,991 |
| … of which digital / paper | 18,042 / 3,949 |
| Open caseload at month end | 46,594 |
| … stopped or waiting for documents | 24,927 |
| … remaining workable caseload | 21,667 |
| Open cases under 6 months old | 34,338 |
| 6 to 12 months old | 7,130 |
| 12 to 24 months old | 3,262 |
| 24 months and older | 1,864 |
About this data. These are HMCTS management information figures, taken from its case management systems. They are not official statistics, and HMCTS often revises earlier months in later releases. HMCTS recommends its official statistics for most purposes, and management information for the latest high-level picture. Timeliness covers cases completed (grants issued) in each month. Find every release on the HMCTS management information collection page. Last updated on this site: 18 October 2026.
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