Apply for probate by post if there is not a will: Form PA1A
Use this form to apply for letters of administration to manage the estate of the person who has died if they have not left a will.
Documents
Details
If you are applying online, you do not need to submit a paper application as well.
You can apply for the legal right to manage the estate of someone who has died and did not leave a will. You will receive ‘letters of administration’ to prove your legal right to manage their estate.
Who can apply
You can apply to be an administrator of the estate if you are the most entitled inheritor, use this inheritance calculator tool to work who is most entitled.
You can also apply as a probate practitioner on behalf of the administrator.
You cannot apply if you were the partner of the person but were not their spouse or civil partner when they died. You are not automatically entitled to any of their estates unless you are able to make changes to the inheritance.
Apply as an administrator without a probate practitioner
Download the ‘citizen applicants’ form to apply by post.
Alternatively, you can apply for probate online.
Use this guide to help you apply for probate without help from a probate practitioner.
Apply as a probate practitioner
Download the ‘probate practitioners’ form to apply by post. Alternatively, you can apply online if you or your practice have a MyHMCTS account.
Work out who inherits
The law decides who inherits the estate if there is no will. Work out who will inherit.
Before you apply
You will need to:
- report the value of the estate of the person who died to HMRC and
- pay any inheritance tax due
How to apply
To apply for the letters of administration:
-
Download the correct paper form.
-
Fill in all sections that apply.
-
Print the form.
-
Sign and date the application.
-
Include a cheque with your application (see How to pay).
-
Send your completed form and supporting documents to:
HMCTS Probate
PO Box 12625
Harlow
CM20 9QE
How to pay
You must pay by sending a cheque payable to ‘HM Courts and Tribunals Service’ with your documents.
How long it will take
It can take up to 16 weeks to process your application if there is no delay in receiving your documents.
Contact us
If you have not heard from us after 16 weeks or need help to complete this form, you can contact us.
Probate helpline
0300 303 0648
Monday to Friday, 9am to 1pm
Closed on weekends and bank holidays
Open a document
You can download and open PDF documents on your device. Downloading enables more features to be used, such as printing.
Adobe Reader is a free to use PDF viewer. You can use this to view, fill in and print PDF documents. You do not need to sign up for a free trial.
Follow these steps:
-
Download Adobe Reader for free.
-
Right-click on the document link then select ‘Save link as’ or ‘Download linked file’.
-
Save the form (in your ‘documents’ folder, for example).
-
Open Adobe Reader and then select the saved form.
If the form still does not open, contact hmctsforms@justice.gov.uk.
If you need a printed version contact your local court.
Find more court and tribunal forms by category.
Find out how HM Courts & Tribunals Service uses personal information you give when you fill in a form.
Updates to this page
Last updated 20 September 2024 + show all updates
-
Uploaded new Welsh forms
-
Uploaded new versions of the Welsh forms.
-
Updated the probate helpline opening times.
-
Questions about receiving a letter from HMRC with a unique probate code (as part of the Inheritance Tax process) have been added to the forms.
-
Updated phone line opening times
-
The legal statement has been updated on both the citizen and practitioner forms. The practitioner form also has an updated QR code.
-
Updated phone line opening times
-
Updated April's bank holiday week opening times
-
Added a Welsh version of the practitioner form
-
Removed the pre-2022 citizen applicant only form.
-
Updated opening times for the probate helpline
-
Corrected small error where field for legal representatives firm wasn’t appearing on legal statement page of the form.
-
Edited the contact us section - The Probate helpline is closed on Saturdays.
-
Updated form page with new paper forms for applicants with and without an excepted estate
-
Added information about how to pay.
-
Helpline information updated.
-
Revised PA1A form including equality and diversity questions.
-
New form for legal practitioners published.
-
First published.