Probate fee increases scrapped – for now…

The government’s proposed increase to probate fees – from the current £215 to a potential maximum of £20,000 – have been scrapped, as there will not be sufficient time for the regulations to pass through parliament before the snap general election.

These changes were highly controversial due to the size of the increase – the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments considered the higher fees to “have all the hallmarks of taxes, rather than fees”, and questioned whether the increases were legal.

This news will be of great relief to those currently preparing probate applications, as the increase was slated to take effect from 1st of May, creating a flurry of applications looking to beat the increase.

There is no indication as yet of whether the increases will be re-introduced should the government be re-elected at the coming general election.

Disclaimer - All information in this post was correct at time of writing.