Probate Forms Explained
Every Form You Might Actually Encounter
Probate involves more paperwork than most people expect, and it is rarely just one form.
Depending on your circumstances, you may need the main application form, a separate tax form, and possibly one or two of a whole family of less common forms covering everything from a lost will to giving up your role as executor entirely.
This guide works through the full range, what each form is actually for, and when you are likely to need it, so nothing catches you by surprise partway through.
Why Probate Forms Matter
The Probate Registry, and HMRC where tax is involved, use these forms to confirm who is applying, verify their legal authority to act, identify the deceased, record accurate estate information, and assess whether the supporting documentation stacks up.
Errors or missing information on any of them can delay the whole application, sometimes by weeks, which is exactly why it is worth understanding the full picture before you start rather than discovering an unfamiliar form halfway through.
The Main Application: PA1P and PA1A
These are the two forms almost everyone encounters. PA1P is used where there is a valid will, leading to a Grant of Probate. PA1A is used where there is no valid will, leading to Letters of Administration instead.
Our guide on Probate Application Form covers these two in full detail, including how to complete them, so this guide focuses on everything else you might need alongside them.
The Inheritance Tax Forms
Every probate application needs to address Inheritance Tax in some form, even where none is actually owed.
IHT205 was historically used for smaller “excepted estates” where no Inheritance Tax was due, though for deaths on or after 1 January 2022, this information is now generally reported directly within the PA1P or PA1A application itself, rather than as a separate form. If you are dealing with an older estate, involving a death before that date, you may still need the paper IHT205.
IHT400 is the full Inheritance Tax account, required where the estate is not “excepted”, typically because it exceeds the nil-rate band, involves more complex reliefs, or does not otherwise qualify for the simplified route. This is considerably more detailed than the excepted estate route and often benefits from professional help.
IHT217 is a supplementary form used to claim an unused nil-rate band being transferred from a late spouse or civil partner, where the estate would otherwise be excepted.
IHT207 applies specifically where the person who died was not a long-term UK resident.
Our guide on Inheritance Tax explains how these thresholds and reliefs actually work in practice, and our Inheritance Tax Threshold guide covers the current allowances in more depth.
Forms for Specific Circumstances
Beyond the main application and tax forms, a handful of situational forms cover less common but genuinely important scenarios.
PA11 and PA12 are used to appoint someone else to act as your attorney in applying for probate on your behalf, PA11 where there is a will, PA12 where there is not.
PA13 is used where the original will has been lost but a copy exists, allowing that copy to be used in certain circumstances, provided you can satisfy the registry that the original was not deliberately revoked.
PA14 is a medical certificate, completed by a doctor, confirming that an executor or administrator has lost the mental capacity to manage the estate, allowing someone else to step in.
PA15 and PA16 cover renunciation, formally giving up your right to act as executor (PA15) or administrator (PA16), which is useful if you have been named but do not want to take on the role.
PA19 applies where you are applying using a foreign death certificate that has not been translated by a licensed translation company.
PA8 and PA8A relate to caveats, PA8 explains how to enter one to formally challenge a grant, while PA8A is used to stop one you have previously entered. Our guide on probate caveats, warnings, appearances and removal covers this whole process in depth.
PA1S is used to search probate records, either to check whether a grant has already been issued, or to set up a standing search that notifies you automatically once one is.
Information You'll Need Before Completing Any of Them
Whichever combination of forms applies to your estate, it is worth gathering the same core information first: the death certificate, the original will where one exists, details of the executors or administrators, property valuations, bank balances, investment details, a full picture of debts and liabilities, and information about the beneficiaries.
Having all of this ready before you begin makes completing any of the forms above considerably smoother, and genuinely reduces the risk of a query or delay further down the line.
Common Mistakes Across Probate Forms
A consistent set of errors trips people up regardless of which form they are completing: incorrect personal details, missing signatures, using an outdated valuation rather than the figure as at the date of death, omitting an asset entirely, forgetting to account for a liability, or sending incomplete supporting documents.
Checking everything carefully before submission, ideally with a second person reviewing it, catches most of these before they become a genuine delay.
Should You Complete the Forms Yourself?
Many executors successfully complete the main probate application themselves, particularly for a straightforward estate. Professional advice tends to be genuinely worthwhile where the estate is complex, Inheritance Tax applies and the full IHT400 route is required, overseas assets are involved, trusts feature in the estate, or a family dispute has emerged.
The sheer number of forms that can potentially apply is itself a reasonable signal that, for anything beyond a simple estate, getting it right the first time is often worth the cost of advice.
Our guide on probate advice covers this decision in more depth.
How Find a Funeral Can Help
With so many possible forms depending on your circumstances, it is easy to feel unsure which ones actually apply to you.
Find a Funeral lets you compare experienced probate solicitors who can identify exactly which forms your estate needs and prepare them correctly on your behalf.
Yes, in many cases. The main PA1P and PA1A applications, along with the excepted estate Inheritance Tax information, can generally be completed online, though some circumstances still require paper forms.
Minor errors can often be corrected once identified, but significant mistakes, particularly around estate values or missing information, can delay the application or trigger a request for further evidence before it can proceed.
Not always. Many straightforward estates are administered without legal representation, though the more forms that potentially apply to your situation, the more worthwhile professional help tends to become.
IHT205 information, now generally reported within the PA1 application itself for recent deaths, applies to smaller “excepted estates” with no tax due. IHT400 is the full, detailed Inheritance Tax account required for estates that do not qualify for that simplified route.
Form PA15 is used to formally renounce your right to act as executor where there is a will, or PA16 where you would otherwise act as administrator without one.