# Probate application fee: £526 over £5,000, and why ordering copies up front saves £14 each

> GOV.UK sets the probate fee at £526 over £5,000, with copies at £2 each if ordered up front and £16 after. The cost of miscounting copies, worked.

- Page to cite: https://aeolookup.com/solicitors/probate-application-fee-526-over-5000-copies-2-16-order-up-front-worked/
- Publisher: AEO Lookup (https://aeolookup.com/)
- Section: Solicitors, Probate and private client
- Published 23 October 2026
- Key fact: With 8 copies needed in total, ordering all 8 with the application costs 526 + 8 x 2 = £542. Ordering 5 up front and 3 later costs 526 + 5 x 2 + 3 x 16 = £584, which is £42 more. Each copy ordered late costs £16 - £2 = £14 more, so a copy is worth ordering up front whenever the chance of needing it exceeds 2 / 16 = 12.5%; an unused copy wastes only £2.
- Sources: GOV.UK, "Applying for probate: fees" (https://www.gov.uk/applying-for-probate/fees): fee of £526 where the estate is over £5,000; no fee at £5,000 or less; copies £2 each if ordered with the application and £16 each afterwards; £22 for a second application where probate has already been granted. The related GOV.UK page "Applying for a grant of representation" says only that a fee may be payable and points to the fees page. Read 23 October 2026.

A client asks what the court will charge to get probate on their mother's estate, and how many copies of the grant they should ask for. The fee is a single figure. The copies are where a small mistake adds up.

## What GOV.UK says

The fees page I read gives these points:

- Where the value of the estate is over £5,000, the application fee is **£526**.
- If the estate is £5,000 or less, there is no fee.
- Extra copies of the grant cost **£2 each** if ordered when you submit the application, and **£16 each** if ordered afterwards.
- A second application, where probate has already been granted, costs **£22**, even if the estate is £5,000 or less.

The page gave no effective date and no mention of a future change. The page about applying for a grant of representation gives no figure at all and sends you to the fees page.

## The sums

Assume a client needs 8 certified copies in total: banks, building society, pension provider, two insurers, the land registry and the share registrar.

| Plan | Fee | Copies up front | Copies later | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All 8 ordered up front | £526 | 8 x £2 = £16 | 0 | **£542** |
| 5 up front, 3 later | £526 | 5 x £2 = £10 | 3 x £16 = £48 | **£584** |
| 2 up front, 6 later | £526 | 2 x £2 = £4 | 6 x £16 = £96 | **£626** |
| 12 up front, 8 used | £526 | 12 x £2 = £24 | 0 | **£550** |

Check of the second row: 526 + 10 + 48 = 584. Against the first row, 584 - 542 = 42, and 3 late copies x £14 gap = £42. Check of the last row: four unused copies cost 4 x £2 = £8, and 542 + 8 = 550.

So a copy ordered late costs £14 more than the same copy ordered up front, while a copy ordered and never used costs £2. Over-ordering is therefore the cheaper mistake. The test is £2 / £16 = 0.125: a copy is worth ordering up front if the chance of needing it is above 12.5%.

The estate-value line matters too. An estate of £5,000 exactly pays nothing; one of £5,001 pays £526. I did not read how the estate is valued for this test, so check that before you tell a client which side they fall on.

## Putting it into practice

- **Ask for the list of institutions on the first call.** Count them, add a spare or two, and put the total on the file before the application goes in. The [probate timeline and key dates](https://aeolookup.com/solicitors/probate-timeline-calculator-key-dates/) shows where the list fits.
- **Quote the court fee separately from your own fee**, as a disbursement, with the copies shown as a separate line. See the [client care letter checklist](https://aeolookup.com/solicitors/client-care-letter-checklist-new-matter/).
- **Check whether probate is needed at all** for small estates using [the small estate guide](https://aeolookup.com/solicitors/do-you-need-probate-small-estate-5000-fee-line-savings-joint-property/).
- **Warn about the other fees in the same estate**, such as the [caveat fee](https://aeolookup.com/solicitors/probate-caveat-fee-six-months-warning-14-day-appearance/), if there is a dispute.

## What I did not read

I did not read the help-with-fees rules, how to pay, whether the fee differs for paper and online applications, or the statutory instrument that sets it. I did not check whether the fee changes after today, or how the court treats an estate valued close to £5,000. Read the current GOV.UK page before you quote.

Overlyft ![](https://aeolookup.com/img/d/ours-badge.png) builds AI staff who join your firm's team, list the institutions from the intake notes, count the copies and draft the fee line for the client letter, with a person approving it before it is sent.

This is general information, not legal advice. Check the current GOV.UK pages and your own obligations for each client.

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General information for UK small firms, not legal, tax or financial advice.