NS&I has identified £367m in savings owed to bereaved families. Could you be affected? Find out →
Farra is a death administration assistant for UK families. Get step-by-step guidance for registering a death, applying for probate, notifying banks, and managing bereavement admin. From essential documents to practical checklists, Farra simplifies estate paperwork and funeral-related tasks so you can focus on what matters.
There is no single probate threshold in England and Wales. Instead, each bank and financial institution sets its own limit for releasing money without a grant of probate, typically between £25,000 and £50,000 at the big high street banks. If the estate includes property in the deceased's sole name, you will almost always need probate regardless of value. Joint assets pass to the survivor without probate.
| Asset or Bank | Limit | Probate Required? |
|---|---|---|
| Property (sole name) | Any value | Almost always required |
| Barclays accounts | Up to £50,000 | Not usually required |
| HSBC accounts | Up to £50,000 | Not usually required |
| Lloyds accounts | Up to £50,000 | Not usually required |
| Santander accounts | Up to £50,000 | Not usually required |
| Nationwide accounts | Up to £50,000 | Not usually required |
| NatWest accounts | Up to £25,000 | Not usually required |
| TSB accounts | Up to £30,000 | Not usually required |
| Smaller banks and building societies | Often lower — check | Varies by institution |
| Joint bank accounts | Any value | Not required |
Limits checked 2026. Each institution reviews its own policy, so always confirm the current figure with their bereavement team.
If you have seen the figure £325,000 mentioned as "the threshold", that number is about tax, not probate. It is the inheritance tax nil-rate band, the amount an estate can be worth before any inheritance tax is due. It has nothing to do with whether you need a grant of probate.
The legal authority to deal with someone's estate. There is no statutory threshold in England and Wales. Whether you need it depends on what the estate contains and on each institution's own release limits.
A tax on estates above £325,000 (more if the residence nil-rate band or spouse exemption applies). An estate can owe no inheritance tax and still need probate, and vice versa. See our inheritance tax guide for 2026-27.
An estate can owe inheritance tax without needing probate, and can need probate without owing any inheritance tax. A £60,000 estate with a solely owned flat needs probate but owes no tax, while a £400,000 estate held entirely in joint names may owe inheritance tax but need no probate at all.
Before you begin the probate process, you'll need to register the death and gather important documents. Understanding whether probate is required helps you plan the estate administration process. For coverage of all stages, see our complete UK probate guide.
If probate is required, you'll need to value the entire estate accurately before applying.
A house or flat owned solely by the deceased, or a share held as tenants in common, needs probate regardless of value. That includes cases where you plan to sell the property as part of the estate.
Shares, funds and investment accounts in the deceased's sole name usually need probate, although platforms set their own limits for small holdings, so check with each one.
Sole accounts holding more than the bank's own release limit, commonly £25,000 to £50,000 at the big high street banks.
Disputed wills, trusts, or institutions that simply insist on seeing a grant before releasing anything.
Limits apply per institution, not to the estate as a whole. An estate with £20,000 at NatWest and £20,000 at Barclays may avoid probate entirely, while £30,000 in a single NatWest account would not.
For a fuller list of situations where no grant is needed, see when you don't need probate.
These are the published limits at the time of writing. Banks review them, and some look at the wider estate too, so always confirm with the bereavement team.
Up to £50,000. See our Barclays threshold guide
Up to £50,000. See our HSBC threshold guide
Up to £50,000. See our Lloyds threshold guide
Up to £50,000. See our Santander threshold guide
Up to £50,000. See our Nationwide threshold guide
Up to £25,000. See our NatWest threshold guide
Up to £30,000. See our TSB threshold guide
Often set lower limits, sometimes £15,000 or less, so check directly before assuming.
Limits change and vary by institution. Contact each one directly to confirm its current requirements before assuming you don't need probate. For official guidance, see GOV.UK's probate guidance.
Because the question is "what does the estate contain?" rather than "what is it worth in total?", the practical first step is a simple list.
Ask each bank for the balance at the date of death, then compare it with the bank's own no-probate limit above. Banks will usually tell you directly whether they need a grant.
If any single institution's limit is exceeded, or the estate includes solely owned property, you will need probate.
If everything is joint, nominated, in trust, or below each institution's limit, you probably won't.
Result: possibly no probate needed at all, but the shareholding is the item to confirm.
If you're unsure whether you need probate, see our detailed guide to whether you need probate. Most institutions will also give you a definitive answer when you contact them with estate details. It's better to check than assume.
Bank limits work similarly across the UK, but the legal process differs. If the estate is in Scotland, you'll apply for "confirmation" rather than "probate".
The probate process involves several stages from application to distribution. For guidance on each stage, see our complete guide to probate in the UK.
Apply online at GOV.UK, or use form PA1P (with a will) or PA1A (without) for paper applications. Read our step-by-step guide to applying for probate.
£300 in England and Wales, plus £1.50 for each official copy of the grant. There is no fee if the estate is £5,000 or less.
Usually 5 to 12 weeks for online applications, with clean digital cases nearer 5 to 6 weeks. Queries from HMCTS take longer.
Use the grant to close accounts, sell property and distribute the estate.
If you answered "yes" to questions 1-3, you likely need probate.
If only question 4 is "yes", you may not need probate, but confirm with each institution.
It depends on the bank, because each one sets its own limit. Most big high street banks release £25,000 to £50,000 without probate: Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, Santander and Nationwide go up to £50,000, NatWest's limit is £25,000 and TSB's is £30,000. Some smaller institutions set lower limits. Always confirm the current figure with the bank's bereavement team before assuming either way.
No. £325,000 is the inheritance tax nil-rate band, which decides whether tax is due, not whether you need probate. There is no statutory probate threshold in England and Wales. Whether you need probate depends on what the estate contains and on each institution's own limits, so an estate can need probate well below £325,000, or avoid it well above.
Usually yes. If the deceased owned property in their sole name, or held a share as tenants in common, you will normally need probate whatever the property is worth. Property owned as joint tenants passes automatically to the surviving owner without probate.
No. Money in a joint account passes to the surviving account holder by survivorship. The bank updates the account once it sees the death certificate, and the balance never goes through probate. The deceased's share can still count for inheritance tax purposes, which is a separate question.
The application fee is £300 in England and Wales, and there is no fee if the estate is £5,000 or less. Extra official copies of the grant cost £1.50 each, and it is worth ordering one for each institution you will deal with.
Answer a few questions about the estate and Farra will tell you whether it needs probate and what to do next, in plain English.
Get started with FarraExemptions and small estate procedures explained
Step-by-step guide to the probate application process
The full checklist of documents for a probate application
Where to search and what to do if you can't find it
The £325,000 nil-rate band and other IHT allowances explained
How frozen thresholds pull more estates into IHT
How to contact banks and access estate funds
Comprehensive overview of the entire probate process
How to accurately value assets including property, investments and personal possessions
What to do first if you are named as an executor
1 in 3 probate applications are sent back.
Answer 5 questions in under 2 minutes. We'll tell you whether you need probate, which route to take, and the mistake most people make at this stage.
Where they normally lived, even if they died somewhere else.
Free to check · 2 minutes · No account needed · £399 for your full Farra plan