Refreshed from official sources
UK Bereavement Statistics 2026
Current probate, inheritance tax, funeral and bereavement-benefit figures — refreshed each month from official UK government sources. Use these to set realistic expectations on timelines, fees and processing.
Probate processing times
~5 weeks
National average, all application types
→ Stable vs Q3 2025 — down from a peak of ~16 weeks in late 2023
Probate application fee
£300
Per application (estates over £5,000)
→ Raised from £273 in January 2025; no change announced for 2026/27
Probate registries by court
11 registries
Across England, Wales, Scotland & NI
↓ Spread between fastest (Edinburgh ~6.5 wks) and slowest (London ~9 wks) is ~2–3 weeks; gap has narrowed since 2023 consolidation
Bereavement Support Payment processing
8–12 weeks
Online claim → first payment
→ Online claims clear in ~8 weeks; paper claims 10–12 weeks. Rates frozen at 2017 levels — no real-terms uplift in 2026/27
HMRC processing times for deceased estates
12 weeks
IHT400 → IHT421 (probate clearance)
→ 12-week target maintained for IHT400 review; tax repayments to estates typically clear in 8–10 weeks
UK inheritance tax receipts
~£8.2bn
Estimated total IHT take, 2025/26 tax year
↑ Up ~15% over four years (£7.1bn in 2022/23 → ~£8.2bn estimate 2025/26); driven by frozen £325K nil-rate band catching more estates
Funeral costs by region
£3,200–£7,000
Full-service funeral, regional spread
↑ London highest (£5,000–£7,000); Wales & North East lowest (£3,200–£4,500). Spread ~£1,800–£3,500 — has widened since 2023
How we keep these figures current
Every statistic on this page links back to a named UK government source. We refresh figures as soon as the underlying data publishes — quarterly for MoJ family court statistics, monthly for HMRC tax bulletins, and on policy change for fees. The card for each topic shows when it was last updated.
Where you see a range (e.g. "~5 weeks"), the figure is an average — individual cases vary based on estate complexity, application completeness and the registry handling the application. The detail page for each topic explains the variance and what affects it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often are these UK bereavement statistics updated?
Each topic on this page is refreshed when its underlying official source publishes new figures. Probate processing times come from the Ministry of Justice's Family Court Statistics Quarterly (every three months). Probate fees come from HMCTS fee schedules (whenever revised). IHT receipts are published monthly by HMRC. The 'Updated' date on each card shows the last time the figure was checked against source.
Where do these figures come from?
Every figure is sourced from a named UK government department or industry report: Ministry of Justice (probate processing times and registry data), HM Courts & Tribunals Service (probate fees), HM Revenue & Customs (inheritance tax receipts and processing), Department for Work and Pensions (Bereavement Support Payment processing), and SunLife / Royal London (regional funeral cost surveys). Source URLs are linked on every detail page.
Why does Farra publish bereavement statistics?
Families dealing with a recent death need realistic timelines and costs to plan around — not industry averages from years ago. Most articles online are out of date the moment government policy changes. We refresh these figures from the original sources so they're current when you need them.
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