Being an Executor: Accepting or Renouncing the Role

Being named as an executor does not force you to act. You can accept the role and apply for probate, step back and let another named executor act while keeping the right to step in later, or renounce and give up the role entirely, provided you have not yet started to deal with the estate.

An executor is the person named in a will to carry out its terms, gather the assets, settle debts and tax, and pass the rest to the beneficiaries. It is an unpaid and sometimes demanding job, so it is reasonable to weigh it up before committing. This guide sits within our wider estate planning guide and explains each choice and how it is put into effect. It focuses on England and Wales, where the terms and forms differ from Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Your three choices as a named executor

A named executor in England and Wales generally has three options: accept the role and apply for probate, have power reserved so another executor acts now while you keep the right to apply later, or renounce and give up the role for good. Which routes remain open depends partly on whether you have already begun dealing with the estate.

Source: gov.uk, applying for probate if there is a will, as at July 2026, subject to change. See also our guide to applying for probate.

Renouncing executor of a will

Renouncing means permanently giving up the executor role before you have started to act. In England and Wales this is done by completing form PA15, which HM Courts & Tribunals Service describes as the way executors and administrators give up their legal responsibility and role permanently, known as renunciation (gov.uk, form PA15, as at July 2026, subject to change).

The form is signed, witnessed and handed to the executor who will apply for probate, or lodged with the probate registry. Once you renounce, you generally give up your rights for this application and any future one about the estate, and getting the role back later usually needs a separate application to the court (gov.uk, as at July 2026, subject to change). Because it is hard to reverse, renunciation is one option some consider only after thinking it through, and it can be worth discussing with a qualified professional first.

1. Confirm you have not intermeddled. Renunciation is generally only available if you have not begun dealing with the estate.
2. Complete form PA15. This is the renunciation form for a will (gov.uk, as at July 2026, subject to change).
3. Sign and have it witnessed. Hand sign and date the form, with a witness doing the same.
4. Send it on. Give it to the executor applying for probate, or file it with the probate registry.

Note: form PA15 cannot be used where you instead want to appoint an attorney to act for you (gov.uk, as at July 2026, subject to change).

Having power reserved

Power reserved is a middle path. Where a will names more than one executor, you can choose not to apply now while another executor acts, keeping the right to apply later if needed. To do this you notify the applying executor in writing that you are having power reserved, rather than renouncing (gov.uk, as at July 2026, subject to change).

This can suit someone who does not want the day-to-day work but prefers not to give up the role entirely, for example if a co-executor might later become unable to continue. Unlike renunciation, power reserved leaves the door open, so many people in blended executor teams find it a useful option, depending on circumstances.

The point of no return: intermeddling

Once you start dealing with the deceased's affairs, you may lose the ability to renounce. Taking steps such as collecting assets, paying debts from the estate or writing to the bank as executor can amount to what the law calls intermeddling, after which a court will often expect you to see the administration through. This is why the choice to accept or step aside is usually made early, before you touch the estate.

Reading the will, registering the death and arranging the funeral are not usually treated as accepting the role. Acting as though you are in charge of the estate often is.

Where you are unsure whether something you have done counts as intermeddling, it can be worth taking advice before going further, because the line is not always obvious and the consequences can be lasting.

Executors in Scotland and Northern Ireland

This guide describes England and Wales. Scotland uses different terms: the person administering an estate is an executor, but the grant is called confirmation rather than probate, and Scottish succession law includes legal rights for a spouse and children. Northern Ireland has a broadly similar system to England and Wales but its own forms and registry, and it publishes its own renunciation forms (nidirect, as at July 2026, subject to change). Where an estate touches more than one UK nation, it can be worth taking advice in each.

Frequently asked questions