Probate Service Delays: The UK Statistics

Probate service delays have eased sharply since the 2023–24 backlog, but the averages conceal a split. In January to March 2026 the mean time from application to a grant being issued was about 5 weeks, yet grants that were stopped took roughly 14 weeks against about 2 weeks for those that were not (Ministry of Justice, Jan–Mar 2026, subject to change).

This piece sets out the verified official figures for the probate service in England and Wales, drawn from the Ministry of Justice quarterly statistics and HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS). It looks at how long grants take, how the digital and paper routes differ, how the open caseload is moving, and where the delays actually concentrate. It sits within our estate planning guide and alongside our explainer on What Is Probate?, with a closer look at the wait itself in our note on probate waiting times. Every figure carries its source and reference period, figures are current as at July 2026 and subject to change, and nothing here is advice on any individual estate.

The headline numbers

Three figures frame the service. First, the mean time from a probate application to a grant being issued was approximately 5 weeks in January to March 2026, unchanged from the same quarter a year earlier (Ministry of Justice, Jan–Mar 2026, subject to change). Second, 93% of applications in that quarter were made digitally (Ministry of Justice, Jan–Mar 2026, subject to change). Third, 42,490 probate cases were still open at the end of March 2026, up 19% from 35,740 a year earlier, with 78% of the open caseload having been open for less than six months (Ministry of Justice, Jan–Mar 2026, subject to change).

Key figures at a glance

Each row below is a single statistic with its source and reference period. The probate volumes, timings and caseload are the latest quarterly official statistics from the Ministry of Justice for England and Wales; the digital and paper comparison is from HMCTS. Figures from different periods or definitions are not directly comparable, and nothing has been estimated, extrapolated or rounded beyond the source.

Sources: Family Court Statistics Quarterly, January to March 2026 (Ministry of Justice) and probate waiting times halved (HMCTS, February 2025). Figures as at July 2026 and subject to change.

The trend over time

Across the three most recent published quarters the mean time to a grant has held at about 5 weeks, while volumes rose into early 2026. Each quarter below is taken from its own Ministry of Justice release, so the figures are directly comparable on this measure. Nothing has been estimated or rounded beyond the source.

Sources: FCSQ July to September 2025, FCSQ October to December 2025 and FCSQ January to March 2026 (Ministry of Justice). As at July 2026, subject to change.

The open caseload has moved in the other direction over the past year. There were 38,205 probate cases open at the end of September 2025, down 16% on a year earlier (Ministry of Justice, Jul–Sep 2025, subject to change), while by the end of March 2026 the open caseload had reached 42,490, up 19% on the same point a year before (Ministry of Justice, Jan–Mar 2026, subject to change). A rising caseload alongside a steady average wait is worth watching, which is one reason we set the figures out rather than rely on a single number.

How this differs across the UK

The figures above are for England and Wales, where applications are made to HM Courts & Tribunals Service and a grant of probate is issued (Ministry of Justice, Jan–Mar 2026, subject to change). Scotland uses a different process called confirmation, applied for through the sheriff court, rather than a grant of probate, so its timings and statistics are not comparable with the England and Wales series. Northern Ireland runs its own probate system with its own service data. Anyone dealing with an estate outside England and Wales can check the local position, as neither the process nor the waiting times will match the figures on this page.

Read together, the data suggests the probate service has become faster for the common case while a tail of stopped applications continues to run to around 14 weeks (MoJ, Jan–Mar 2026, subject to change). The practical takeaway many people draw is that avoiding the reasons a case gets stopped, such as a query on the will, the applicant or the paperwork, tends to matter more to the wait than the headline average. These are observations about published figures, not predictions for any one application. A grant is also only one step in dealing with an estate; our note on probate waiting times looks at the wait in more detail.

For anyone weighing how long probate might take, it can be worth reading the timeliness figures, the digital and paper split, and the caseload together rather than in isolation. General reading such as our estate planning guide and our explainer on What Is Probate? can frame those questions, though neither is a substitute for advice on individual circumstances. Where an estate is large, cross-border or contested, many people choose to discuss it with a solicitor or a qualified probate professional.

Sources and methodology

Every figure on this page comes from a named official source and has been checked against the current published position. The probate volume, timeliness and caseload statistics are the quarterly official statistics from the Ministry of Justice for England and Wales. The digital and paper waiting-time comparison is from HM Courts & Tribunals Service. Where figures come from different periods or definitions they are not directly comparable, and nothing has been estimated, extrapolated or rounded beyond the source.

• Family Court Statistics Quarterly, January to March 2026 (Ministry of Justice): 65,254 applications, 62,261 grants issued, a mean of approximately 5 weeks and median of 1 week from application to grant, 93% of applications digital and 94% of grants issued digitally, stopped grants averaging about 14 weeks against 2 weeks for those not stopped, and 42,490 cases open at the end of March 2026 (up 19% year on year) with 78% open less than six months. gov.uk
• Family Court Statistics Quarterly, October to December 2025 (Ministry of Justice): 55,645 applications, 54,310 grants issued, a mean of approximately 5 weeks to grant, and 92% of applications made digitally. gov.uk
• Family Court Statistics Quarterly, July to September 2025 (Ministry of Justice): 60,132 applications, 59,572 grants issued, a mean of approximately 5 weeks to grant, 93% of applications digital, and 38,205 cases open at the end of September 2025 (down 16% year on year). gov.uk
• Probate waiting times halved thanks to Government push (HMCTS, 14 February 2025): overall average wait of just over four weeks, digital applications averaging just over two weeks and paper applications under 15 weeks, with around 80% of applications made online and straightforward digital applications granted in less than a week on average. gov.uk

All figures are current as at July 2026 and are subject to change. Statistics are for England and Wales unless stated; Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own systems. Statistics are quoted as published; nothing on this page has been estimated, extrapolated or rounded beyond the source.

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