Extend the window for inheritance tax loss on sale relief claims

News that the Probate Registry has doubled its estimated timeframe for processing probate applications suggests that the system is coming under increasing strain. The stated increase in the processing timeframe from eight weeks to 16 weeks shows that the average timescale for dealing with applications is on the rise.

This has coincided with a ‘modernisation’ of the probate application process following a move to primarily online applications and a reduction in the number of regional registries.

Delays processing probate

The latest data from HM Courts and Tribunals Service suggests that straightforward online applications can take around four weeks to be processed rising to 17 weeks for applications that need to be checked for example if there is an error or query. For paper applications the average time it takes to obtain a grant of probate from the point of applying is more than...