The impact of the pandemic on probate and hope for the future

The pandemic has had a sustained impact on millions of people everywhere. Government departments were not immune: staff were suddenly forced to work from home as Covid-19 spread throughout the population. For those dealing with the probate process the ensuing challenges were further compounded by two additional factors: the redeployment of tax experts from the inheritance tax department at HMRC to Brexit taskforces; and changes to the Probate Service’s operation which had started to take effect before the pandemic.

The combined impact created a perfect storm resulting in huge delays to the administration of deceased estates. The situation has nevertheless improved and it is hoped will continue to make the process more straightforward in future.

Steps in the probate process

Probate procedures are long-established. When someone dies with substantial assets (broadly speaking over £325 000 although in reality some larger estates are not subject...