What are Probate Forms?

I’m afraid there is no escaping the laborious task of form filling if you are tasked with sorting out the money and possessions of someone who has died.

Applying for probate – the legal authority to dispose of a dead person’s estate – is done by completing form PA1, which can be downloaded from www.gov.uk. You will need to fill in details about the deceased, his or her surviving relatives and yourself.

Regarding inheritance tax, form IHT205 is used for estates worth less than £325,000 or those with a value below £1,000,000 if no tax is due because of spouse, civil partner or charity exemption. As well as the total value of the assets, all sorts of details are required from any gifts of more than £3,000 in the seven years prior to the death to benefits from trusts to life assurance and pension policies.

Take the forms, with the original will and the death certificate, to the local probate registry – there is one in Winchester, for example – or send them by registered post. Make sure you keep copies of all these documents for your own records.

Contact Heritage Will Writing on 02380 879243 for expert help with the probate process.