Probate grant processing times remain broadly the same

New figures released by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) show that processing times for grants of Probate remain roughly the same.

These figures are included within the most recent Quarterly Family Court Statistics. What they show is an average wait time of five weeks for a grant of Probate following an application. This covers the period between January and March, and it is broadly the same as the wait time for the first quarter of last year.

In terms of application numbers, there was a rise of 1%. The total number of grant of Probate applications during the opening quarter was 65,254, of which 93% were online applications. The number issued was 62,261, with 94% of them being sent out digitally.

What the figures do show is that there are real benefits to using the digital service. The average time it took to issue a grant of Probate this way was just two weeks. Most Wills and Probate solicitors in North Wales apply digitally now, because it is faster and more efficient. Having a professional submit the application is better, as it reduces the risk of time-consuming errors.

The MoJ figures indicate that the Probate Registry is struggling with its load though. The total number of open cases rose by 19% during the first quarter. 61% of those open cases were for grants of Probate, while 30% were for letters of administration.

At Bennett Smith Solicitors, Probate grant applications are one of our specialist services. For solicitors in Anglesey who can take of this for you, contact us now.