Court and Tribunal Fees: July 2026 Private Client Update
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has recently announced several proposed changes to fees payable to HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). James Iron from our Wills, Trusts, & Probate Team explains...
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has recently announced several proposed changes to fees payable to HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS).
If approved by Parliament, the changes are due to take effect on 13 July 2026.
The key changes that affect the Private Client sector are:
- A 75% increase in the probate application fee from £300 to £526. This is a significant increase and the MoJ has said this is to recognise the ‘ever-improving service’ provided by the Probate Registry, including a shift to more modern technology, and to bring the fee inline with inflation.
- If a probate document is requested concurrently with a probate application, the existing £16 fee will be reduced to just £2.
- Fees for duplicate or second grants for the same deceased individual are said to increase from £21 to £22.
- Court of Protection fees are also due to increase. The fee for an application to start proceedings in the Court of Protection is set to increase from £421 to £432. Hearing fees are also outlined to increase from £259 to £266, with copy documents set to cost £8 (up from the previous £5).
- Overall, the MoJ has announced a 2.6% increase in 170 HMCTS fees to bring them in line with inflation, and a 34% increase to 27 fees.
It will be interesting to see whether, alongside the increase in fees, there will be increased investment in improvements to the probate application process.
Leathes Prior will be keeping a close eye on developments in the coming weeks to see whether the proposed changes take effect. If you would like to contact our Wills, Trusts, & Probate Team for any private client related matters, you can do so via info@leathesprior.co.uk or 01603 610911.
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