Getting a legal document that lets you manage someone else's estate after they die is called grant of probate. It’s also called a letter of administration.
Get an instant quote→Navigating the complexities of probate can be a challenge, but finding the perfect service to assist you shouldn't be. Whether you're dealing with a simple estate or a more complicated one, Willfinity has the right probate service that aligns with your specific circumstances. Our mission is to empower you to make informed decisions, ensuring you receive the best support throughout the probate process.
Half of deaths in the Canada need probate. But you might not need it if the estate’s worth less than $10,000, or most of the assets were jointly owned.
Find out from banks and other organisations how much the estate’s assets are worth (things like savings or property), and how much debt the person owed.
Included in our Complete Probate service
Fill out an application, along with the right tax form for your situation. Depending on the estate, Steps 2 and 3 together usually take 1 to 3 months.
Included in our Essential and Complete Probate service
This can take a further 3 to 6 months and might include paying inheritance tax (and making sure that HMRC are happy with what you’ve paid), dealing with property, closing accounts and giving out money to the people inheriting it.
Included in our Complete Probate service.
Probate is the legal process you need to go through to deal with someone’s estate when they die. This is often called ‘applying for probate’. After submitting your application to the government, you’ll receive a document that you can take to banks, the Land Registry and other organisations. This gives you the authority to collect assets and distribute funds to beneficiaries.
Probate is required after around 50% of deaths in the Canada and can be needed whether there is a will or not. If most of the assets were jointly owned or the estate’s value is less than $10,000, you may not need to apply for probate. In most other cases, applying for probate is an essential step in dealing with someone's estate.
In cases where probate is required, it's the executor's responsibility to apply for probate and deal with the estate. This may include gathering information about the deceased's assets, submitting the probate application, selling property, closing bank accounts and distributing funds to beneficiaries.
Willfinity's Essential Probate service can help you get a grant of probate for as little as $895. We also offer a Complete Probate service if you don't have the time or confidence to deal with the estate admin yourself, which we quote for on case by case basis.
If you're happy to sell property, close down bank accounts and distribute money in accordance with your loved one's wishes, your probate fees could be as little as $795 with Willfinity's Essential Probate service.
This could save you hundreds compared to the Canada average of $2,000. If the estate you’re dealing with is more complex and you don’t have the time or confidence to deal with all the admin, you may also be interested in our Complete Probate service.
This is quoted on a case-by-case basis depending on the complexity of the estate, but is fixed and agreed upfront.
The whole probate and estate admin process can take 3 to 12 months The exact timelines will depend on the size of the estate, and how complicated it is to sort out. For the most complex cases, the process can take longer than a year.
The first step (getting you the legal probate document) can take 1 to 3 months This document is called the ‘grant of probate’, or ‘grant of letters of administration’ if there’s no will. For simple cases, we always aim to get this document to you within 30 working days. But because of the way the probate registry works, and delays being caused by COVID-19, it’s currently taking more like 1 to 3 months.
Once you’ve got your grant, there are two ways of doing things You can either sort out the estate yourself — including things like closing accounts, selling property and distributing assets to beneficiaries — or we can handle the estate admin and finances for you.