In 2020, online applications became compulsory for most Grant of Probate applications made by professionals, but Letters of Administration were left out of the rules. Our Wills and probate team has analysed the latest Ministry of Justice figures to see how the way people apply, and how long they wait for a grant, has changed since, and whether the picture is different when someone dies without a Will.
The study uses the Family Court Statistics Quarterly published on 24 September 2026. We compared paper and digital applications, and applications with a Will to those without. We also looked at how many probate cases remain open and how long they have been waiting.
Where someone leaves a Will, the executors usually apply for a Grant of Probate. Where there is no Will, a relative usually applies for Letters of Administration instead (shown in some of the official tables as a Grant of Administration). Both can be applied for online or on paper.
Our main finding is that since the 2020 rules, paper applications for a Grant of Probate have fallen sharply, while applications for Letters of Administration, which were left out of the rules, are still mostly made on paper.
As a firm based in South Wales, we have also looked at how many deaths have been registered in each Welsh council area so far this year, using provisional ONS figures. The Ministry of Justice tables cover England and Wales together and don't separate out Wales. So the death figures can't tell us how many Welsh families have applied for probate. What they do show is the number of families in each area who may now be facing the process the national figures describe.
Our team’s key findings
Paper applications for Probate are down 88% since 2020, but barely changed for Letters of Administration
Between 2020 and 2025, paper applications for a Grant of Probate fell from 144,184 to 17,481, a drop of 88%. Over the same period, paper applications for Letters of Administration fell from 30,617 to 29,736, a drop of just 3%.
Letters of Administration were left out of the 2020 rules that made online applications compulsory for most professional Grant of Probate applications, so professionals can still apply for them on paper.
In 2025, 58% of applications for Letters of Administration were still made on paper, compared with 7% of applications for a Grant of Probate.
Reflecting on the figures, Tom Baker, Partner for Wills and Probate at David W Harris & Co, said:
“Letters of Administration were left out of the 2020 rules, and the figures show the gap that has opened up since. Estates without a Will are often where families need the most guidance, so with more people now applying themselves, there's a clear role for practitioners in helping them understand what's involved before they apply.”
Paper applications for Letters of Administration take more than 9 weeks longer
In April to June 2026, paper applications for Letters of Administration took an average of 14.2 weeks, compared with 5.0 weeks for digital applications. That's almost 3 times as long, and 9.2 weeks longer.
The pattern holds across a full year. Throughout 2025, paper applications for Letters of Administration averaged 11.9 weeks, against 4.8 weeks digitally, which is 2.5 times as long.
Paper applications for Letters of Administration have now taken around 3 times as long as digital ones for 3 consecutive quarters.
Waits are falling where there is a Will and rising where there isn’t
From 2020 to 2025, waits for Letters of Administration rose, while waits for Probate fell:
- Letters of Administration: 8.3 to 8.8 weeks, up 6%
- Probate: 6.8 to 5.1 weeks, down 25%
- Paper Letters of Administration: 8.9 to 11.9 weeks, up by around a third
- Digital Letters of Administration: 6.1 to 4.8 weeks, down by around a fifth
The difference between paper and digital waits for Letters of Administration grew from 2.9 weeks in 2020 to 7.1 weeks in 2025.
Tom commented:
“These figures point to a two-speed system. Where someone has left a Will, almost all applications are now made online, and waits have come down since 2020. Where there's no Will, waits have gone the other way. Most applications are still on paper, and those paper applications now take around a third longer than they did in 2020, often at one of the hardest points in families' lives.”
More people are applying for Letters of Administration, and more are doing it without a solicitor
The number of families facing this slower route is growing. Applications for Letters of Administration reached 51,655 in 2025, the highest since the breakdown began in 2020 and 28% more than in 2020. Over the same period, Grant of Probate applications rose 9%, and all applications rose 12%.
Personal applications for Letters of Administration, made without a solicitor, rose from 19,109 in 2020 to 27,850 in 2025, an increase of 46%. Applications made by solicitors rose from 21,185 to 23,805, an increase of 12%. Personal applications now make up 54% of all applications for Letters of Administration, up from 47% in 2020.
Contested probate cases are up 84% since 2020
There were 127 contested probate cases across England and Wales in 2025, against 69 in 2020, an increase of 84%. The figure has risen every year since 2020 and is the highest since 2015, when it was 164.
Tom commented:
“Disputes over estates are still relatively rare, but they're becoming more common. A clear, up-to-date Will is one of the best ways to reduce the risk of a disagreement later.”
What this means for families in Wales
Provisional ONS figures show 23,140 deaths were registered in Wales between January and August 2026. That includes 1,795 in Rhondda Cynon Taf, where our Pontypridd and Talbot Green offices are based, and 1,774 in Swansea, home to our third office.
Not every death leads to a probate application. The figures don't show how many of these estates will need a grant, or whether the person left a Will. But behind each figure is a family who may need to deal with an estate, and the national findings above describe the system they will be applying to.
Where there is no Will, that currently means a process that, across England and Wales, is still mostly paper-based and, on paper, takes almost 3 times as long as applying online.
Tom said:
“Every one of these numbers is a family, and for some of them the coming months will mean dealing with an estate for the first time. The national figures give them a realistic picture of what to expect, and show why getting the right advice early matters.”
The table below shows deaths registered in each of Wales' 22 council areas:
| Council area | Deaths registered, January to August 2026 |
|---|---|
| Isle of Anglesey | 607 |
| Gwynedd | 862 |
| Conwy | 1,022 |
| Denbighshire | 843 |
| Flintshire | 1,134 |
| Wrexham | 960 |
| Powys | 1,143 |
| Ceredigion | 575 |
| Pembrokeshire | 998 |
| Carmarthenshire | 1,598 |
| Swansea | 1,774 |
| Neath Port Talbot | 1,057 |
| Bridgend | 1,086 |
| Vale of Glamorgan | 911 |
| Cardiff | 1,964 |
| Rhondda Cynon Taf | 1,795 |
| Merthyr Tydfil | 434 |
| Caerphilly | 1,326 |
| Blaenau Gwent | 565 |
| Torfaen | 725 |
| Monmouthshire | 761 |
| Newport | 1,000 |
Supporting data
The figures below add more detail to our key findings. They cover the probate cases still awaiting a decision, grants and waiting times, and applications across England and Wales.
Cases still open
- Cases open for 12 months or more reached 4,627 at the end of June 2026, against 3,212 a year earlier, an increase of 44%. The 12- to 24-month band, at 3,061, is the highest in the series, and 64% of these long-running cases are paper applications.
- The open probate caseload was 47,003 at the end of June 2026, against 39,357 a year earlier, an increase of 19%. It has risen for 3 consecutive quarters, from 38,414 at the end of September 2025, and is the highest since the end of June 2024, when it was 62,165.
- 24,228 cases were “non-workable” at the end of June 2026, meaning HMCTS was waiting for documents or for a response from the applicant before it could progress them. That's 52% of the open caseload, and 11% higher than a year earlier (21,883).
Reflecting on these findings, Tom said:
“More than half of open cases are waiting on documents or a response from the applicant. Getting the paperwork right first time is one of the few things families can control, and it can make a real difference to how quickly an estate moves forward.”
Grants and waiting times
- In April to June 2026, Letters of Administration took 10.2 weeks on average across all channels, against 5.0 weeks for Probate, more than twice as long.
- Grants of Letters of Administration rose to 11,150 in April to June 2026, from 10,456 in April to June 2025 (up 7%), while applications fell 6%.
Applications
- Paper's share of all probate applications fell from 68% in 2020 to 19% in 2025, and was 18% in April to June 2026.
- In April to June 2026, there were 7,303 paper applications for Letters of Administration, against 8,326 in April to June 2025, a fall of 12%.
What this means for families
Letters of Administration were left out of the 2020 online rules, which helps explain why they are more likely to be made on paper. The figures don't show why paper applications take longer, and every estate is different.
If you leave a valid Will naming executors, they will usually apply for a Grant of Probate, which has had shorter average waits throughout this period. Making a Will, and reviewing it when your circumstances change, is the most straightforward way to give your family a clearer route.
If someone close to you has died without a Will, the rules of intestacy decide who can apply and who inherits. Our intestacy flowchart is a good starting point, and our probate and estate administration solicitors can explain what's needed before you apply.
Speak to our Wills and probate solicitors in Pontypridd, Talbot Green and Swansea
Whether you'd like to make or update a Will, or you need help with an estate, our Wills and probate team has specialists at each of our offices. We offer a free first consultation, so you can ask your questions and decide whether we're the right people to help.
Call our Pontypridd office on 01443 486666, our Talbot Green office on 01443 223265 or our Swansea office on 01792 455400. Alternatively, use our online enquiry form and we'll be in touch promptly.
Methodology and data sources
Probate figures are from the Ministry of Justice Family Court Statistics Quarterly, April to June 2026, Tables 22 to 24, and cover England and Wales combined. The tables do not include separate figures for Wales. Letters of Administration are shown in Tables 22 and 24 as Grants of Administration. Waiting times are mean weeks from application submission to grant issue. Personal applications are those made without a solicitor.
The study mainly compares the full years 2020 and 2025, and also draws on other years where relevant. 2020 is the year the online rules were introduced and the first full year in which the figures break probate applications down by grant type, and 2025 is the latest full year.
Where figures for April to June 2026 are compared with an earlier period, the same quarter in 2025 is used, because probate applications vary by season. Quarterly waiting times are also given for October 2025 to June 2026.
Open cases are counted at the end of each quarter, with the latest count at the end of June 2026. Contested probate figures are only published annually. Figures for April to June 2026 are provisional and may be revised.
Deaths figures are provisional ONS death registrations by area of usual residence for January to August 2026. Not every death leads to a probate application. The two data sets are presented alongside each other for context and have not been combined.
All insights reflect the interpretation of David W Harris & Co’s Wills and Probate team.
