You can get the legal right to deal with a loved one's estate yourself, through the Probate Office. Expect about 13 to 15 weeks from posting your form to getting the grant.
You can apply for probate yourself through the Probate Office's personal applications service. You file a Revenue form online, post an application form to the Probate Office and go to one appointment. The fee starts at €200 and depends on the value of the estate.
Who can apply
The legal document you get is called a grant of representation. If there is a will, the executor it names applies for a grant of probate. If there is no will, the next of kin applies for letters of administration, in this order: spouse or civil partner, child, parent, brother or sister, then more distant relatives.
If there is a will but no executor can act, you apply for letters of administration with will annexed.
- You need a solicitor if the applicant is under 18, the original will is lost, the will is being questioned, or the family disagree about the estate.
- You also need a solicitor if the applicant is a Ward of Court or lacks capacity, and in some cases where the person lived outside Ireland.
Every estate needs probate.
Property and joint bank accounts owned with a spouse usually pass straight to the surviving spouse. A bank may not ask for a grant for an account under €20,000 in one name, so ask the bank first.
What you need
- A Revenue myAccount login (or ROS, Revenue Online Service)
- The PPS number (Personal Public Service number) of the person who died
- The names and PPS numbers of everyone who inherits, and the value each gets
- A list of everything they owned alone, jointly or by nomination, and their debts on the date of death
- The original death certificate, or a Coroner's interim certificate
- A photocopy of the will and any codicils (changes to the will)
- Photo ID and the original will for your appointment
Step by step
- Log in to Revenue myAccount. On the Gift and Inheritance tile, select Statement of Affairs (Probate) Form SA.2, then Submit an application.
- Fill in the assets, debts and beneficiaries, and upload a copy of the will. Submit the form.
- Print the Notice of Acknowledgement (Probate). Every applicant must sign it.
- Download and fill in the Personal Application Form from courts.ie.
- Post the form with the signed Notice, the original death certificate and a photocopy of the will. If the person lived in Dublin, Kildare, Meath or Wicklow, send it to the Dublin Probate Office. Elsewhere, use Dublin or the District Probate Registry for that county.
- Wait for your appointment date. It usually arrives 10 to 12 weeks after the office gets your application.
- Go to the appointment with photo ID and the original will. An official checks your papers, asks questions and you swear an oath or affirm. You pay the fee there.
- Wait for the grant to arrive by post, usually within about 3 weeks. Then use it to collect the assets, pay any debts and share out the estate.
If you cannot go online because of age, health or no internet access, write to Revenue's National CAT Unit to ask for a paper SA.2. Personal applications to the Probate Office cannot be made online. Only solicitors can apply online, through the Courts Portal.
How much it costs and how long it takes
| Net value of the estate | Fee |
|---|---|
| Up to €100,000 | €200 |
| €100,001 to €250,000 | €400 |
| €250,001 to €500,000 | €700 |
| €500,001 to €750,000 | €1,000 |
| €750,001 to €1,000,000 | €1,300 |
| Over €1,000,000 | €1,300 plus €800 for each €500,000 over €1 million |
| Sealed and certified copy of a grant | €20 |
On 12 October 2026, the Dublin office was dealing with personal applications lodged on 18 August 2026. District registries set their own times. Check the latest processing times.
Tax on what people inherit
As executor, you do not take inheritance tax (CAT, Capital Acquisitions Tax) out of the estate. Revenue sends each beneficiary who may owe it a form, and they pay it themselves. CAT is 33% on amounts above their tax-free threshold.
Brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews can get €44,000 tax-free, and others €22,000. A spouse or civil partner pays no CAT. You do not pay stamp duty on property you inherit, unless you get more than your share or pay the estate for it.
Common mistakes
- Posting the original will. Send a photocopy and bring the original to your appointment.
- Not getting every applicant to sign the Notice of Acknowledgement.
- Leaving joint accounts or nominated assets off Form SA.2. Revenue asks for everything held alone, jointly or by nomination.
- Waiting too long. Beneficiaries can sue you if you do not share out the estate within a year.
If something goes wrong
- Call the Dublin Probate Office on 01 888 6174, Monday to Friday, 10am to 1pm, or email ProbateGeneralOffice@courts.ie.
- Visit the office at 1st Floor, Phoenix House, 15/24 Phoenix Street North, Smithfield, Dublin 7, Eircode D07 X028.
- For CAT questions, call Revenue's National CAT Information Unit on 01 738 3673.
- If the family disagree or the will is lost, you need a solicitor.
- Call the Citizens Information Phone Service on 0818 07 4000, Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm.
Related guides
- How to register a death
- How to get a verified MyGovID
- How to apply for planning permission
Online probate for solicitors in estates with no will, expected by the end of 2026
Whether online applications open to personal applicants
- Courts Service: Apply for probate (personal applications)
- Courts Service: Probate fees
- Courts Service: Probate processing times
- Courts Service: Explaining probate
- Courts Service: Probate forms
- Courts Service: Dublin Probate Office
- Revenue: How to file Form SA.2
- Revenue: CAT group thresholds
- Revenue: Stamp duty on inheritances
- Citizens Information: Dealing with a deceased person's money and property
- Citizens Information: Capital Acquisitions Tax
