ICAEW accredited probate practitioners will be entitled to call themselves Commissioners for Oaths and from 1 October 2025 will be able to carry out the following services: 

1. Administering oaths (or affirmations): ensuring that individuals make formal statements sworn under oath to carry out a particular duty. 
2. Taking affidavits and statutory declarations: ensuring they are properly sworn if an affidavit or declared if a statutory declaration. 

To support accredited probate firms, ICAEW has teamed up with training provider Mercia to produce a free on-demand webinar for ICAEW probate practitioners to cover the practical aspects of administering oaths. The Mercia Certificate in Probate and Estate Administration course will also include a new training module on the administration of oaths for new ICAEW applicants starting in November 2025. 

ICAEW consulted at the same time on proposed amendments to its first-tier complaint handling requirements with the aim of enhancing transparency and strengthening consumer confidence. The resulting updates feature in the amended regulations.  

Accredited firms will now be required to collect and report data on legal services complaints received and resolved. ICAEW will publish this information on an aggregate basis to evaluate trends and support greater transparency in how complaints are managed.  

Rachel Clements, ICAEW Regulatory Policy Manager, said:  

“The introduction of oaths as a legal service regulated by ICAEW will enable chartered accountants who are probate practitioners at ICAEW accredited legal services firms to offer a wider range of services, helping them to better meet their clients’ needs.  

“Additionally, our updates to complaints handling requirements will help to strengthen trust in the legal sector. It is important for all consumers to have confidence that their complaints will be assessed fairly and dealt with effectively, at the first available opportunity.”  

More information is available here.  

ENDS 

Notes to editors:  

ICAEW regulates accounting firms who provide probate services (including estate administration) and now the administration of oaths The administration of oaths is a reserved legal activity, under the Legal Services Act 2007. Updates to ICAEW's Legal Services Regulations 2025 have introduced minor amendments to bring oaths within the scope of authorised legal services and to strengthen complaint handling requirements. 

Our role as an improvement regulator 

Our mission as an improvement regulator is to strengthen trust in ICAEW Chartered Accountants and firms. We do this by enabling, evaluating and enforcing the highest standards in the profession. 

ICAEW’s regulatory and conduct roles are separated from ICAEW’s other activities so that we can monitor, support or take steps to ensure change if standards are not met. These roles are carried out by the Professional Standards Department (PSD) and overseen by the ICAEW Regulatory Board (IRB). 

Our role is to: 

authorise ICAEW firms, members and affiliates to undertake work regulated by law: audit, local audit, investment business, insolvency and probate; 

support the highest professional standards in general accountancy practice through our Practice Assurance scheme; 

provide robust anti-money laundering supervision and monitoring; 

monitor ICAEW firms and insolvency practitioners to ensure they operate correctly and to the highest standards; 

investigate complaints and hold ICAEW firms and members to account where they fall short of standards; 

respond and comment on proposed changes to the law and regulation; and 

educate through guidance and advice to help stakeholders comply with laws, regulations and professional standards.