Helpsheets and resources
Resources for firms accredited for probate.
Guidance
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How to deal appropriately with vulnerable clients |
Regulatory advice on when to seek accreditation for probate |
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Guidance identifies areas of good practice and includes individual risk factors. |
Guidance on technical issues such as executorship, what can be done without a probate licence and at what point probate becomes contested. |
Modernising intestacy rules |
ICAEW probate accreditation: What your annual fee pays for |
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Spouses and civil partners are set to benefit from changes in the rules of intestacy. Here we explain the practical implications of dying without a will. |
ICAEW supports the Legal Services Board (LSB)’s initiative to be transparent around professional fees. We summarise below what your annual probate fee pays for and highlight the value and benefits of being an ICAEW accredited probate firm. |
Is your firm still eligible to carry out probate work? |
Common client complaints |
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A seemingly straightforward change to your firm’s structure, or the appointment of a new principal in your firm, could mean your firm is no longer eligible to carry out probate work. |
Find out the most common probate-related complaints received by the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) and read the advice on how to avoid these issues. |
Regulatory updates
| Get the latest updates | |
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Probate news |
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The latest probate technical guidance and best practice information from ICAEW's Professional Standards team. |
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Procedural forms
| Access forms |
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Notifying a change of firm structure (within 10 business days time limit) |
Probate registry office certification requirements |
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It’s important to maintain your firm record accurately. An inaccurate or out of date firm record may constitute a misdescription of your firm. It could also lead to regulatory or disciplinary action. Download the notification forms and access your guide to maintaining your firm record. |
We have been advised that some ICAEW accredited accountancy firms have experienced an issue with their probate registry not recognising them as being licensed or authorised to conduct probate work. To avoid any delays to your application we have been provided with this probate registry form for you to complete and enclose with your initial application. |
Helpsheets and FAQs
| Access helpsheets and frequently asked questions | |
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Ethical considerations for probate practitioners |
Probate and estate administration annual review checklist |
| This helpsheet is intended for members with an ICAEW probate licence acting in a professional rather than a personal capacity herein after referred to as the probate practitioner. |
To help your firm meet its regulatory or quality assurance requirements, access our annual review checklist to ensure you have covered everything. |
Probate - Common pitfalls |
Alternative Business Structures FAQs |
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To help your firm avoid inadvertent breaches of the Probate Regulations, we have highlighted some of the common breaches that we see. These issues can lead to potential regulatory action and interruption of probate services so it’s important that you take note to ensure your firm avoids these common pitfalls. |
A list of frequently asked questions around the subject of alternative business structures including regulation, relevance and what to consider before applying to become an ABS. |
Probate FAQs |
HM Courts and Tribunals Service FAQs |
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A list of frequently asked questions around the subject of probate including scope of the accreditation, eligibility and ongoing requirements. |
HM Courts and Tribunals service has published a list of FAQs for probate practitioners (June 2020). The FAQs contain information on both online and paper applications, as well as IHT and other general queries. |
Webinars
| Join a webinar |
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Probate diversity survey 2021 |
| The 2021 probate diversity webinar discusses why we collect and report diversity data, the benefits to your firm of identifying with a wide range of clients, how to collect the 2021 data and a demonstration of an ICAEW-funded online survey tool. |
Price and Service Transparency |
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For consumers to make an informed choice of legal services provider it's vital they can assess price and service provision information to help them decide on their provider of choice. This increased transparency can also greatly benefit your firm and help you stand out in the legal services marketplace
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