Recognising inflationary pressures and to continue delivering our programme of activity to fulfil our objectives under the Legal Services Act, we propose a small increase to the 2026 probate registration fees. Please review the information below, including our budget, medium-term business plan and the proposed new fee scale, and respond to our suggested fee levels for 2026.
This consultation ran from 11 July to 22 August 2025 and is now closed.
Responses are being reviewed and will be incorporated into our fee application which will be submitted to the Legal Services Board. Final 2026 fee scales will be published in November 2025.
As an approved regulator and licensing authority for probate services, our activities are aligned with the Legal Services Board's strategic themes: fairer outcomes, stronger confidence, and better services.
2025 financial performance and activities
In 2025, our probate-related work focuses on the following areas:
- Ensuring the Professional Standards Department is fully resourced to deliver legal services regulation
- Supporting regulated firms in delivering fair and high-quality services
- Investigating complaints
- Maintaining transparency on price and service information
- Developing policy on professional ethics in legal services
- Providing guidance on handling first-tier complaints
- Work to implement the reserved legal service of oaths
- Conducting the 2025 diversity survey
- Contributing to the Legal Choices website and central register project
- Maintaining the Legal Services Compensation Scheme
- Responding to a range of relevant consultations, including the expected LSB consultation on equality, diversity and inclusion
- The introduction of a legal services reference group
- Updates to the probate consumer hub
- Work to publish a refreshed transparency guide for ICAEW probate firms
- Extensive communications with firms via channels such as Probate News, Regulation and Conduct News, and our LinkedIn channel (now with over 10,000 followers)
- Taking part in a digital exclusion consumer research project
Our 2024-2026 Reserved Legal Services Plan sets out our strategic and operational approach to regulating reserved legal services. It also sets out how our approach is aligned with consumer-focused values and our statutory duties.
2026 budget
Our 2026 budget is designed to be self-financing and generate a small surplus of £13,000. This will contribute to the recovery of the initial set-up costs of becoming a regulator.
We propose a 5% increase to the 2026 probate registration fees.
Rising costs are primarily driven by inflation and salary increases, alongside additional demands from the Legal Services Board for administrative processes, projects, consultations and reporting.
Read the full consultation document to view the proposed fee scales for 2026
Proposed 2026 compensation scheme levy
We propose that the compensation scheme levy should remain unchanged for 2026.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
We do not expect the proposed changes to adversely affect any individual or firm based on protected characteristics (such as age, disability or race). However, we welcome any feedback if you believe your firm or clients may be impacted.
Next steps
The deadline for responses was Friday 22 August 2025.
Feedback will be reviewed and incorporated into our fee application which will be submitted to the Legal Services Board. Final 2026 fee scales will be published in November 2025.