03 November 2025
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From 17 November the fee for a copy of a will increases from £1.50 to £16. Read on for practical advice from Fraser & Fraser to help you plan and budget.
Effective 17 November 2025, the fee for a copy of a Will or Grant of Representation, governed by the Statutory Instrument SI 2025/1126, increases from £1.50 to £16.
This tenfold rise drastically changes how family historians plan, budget, and build their evidence, write the experts at Fraser & Fraser.
For the family history community, this isn’t an abstract policy tweak; it changes how we plan, budget, and build evidence. Here’s a practical, no‑panic guide to getting what you need without breaking the bank.
By Fraser & Fraser (Established 1969; roots to 1923)
Why Wills and Grants Matter to Genealogy
Wills are among the richest sources in modern genealogy. They confirm relationships that certificates sometimes obscure — naming spouses, children (and step‑children), siblings, in‑laws, friends and business partners. They capture occupations, addresses, property descriptions, charities, and the social networks that bind families together.
Grants and probate calendar entries help you pin down identities, timelines and last addresses, and they often point you to executors whose maiden or married surnames can unlock key family connections.
What’s Changing: Wills Fee Price Rise November 2025
On 17 November 2025, the fee charged by the Government Find a Will Service www.probatesearch.service.gov.uk for a copy of a Will or Grant increases to £16 per document (previously £1.50). If you need ten copies for your research, that’s £160 versus £15 today.
Whatever the policy rationale, the practical effect for family historians is simple: fewer speculative purchases and more careful planning.
Ordering a will before 17 November 2025: make every pound count
Use the window before the change to secure the documents that will make the biggest difference to your research.
- Prioritise brick walls: target lines where a Will is most likely to confirm parent–child relationships or married names.
- Batch your orders: sweep up siblings and suspected cousins named as executors or beneficiaries in the same cluster of families.
- Exploit executor clues: an executor who shares a rare surname may be the married daughter or key in‑law you’re missing.
- Save and tag PDFs properly: standardise file names (Surname_Forename_Year_DocType) and keep an indexed log to avoid re‑ordering later.
- Coordinate with cousins: one person buys; everyone shares responsibly, with proper citation.
Ordering a will after 17 November 2025: smarter, targeted buying
When each copy costs £16, make sure every purchase moves your research forward:
- Start with calendars and indexes: confirm identity, death date, last address and executor before you pay for the full document.
- Work the chain of evidence: triangulate relationships using civil registration, parish registers, censuses, directories, electoral rolls and newspapers.
- Have a research question: buy the Will to answer something specific (e.g., ‘Was Mary née Jones the mother?’) rather than out of curiosity.
- Mine every clue: extract all names, relationships, addresses, property descriptions, witnesses, charities and neighbours; add them to your research log.
- Record provenance: include order references and citation details so you (or collaborators) can retrieve the file without re‑ordering.
Case study: the executor who solved a maiden‑name mystery
Two men named Thomas Whitfield died within months of each other in the same town; certificates and census entries remained inconclusive.
A low‑cost probate copy (at the old rate) revealed that ‘executor: E. Cartwright (brother‑in‑law)’ lived two streets away.
That single clue — a brother‑in‑law with an uncommon surname — led to the marriage of Thomas to Elizabeth Cartwright, and then to the baptismal records confirming her maiden name.
One Will, multiple problems solved.
Under the new pricing, you’d still purchase that Will — but only after ruling out the other Thomas using alternative methods.
How to order wills and grants across the UK & Ireland
England & Wales (post‑1858): Copies of Wills and Grants are ordered via the online probate service. Prices change on 17 November 2025. Earlier Wills (notably Prerogative Court of Canterbury) are widely digitised via The National Archives and major platforms.
Scotland: Confirmations and ‘Wills & Testaments’ sit in a separate system; many are indexed and available via www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk, so check Scottish sources before purchasing multiple English copies for Scottish branches.
Ireland (including PRONI): Probate calendars are essential and many entries are detailed; some image sets are freely available via www.nationalarchives.ie/.
Research tip: For families who moved across borders, calendars and newspaper probate notices can often confirm enough to postpone a purchase.
Make your research log work harder & save you money
Keep a living log for each family group.
Record the deceased’s:
- full name
- death date
- last residence
- probate date and court
- estate value (if noted)
- executors and every named relative
Use consistent citations and link the digital file to your log entry. When a document costs £16, meticulous logging prevents accidental re‑orders and ensures each purchase yields maximum value.
Help protect affordable access to probate records
- Order wisely before 17 November 2025. If a Will could unlock a major brick wall, don’t wait.
- Educate and mobilise: Share this article with your family history society, local group, and online community to encourage them to act now before it is too late.
- Advocate for affordability: Write to your MP or HMCTS to support fair, transparent pricing for public records and sustainable digital access.
- Share your story: Send examples of how Wills transformed your research to your society newsletter or local group to strengthen the case for access.
How Fraser & Fraser can help with probate cases
We are one of the UK’s longest-established and most recognised probate research firms, featured prominently on shows like Heir Hunters.
Our commitment is twofold: to impeccable genealogical standards and to making public records accessible.
If you encounter a difficult or tangled probate case, contact us, we are happy to assist the family history community.
Plus, if you refer a successful probate estate to our team, we offer a generous fee-sharing arrangement as thanks.
Notes:
- Statutory Instrument: The Court and Public Guardian Fees (Miscellaneous Amendments) Order 2025 (SI 2025/1126)
- Effective Date: 17 November 2025
- Change: Increases Fee 8 in Schedule 1 to the Non-Contentious Probate Fees Order 2004 from £1.50 to £16 "where the request is for a copy of a document of a specific individual named in the request."