Yes. Accountancy firms licensed by the ICAEW can carry out non-contentious probate in England and Wales: the ICAEW is an approved regulator for this reserved legal activity, and licensed firms are listed on its public register. Non-contentious means the ordinary, undisputed process of obtaining the grant and administering the estate, which is the great majority of probate work. Where a will or estate is being fought over, that is contentious work and belongs with litigation solicitors. Vision Consulting is licensed by the ICAEW for non-contentious probate (probate reference C004563153, viewable at icaew.com/probate). For what the work actually costs, including the court fee and how professional fees are charged, see our guide to probate costs in the UK. Correct as at 12 August 2026.
What can a licensed accountant actually do?
Everything the standard probate process involves: establishing who is entitled to apply (the executors named in the will, or the closest living relative where there is no will, per GOV.UK's probate guidance), valuing the estate, preparing the inheritance tax account or the excepted-estate figures, applying for the grant, and administering and distributing the estate afterwards.
The application itself costs £526 for estates over £5,000 (no fee at £5,000 or less), per GOV.UK's fees page, whoever handles it.
What does the process involve, whoever runs it?
The work is the same regardless of the professional's badge. Establish who is entitled to apply: the executors named in the will, or the closest living relative where there is none. Value the estate: every asset and debt at date-of-death values, with evidence. Deal with the inheritance tax position: either the full IHT400 account or, for qualifying estates, the excepted-estate figures declared within the probate application, with any tax funded and paid by the six-month deadline. Apply for the grant, paying the £526 fee where the estate is over £5,000, and wait out the processing period (usually within 12 weeks on current guidance, longer for paper or queried applications). Then administer: collect assets, settle debts, handle any income or gains arising during administration, and distribute with estate accounts to close.
Seen as that list, the question "accountant or solicitor" becomes concrete: most of the list is valuation, tax and accounting; parts of it are legal process; none of it is optional.
When does an accountant fit the job well?
Probate is, in large part, a tax and valuation exercise, and that is the ground accountants work every week. The fit is strongest where the estate involves:
- an inheritance tax position that needs working properly: allowances, the residence nil-rate band, business or agricultural relief, lifetime gifts
- a business, company shares or a rental portfolio to value and deal with
- income tax and capital gains tax during the administration period, including the 60-day rule if property is sold
- a family whose accountant already knows the assets, which shortens the fact-finding stage considerably
When do you need a solicitor instead, or as well?
Three situations. If the estate is disputed (a will challenge, a claim against the estate, executors in conflict), that is contentious probate and needs litigation solicitors; a licensed accountant's probate work stops at that line. If the estate involves complex legal questions beyond the grant itself, such as contested trust interests, specialist legal advice belongs alongside the numbers. And property transfers within the administration still involve conveyancing. The professions are not rivals here: on many estates the right answer is an accountant running the tax and administration with a solicitor instructed for specific legal steps.
How do the two routes compare?
| Question | ICAEW-licensed accountant | Solicitor |
|---|---|---|
| Obtain the grant (non-contentious) | Yes, where licensed for probate | Yes |
| Inheritance tax account and estate tax work | Core work: IHT, income tax and CGT in one place | Handled, often with tax input brought in |
| Disputes and claims | No: contentious work is outside the licence | Yes, via litigation teams |
| Regulation | ICAEW, on its public probate register | SRA |
Example
Example. An executor is administering his late father's estate: a house, a half-share in a trading company, a rental flat and an old portfolio of shares. Nothing is disputed. The heavy lifting is valuation and tax: business relief on the company shares, the residence nil-rate band on the house, capital gains tax if the flat sells during administration. He instructs a licensed accountancy firm to take the estate end to end, and a conveyancer is brought in for the property transfers when they happen. Had his sister challenged the will, the sequence would have changed at that point: the dispute would go to litigation solicitors, whatever was happening on the tax side.
What to do now
Check whether the estate you are handling is contentious or not; if it is not, choose on fit. Ask whoever you instruct what the estate actually involves (tax account, valuations, business assets, property sales) and where their regulation sits. The ICAEW's public register shows every accountancy firm licensed for probate. Our probate page explains our service, our inheritance tax planning team handles the tax side, and because the firm prepares wills with inheritance tax and the wider estate position in mind, the same thinking is available before the estate ever needs administering: see our wills page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Applying for the grant (non-contentious probate) is a reserved legal activity, which is why a firm must be licensed by an approved regulator to carry it out for clients. The ICAEW licenses accountancy firms for exactly this, and its register is public.
No. Only firms licensed for probate by the ICAEW can carry out the reserved work. Any accountant can still help executors informally with estate paperwork and tax returns, but the grant application itself needs a licensed firm, a solicitor, or the executor acting in person.
Cost depends on the estate and the pricing model, not the profession. The sensible comparison is scope for fee: what is included, who handles the tax account, and what triggers extra charges. Ask both for that breakdown before instructing.
Yes, executors can apply in person, and for small, simple estates many do. The case for help strengthens where inheritance tax is due, valuations are contestable, or business and property assets are involved, because errors there are expensive to unwind.
Look it up on the ICAEW's public probate register at icaew.com/probate rather than taking a website's word for it. Every accredited firm has a probate reference there (ours is C004563153). Solicitors are checked the same way through the SRA's records.
Yes, and on mixed estates it often is: the licensed accountant runs the grant, the tax account and the administration, with a solicitor instructed for specific legal steps such as conveyancing or any dispute that emerges. Agree at the start who leads, so nothing falls between the two.
Talk to our probate team
If you are deciding who should handle an estate, speak to Chloe Symmonds, Senior Manager, who leads our inheritance tax and estates work. The first conversation covers what the estate involves, whether the excepted-estate route applies, and what our licensed probate service would take off your hands. Call 020 8554 2135 or email info@visionconsulting.co.uk, or use our contact page.
By the Vision Consulting team.
This is general information, not advice. Your position depends on your circumstances.