Probate fees and costs in Ireland

The fees involved in a probate application in Ireland are modest compared with the tax side. For a personal applicant on a standard estate, the out-of-pocket costs typically total a few hundred euro. For a solicitor-handled application the professional fee dominates. This page breaks down every line item.

The Probate Office fees

The fees charged by the Probate Office are set by statutory instrument and depend on the net value of the estate and whether a personal applicant or a solicitor is lodging the papers. Personal applications attract higher Probate Office fees than solicitor applications.

Personal applicant lodgement fees (net estate value):

Net estate value	Fee
€1 – €100,000	€200
€100,001 – €250,000	€400
€250,001 – €500,000	€700
€500,001 – €750,000	€1,000
€750,001 – €1,000,000	€1,300
Over €1,000,000	€1,300 plus €800 per €500,000 over €1,000,000

Solicitor lodgement fees (net estate value):

Net estate value	Fee
Up to €100,000	€100
Up to €250,000	€200
Up to €500,000	€350
Up to €750,000	€500
Up to €1,000,000	€650
Over €1,000,000	€650 plus €400 per €500,000 over €1,000,000

The solicitor-applied fee is roughly half the personal-applicant fee at every band. The headline €2,500 to €5,000 saving from a personal application is on the solicitor's professional fee, not on the Probate Office fee.

Other Probate Office fees:

• Sealed and certified copy of the Grant: €20 per copy (€40 for a sealed and certified copy of the will with it)
• Official copy of the will, grant, or other document: €15 per copy
• Second or subsequent grant (duplicate, de bonis non, lapsed): €300 for personal applicants, €150 for solicitors
• Search by a Probate Office officer: €20

Most personal applicants order 3 to 5 certified copies at the time of lodgement, because each bank and pension provider needs to see an original, and returning Grants by post between institutions is slow.

The Probate Office does not charge a separate fee for queries raised on your application. If they query the papers, you fix the query and resubmit at no cost.

Professional valuations

Revenue requires that every asset on the SA2 be valued as at the date of death. Some of these valuations cost money:

• Property valuation (estate agent, retail property): €150 to €400 typically. A letter from a local estate agent confirming the market value at the date of death is the standard format.
• Agricultural or unusual property valuation (chartered valuer): €500 to €2,000. More expensive and essential for any farm or specialised property.
• Share valuation (share registrar): €20 to €100 per shareholding. Often included in routine correspondence with the registrar.
• Personal possessions of significant value (auctioneer): €200 to €500. Required where any single item (car, jewellery, art, antiques) is worth more than a few thousand euro.

Bank balance confirmations are free. The bank will write to confirm the balance at the date of death in response to a notification-of-death letter. Life insurance sum-assured confirmations are also free.

Death certificate copies

Certified copies of the death certificate are issued by the General Register Office. Current fee: €20 per certified copy, €5 per uncertified copy.

For a standard estate you typically need 5 to 7 certified copies:

• 1 for Revenue (SA2 submission)
• 1 for the Probate Office (lodgement)
• 1 or 2 for banks
• 1 for each pension provider
• 1 for each insurance company
• 1 for your own records

Order in bulk at the time of the first application. The GRO posts them together and the cost per copy is the same whether you order 1 or 10.

Other out-of-pocket costs

• Postage and stationery: €30 to €60 total for a standard estate, including registered post for important documents.
• Notary or Commissioner for Oaths: The Oath is sworn at the Probate Office appointment, at no fee. If any affidavit needs to be sworn separately in front of a Commissioner for Oaths, fees are typically €10 to €25 per document.
• Search fees at the Property Registration Authority (PRA): €5 per folio search, if property ownership history needs to be checked.

Typical total cost of a personal application

For a standard Irish estate (family home, bank accounts, pension, standard beneficiaries, no unusual assets). Net estate value assumed at €500,000 (the band most standard Irish estates fall into):

• Probate Office lodgement fee (€250k–€500k band): €700
• 4 certified copies of the Grant at €20 each: €80
• 1 property valuation: €300
• 5 certified death certificate copies: €100
• Postage and stationery: €40

Total: approximately €1,220. Add your own time, which for a personal applicant with proper preparation runs around 30 to 40 hours spread over three months.

For an estate under €100,000 in net value, the Probate Office fee drops to €200 and the total is closer to €600. For an estate above €1 million, the fee rises above €1,300 and the total increases accordingly.

Typical total cost of a solicitor application

For the same €500,000 estate handled by a solicitor:

• Solicitor professional fee (flat-fee firm, standard estate): €2,500 to €3,500 plus VAT at 23%
• Probate Office lodgement fee (€250k–€500k band, solicitor rate): €350
• Valuations: €300
• Certified death certificate copies: €100

Total: approximately €3,825 to €4,975. Add 8 to 10 hours of your own time for solicitor meetings, document signing, and provision of information.

The fee difference of roughly €2,600 to €3,750 between the two routes is mainly the solicitor's professional fee, partially offset by the fact that a solicitor's lodgement fee is lower than a personal applicant's. Whether the trade is worth it depends on the complexity of your estate (see when you need a solicitor) and what your own time is worth to you.

Larger or more complex estates

The figures above are for straightforward estates. More complex estates incur additional costs:

• Agricultural valuer for a farm: €1,000 to €3,000
• Business valuer for a trading business: €2,500 to €10,000 or more
• Solicitor fees on an estate over €1 million: €6,000 to €15,000
• Tax adviser for CAT reliefs: €500 to €5,000 depending on complexity
• Foreign probate grants for overseas assets: €1,500 to €5,000 per jurisdiction

These are the cases where a solicitor consistently pays for themselves. For any estate with features like these, a personal application is typically not the right choice.

What probate does not cost

A few costs people anticipate but that do not actually exist:

• There is no inheritance tax on the estate itself. CAT is charged on the beneficiaries, not on the estate. Estates do not file their own CAT return; each beneficiary files their own IT38 return.
• There is no fee for the SA2 filing with Revenue. The Revenue side costs nothing; only the Probate Office side charges.
• There is no charge for making corrections to an SA2 filed with Revenue before the Notice of Acknowledgement issues.
• There is no charge for queries raised by the Probate Office. If they query your papers, you correct and resubmit without additional fee.

If you cannot afford to pay upfront

The Probate Office lodgement fee and associated costs must be paid upfront. They are not deducted from the estate. If you are named as executor on an estate but cannot fund €600 to €1,500 upfront (depending on estate size), the usual approach is to agree with the beneficiaries that they cover the costs, in proportion to their inheritance shares, once the Grant issues. A solicitor in the same position may agree to defer their fee against the Grant issuing, but that is a professional courtesy, not a rule.