Probate Timeline Ireland: What to Expect Month by Month

In the first days and weeks, focus on the essentials. Register the death and obtain several certified copies of the death certificate — you will need these for banks, the Probate Office, and other institutions.

Locate the most recent will. Check with the deceased's solicitor, bank, or among their personal papers. The will names the executor — the person responsible for managing the estate through probate. If there is no will, the estate is administered under the rules of intestacy in the Succession Act 1965, and you will apply for a Grant of Administration instead of a Grant of Probate.

Notify banks, insurance companies, pension providers, and any employer of the death. Banks will freeze the deceased's accounts, though many will release funds directly to the funeral director for funeral expenses.

Contact all relevant institutions to request statements showing the value of each asset as at the date of death. This includes bank accounts, savings, shares, insurance policies, and pension entitlements.

If the estate includes property, arrange a professional valuation. This is one of the most common sources of delay — booking a valuer and receiving the written report can take several weeks. Starting early keeps the timeline on track.

Also identify all liabilities: mortgage balances, credit card debts, utility bills, and any other amounts owed. The net estate value (assets minus liabilities) determines the Probate Office fees and any Capital Acquisitions Tax (CAT) — the tax on inheritances — that beneficiaries may owe.

Once you have confirmed values for all assets and liabilities, complete the Statement of Affairs (Probate) Form SA.2 through Revenue's myAccount or ROS (Revenue Online Service) portal. This form details the estate's assets, liabilities, and beneficiaries. The SA.2, introduced in September 2020, applies to deaths on or after 5 December 2001 and replaced the paper Inland Revenue Affidavit (Form CA.24).

Upload a copy of the will if one exists. Once Revenue processes the form, you receive a Notice of Acknowledgement (Probate). Print this notice and have all applicants sign it — you need it for your Probate Office application.

Complete the Personal Application Form and send it to the Probate Office along with the signed Notice of Acknowledgement from Revenue, the original death certificate, and photocopies of the will and any codicils (amendments to the will). Do not send the original will at this stage.

If the deceased lived in Dublin, Kildare, Meath, or Wicklow, submit to the Dublin Probate Office at Phoenix House, 15/24 Phoenix Street North, Smithfield, Dublin 7. For other counties, you can apply to Dublin or the relevant District Probate Registry. For detailed instructions, see our guide to how to apply for a Grant of Probate.

The Probate Office currently schedules personal application appointments approximately 10 to 12 weeks after receiving your application. This is the longest single wait in the process, and you cannot shorten it.

At the appointment, a probate official reviews your documents, may ask clarification questions, and asks you to swear or affirm an oath confirming the information is correct. You pay the Probate Office fee at this appointment.

Fees for personal applicants range from €200 (estates up to €100,000) to €1,300 (estates up to €1,000,000), with higher fees for larger estates. For a full breakdown, see our guide to probate costs and fees in Ireland.

After your appointment, the Grant of Probate is posted to you, usually within three weeks. This is the legal document that confirms your authority as executor to manage the estate. For more detail on this stage, see our article on how long the Grant of Probate takes.

With the Grant in hand, you can now access frozen bank accounts, transfer property through the Land Registry, cash in investments, and take any other steps that require proof of your authority as executor.

Present the Grant of Probate to banks, the Land Registry, and other institutions to collect the estate's assets. This stage can take several months, particularly if property needs to be sold or investments need to be liquidated.

Before distributing to beneficiaries, place a notice for creditors under Section 49 of the Succession Act 1965. This protects you from personal liability for debts you were not aware of. Pay all known debts, funeral expenses, and any taxes owed by the estate.

If the estate includes property that needs to be sold, factor in additional time for the conveyancing process (the legal steps for transferring property ownership). A property sale can add two to four months to the overall timeline.

Once all assets have been collected, debts paid, and any tax obligations settled, distribute the remaining estate to the beneficiaries named in the will. Keep detailed accounts of everything you have received and paid out — beneficiaries are entitled to see these records.

Beneficiaries who receive an inheritance above the relevant CAT threshold must file an IT38 return with Revenue. The deadline depends on the valuation date: if it falls between 1 January and 31 August, the return and payment are due by 31 October of the same year. If it falls between 1 September and 31 December, the deadline is 31 October of the following year.

Section 62 of the Succession Act 1965 recognises an “executor's year” — a 12-month period from the date of death during which beneficiaries generally cannot bring legal proceedings for failing to distribute. In practice, many estates take longer, but you should be able to demonstrate you have been acting diligently throughout.