About ProbateClock
ProbateClock answers one question that executors and beneficiaries keep asking: "how long will this take?". It also gives a neutral view of the options while you wait.
Where the probate figures come from
Every wait time on this site comes from HMCTS management information, published monthly on GOV.UK under the Open Government Licence. Each month a script downloads every release's CSV file and pulls out the probate columns. When releases overlap, it uses the newest figure for each month, because HMCTS revises earlier months. It never estimates or fills in missing months. The combined data is published as probate-waits.json.
- Latest release: HMCTS management information - August 2026, published 8 October 2026 (CSV).
- Coverage: Mar 2020 to Aug 2026 (78 months). The earliest releases contain fewer measures.
- HMCTS's caveat: management information is not official statistics and may be revised. HMCTS recommends its official statistics for most purposes.
How we compare lenders
- We only use terms published on each provider's own website, and we link to the exact page.
- If a term isn't published, we say "Not published". We don't guess or use figures from third-party sites.
- Providers are listed alphabetically. We don't rank them.
- Each entry shows the date it was checked (currently 18 October 2026). We aim to re-check every quarter, and whenever a provider tells us something has changed.
- The lender data is published as lenders.json.
Independence and how we make money
- We are not a lender or broker, and we don't arrange or introduce loans.
- We receive no commission or per-lead fees from lenders.
- Professional firms such as probate solicitors and estate administrators can pay for a clearly labelled featured listing. Payment never changes the data, the guides or the lender comparison.
- If we ever accept sponsorship, it will be a flat fee, clearly labelled, and it will never affect how any provider appears.
Not advice
ProbateClock gives general information only. It is not financial or legal advice, and ProbateClock is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Check every term with the provider, and consider independent advice.