Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Estate definition

What does Estate mean? In practice, “estate” describes either: (1) the nature and duration of a person’s proprietary interest in land; or (2) the aggregate property of a person, commonly on death or bankruptcy. England & Wales and Northern Ireland: An estate in land denotes the time-based interest, not the land itself. Statute and case law limit legal estates primarily to freehold (fee simple absolute in possession) and leasehold (term of years absolute), with other interests (for example, life interests and beneficial interests under a trust) arising in equity. This concept underpins conveyancing, security, priorities and land registration. Ireland: Under the Land and Conveyancing Law Reform...

Post‑grant estate administration: registering the grant and realising bank, investment, NS&I, digital, business and land assets (England and Wales)

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Practice notes

FORTHCOMING CHANGE :

In the Autumn Budget 2024 on 30 October 2024, the government revealed plans to include unspent pension pots and pension death benefits within an individual’s Estate for IHT from 6 April 2027. This measure will cover both defined contribution and defined benefit arrangements, and will extend to UK-registered schemes as well as qualifying non-UK pension schemes. These rules apply across the entire pensions landscape. A technical consultation on how to deliver these reforms ran between 30 October 2024 and 22 January 2025. The reforms are legislated by the Finance Act 2026 and alter how personal representatives must declare the value of pension death benefits from 6 April 2027. For further details, see: Autumn Budget 2024—Private Client analysis — Inheritance tax.

Effect of the grant

A grant of probate, or a grant of letters of administration (sometimes with Will annexed), are the most frequently used forms of Grant of Representation in a deceased person’s estate. A grant of representation is a court order. Its function is to confirm the Appointment of the personal representative(s) (PRs) and the validity of any Will. Save for situations involving a double grant, nobody else can act as PR unless the grant is...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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