being informed of a will

[kitchenmares]

a relative has passed away and i was the last person to be told that the relative has left "a bit of money for me." i was then told that they didnt know how much as it had to go through probate. Can someone please explain probate and does anyone know roughly how long i might be waiting for final news of any money, thankyou.

[dzug]

Probate is a legal process of proving the will is valid. In itself it doesn't take very long, but to apply for it the executor (who may or may not be a solicitor) has to produce an account of all the money and assets in the estate and all the debts. This can take a while, particularly in a complicated estate. Anything from a month or two to well over a year depending on the complexity.

If the relative left you a specific sum, then there is no need to wait for probate to tell you how much (though it could get scaled down if there are too many debts to pay it in full, or if there is IHT to pay on it). If it's a proportion of the estate, or what's left over, then obviously no-one knows yet.