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<p>The most recently published information regarding combined waiting times for a
grant of probate, on paper and digital cases, covers January 2021 to March 2021 and
is published on gov.uk via Family Court Statistics Quarterly (Table 25):</p><p><a
href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-court-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2021"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-court-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2021</a></p><p>Despite
the unprecedented challenges faced by the probate service during the Covid 19 pandemic,
and as a result of HMCTS increasing resources to meet demand, the average length of
time taken for a grant of probate following receipt of the documents required has
been maintained at between four to six weeks.</p><p>HMCTS continues to listen to user
feedback and to invest in the improvement of the online Probate system to make it
more accessible and easier for applicants to understand.</p><p>Improvements have also
been made to communication routes. As of March 2020, all calls are now answered by
the Courts & Tribunals Service Centres, which are equipped with modern technology
to monitor performance levels and make improvements to the service being offered.</p><p>Contact
channels and operating hours have also been extended to meet user needs meaning the
service can now be contacted via:</p><ul><li>webchat available at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/applying-for-probate/apply-for-probate"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/applying-for-probate/apply-for-probate</a> (Monday
to Friday 8am to 8pm and Saturday 8am to 2pm).</li><li>telephone on 0300 303 0648
(Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm and Saturday 8am to 2pm).</li><li>email at contactprobate@justice.gov.uk</li></ul><p>For
professional users, real time information about the progress of digital cases can
now be obtained via the online Probate service without the need to contact HMCTS.</p>
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