The Probate Office Lottery: It can take 10 times longer to settle a deceased’s affairs depending on where you apply for probate

It can take up to 10 times longer to settle your affairs – or the affairs of a loved one – after death, depending on where in Ireland you apply for probate, according to an analysis of probate wait times by one of Ireland’s leading life insurance and pension companies, Royal London Ireland.

Probate is the legal process of distributing a deceased person’s property and assets to their family and beneficiaries. While the latest overall figures for 2025 show that 11 weeks is the average probate processing time nationally, average waiting times vary significantly, depending on the local district probate office handling the application.

When applying for probate, you must either submit the probate application to the Dublin Probate Office or to the specific Probate Office or District Probate Registry covering the area where the deceased lived at the time of their death.

Headline findings to emerge from Royal London Ireland’s analysis of the latest probate waiting times across the country, which were provided in response to Dáil questions, reveal that:

• Cavan is the quickest place for probate applications to be completed overall, with an average waiting time of four weeks for probate applications processed in the Cavan district probate office (see Table 1 below). The Cavan district probate office covers Cavan and Longford.
• Probate processing times can be longest in Clonmel and Castlebar, where the average wait times for these district probate registries go up to 20 weeks.
• In the Waterford district probate office, the average probate processing time is two weeks for personal applications, though the average waiting time for probate applications received from solicitors is ten weeks. This means Waterford has the shortest wait times for personal applications.
• Limerick district probate office had the shortest wait times for an application from a solicitor, with an average wait time of two weeks, though the average wait time for personal applications was six weeks.
• In the Cork district probate office, the average probate processing time is four weeks for personal applications and 18 weeks for probate applications received from solicitors.
• In some cases, wait times can be significantly longer than the average for a probate office, with some probate applications taking an office six months or longer to complete3.
• The average wait time in the Dublin Probate Office, which covers Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow, is between seven and eight weeks for probate applications received from solicitors and between 10 and 12 weeks for personal applications4.

Commenting on the figures, Joe Charles, Proposition Director at Royal London Ireland, said:

“There are a myriad of reasons why probate can be delayed, such as a complex estate, a large number of beneficiaries in the estate, and difficulties locating wills – if indeed there is a will in place. But our analysis clearly shows that where you apply for probate in the country can also have a significant bearing on the length of time it takes to complete probate.

“These variations are likely driven by many factors such as the volume of probate applications coming into a specific office, any backlog that has built up, and any staff shortages or retirements5. Errors in probate applications or paperwork issues, such as oaths or affidavits not being sworn correctly, can also slow things down.

“But while probate must run its course and be done correctly, delays with probate can exacerbate the emotional and financial upheaval that follows the death of a loved one. As well as the natural emotional turmoil and upset we’d all experience after the death of a family member, people can often run into practical difficulties while awaiting probate. For example, until probate is complete, the deceased’s bank accounts and payments may be frozen and access to other investments in their name may be inaccessible.

“This can make it difficult for those left behind to access essential funds, to pay for expenses that still need to paid such as ongoing household bills and also in these cases, for the funeral. In addition, probate delays can have a knock-on effect on the processing of life insurance policy claims, and in turn how quickly life assurance claims can be paid following the death of a loved one.”

How probate delays hold up payout of life insurance claims

Royal London Ireland has found that the time taken to process probate in Ireland can have a detrimental knock-on effect on the timeframe for processing life insurance policy claims.

According to an analysis conducted by Royal London Ireland of its claims over the six-year 2020-2025 period, the average time to get probate in Ireland was 270 days – the equivalent of around 38-and-a-half weeks or nine months (assuming a 30-day month). Looking specifically at the year 2025 alone, the analysis found that the average time to get probate was 155 days – the equivalent of around 22 weeks or five months and five days.

While not ideal, these average probate processing times are a significant improvement on 2016, when a Royal London analysis of its claims found that the average time to get probate was 489 days – the equivalent of almost 70 weeks or 16 months and nine days.

Commenting on this analysis, Mr Charles said:

“At 22 weeks, the average probate processing times emerging from our claims analysis for 2025 is higher than the wait times stemming from the latest national court figures, but this is likely because the court figures are working from a different and larger base. Both sets of figures however show that while there is still room for improvement, probate processing wait times are falling and so heading in the right direction.

“It’s encouraging for example that, nationally, the average time for probate applications to complete reduced from 22 weeks to 11 weeks over the course of 2024, with Dublin seeing a drop from 25 weeks to seven weeks over the same period, which is a very positive development.

“The Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim O’Callaghan, has recently indicated that in 2025, average wait times in the Dublin Probate Office are between seven and eight weeks for probate applications received from solicitors and between 10 and 12 weeks for personal applications.

“Usually, the sooner and smoother people’s affairs are settled after they die, the less the financial and emotional upheaval faced by their loved ones left behind. So anything that could be done to reduce the variation of probate wait times across the county would be hugely helpful to, and fairer on, those grieving loved ones.”

Solicitor versus DIY probate

People can apply for probate without employing a solicitor, though there are specific situations where a solicitor is mandatory6. There are some interesting variations in the amount of time it takes for probate offices to process probate applications from members of the public when compared to applications from solicitors. Looking specifically at the probate wait times for the district probate offices, the Royal London Ireland analysis found that:

• In 43% of district probate offices, the average waiting times for personal probate applications was shorter than applications from solicitors. For example, in the Waterford district probate registry, the average wait for the probate office to process cases from a personal applicant is two weeks, compared to 10 weeks if the application is from a solicitor.
• In 36% of district probate offices, the average waiting time was shorter for probate applications from solicitors than it was for personal applications.
• In 21% of district probate offices, there was no difference in the length of time that it took to process applications, regardless of whether or not the application came from a solicitor or member of the public.

Commenting on this aspect of its analysis, Mr Charles said:

“It’s important not to underestimate how the complexity of an estate or any difficulties dealing with either the number of beneficiaries or any challenges beneficiaries might have on the will, can slow down probate applications. A solicitor is more likely to be hired to handle complex estates and so this could be why the data illustrates that probate offices appear slightly more likely to process personal probate applications more quickly than is the case for probate applications from solicitors.

“It must be noted though that a lack of legal expertise is likely to slow down personal probate applications, particularly if the lack of expertise leads to errors in the application or paperwork issues. And of course, many people will naturally just prefer to utilise the legal capabilities and experience of a solicitor, whether the case is complex or not.”

Improvements

According to the Government, ongoing modernisation of the Irish probate system has significantly shortened average probate processing times and will continue to do so.

As part of the ongoing modernisation, an eProbate project commenced in 2023. This included an online portal which has just been launched nationally and which is expected to enable faster and more efficient processing of applications, thereby reducing processing times8.

Mr Charles added:

“The national rollout of the eProbate system should help reduce probate waiting times across the country and in doing so, alleviate much of the emotional and financial strain that people feel at this time. As the national rollout of the new online Probate system is in its early days, time will tell what turnaround times the new system will bring but indications so far are that probate wait times will be substantially reduced.This will be hugely helpful for the grieving families navigating the emotional and financial upheaval of the loss of a loved one.”

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