Form PA15: Renouncing Probate as Executor (England & Wales)

At a glance

• What PA15 does: allows a named executor or administrator to permanently renounce the right to apply for probate (England and Wales only).
• When to use it: before you have started dealing with the estate. Once you have intermeddled — collected assets, paid debts, or managed property — the right to renounce is lost.
• Alternative to consider first: power reserved allows an executor to stand aside from the initial application without permanently giving up the role.
• The form: 3-page PDF, published by HM Courts and Tribunals Service; last updated December 2024; free to download from GOV.UK.
• How to submit: completed and hand-signed by you, with an independent witness; given to the executor or administrator who is applying for the grant.
• Legal basis: Non-Contentious Probate Rules 1987 (SI 1987/2024), rule 37.
• Renunciation does not affect your inheritance: stepping down as executor has no effect on any legacy or share of the estate you are entitled to as a beneficiary.

This page provides general legal information, not advice about your specific situation. If you are unsure whether to renounce, or whether you may already have intermeddled, it is worth speaking to a legal adviser before signing anything.

What renunciation of probate means

When someone dies leaving a will, the people named as executors in that will have the right to apply to the Probate Registry for a grant of probate. The grant is the legal document that gives them authority to deal with the estate — collecting in assets, settling debts and taxes, and distributing what remains to the beneficiaries.

Being named as an executor does not oblige you to act. The law in England and Wales recognises that circumstances change and that not everyone who is appointed will be willing or able to take on the role. Renunciation is the formal process by which a named executor permanently gives up that right.

A renunciation lodged using Form PA15 is treated as irrevocable once the Probate Registry accepts it. The effect is that the renouncing person is regarded as though they were never appointed executor under that will. They can no longer later decide to step forward, claim the role, or be treated as having executor status. The position is set out in rule 37 of the Non-Contentious Probate Rules 1987 (SI 1987/2024), which governs renunciation in England and Wales.

What renunciation is not

Renunciation is not a refusal of inheritance. If the same person is both an executor and a beneficiary under the will — which is common — renouncing the executor role has no effect on their entitlement to whatever the testator left them. Stepping down from administering the estate and receiving a gift under the will are entirely separate things.

Renunciation is also not a way of removing an executor who is unwilling to cooperate. The right to renounce belongs to the executor personally; it cannot be compelled by the other executors or by the beneficiaries.

Power reserved: the alternative worth understanding first

Before deciding to use PA15, it is worth understanding a less drastic option that the probate rules also allow: power reserved.

Where a will appoints more than one executor, it is not necessary for all of them to join in the initial probate application. One executor can apply for the grant while another simply stands aside at that stage — with their right to prove the will kept open for the future. This is called having power reserved to them.

Power reserved is appropriate where an executor is temporarily unavailable, is abroad, is unwell, or simply does not wish to be involved in the early stages but may want to participate later — for example, if a dispute arises or if they change their mind. It does not close off future involvement.

The critical difference from renunciation:

| | Renunciation (PA15) | Power reserved | |---|---|---| | Right to act as executor later | Lost permanently | Kept open | | Form required | PA15 | No separate form; the applying executor notes it on their application | | Can it be reversed? | Only by court order, rarely granted | Yes — executor with power reserved can apply to prove the will later | | Suitable for | Permanent departure from the role | Temporary or uncertain absence |

If you are unsure whether you want to be involved at all, or if there is any chance your circumstances might change, power reserved is worth considering before signing a PA15.

The intermeddling bar: why you must act before dealing with the estate

The right to renounce is lost if you have intermeddled in the estate before signing PA15. This is one of the most important rules in this area and catches more people than they expect.

Intermeddling means taking steps that are only available to an executor: collecting in bank accounts or other assets, paying creditors, selling property or possessions, or otherwise actively managing the estate. Once you have done any of those things, even informally or with good intentions, the law treats you as having accepted the role of executor — and the right to renounce disappears.

What does not count as intermeddling

Not every action taken after a death will amount to intermeddling. The law recognises that people close to the deceased often take immediate practical steps that are necessary regardless of who eventually administers the estate:

• Arranging the funeral
• Securing the deceased's home (for example, changing a lock to prevent unauthorised access, or arranging for perishables to be removed)
• Registering the death
• Notifying relevant organisations of the death

These steps are generally not treated as intermeddling. The line is between taking care of urgent practical necessities and actually beginning to deal with the estate's finances or assets.

If you are not sure

If you have already done something that might constitute intermeddling, do not simply proceed to sign PA15 in the hope that it will resolve the situation. A renunciation signed after intermeddling does not undo the intermeddling; it can instead create ambiguity and legal complications for the estate. Taking advice before signing is important in that scenario.

How to complete and submit Form PA15

Form PA15 is published by HM Courts and Tribunals Service. The current version (updated December 2024) is a 3-page PDF, available free of charge from GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/form-pa15-give-up-probate-executor-rights.

Do not use an older version of the form. HMCTS updates probate forms periodically, and using an outdated version can delay or complicate the process.

Step-by-step

1. Check whether you have intermeddled. Work through what you have done since the death. If you have gone beyond practical necessities and started dealing with assets or debts, stop and take advice before going any further with PA15.

2. Consider power reserved. If there are other executors and you are not certain you want to step away permanently, check whether power reserved would meet your needs instead. That option does not require a separate form.

3. Download the current version of PA15 from GOV.UK. Read the notes on the form. They explain each section and what the Probate Registry needs. Make sure you understand what you are signing before filling anything in.

4. Complete the form in full. The form requires: the full name and last address of the person who has died; the date of death; the date of the will (and any codicils); and your own full name, address, and details as the renouncing executor. Every section must be completed — a partially filled form will be returned.

5. Sign the form by hand in the presence of an independent witness. The witness must be independent: not a beneficiary under the will, and not a close relative of the deceased. The witness must also sign the form and provide their own name and address.

6. Give the completed, signed form to the executor or administrator who is applying for the grant. The renunciation does not take effect simply by being signed — it takes effect when it is lodged with the Probate Registry as part of the grant application. Keep a copy for your own records.

If you are the sole executor

If you are the only executor named in the will, your renunciation means there is no executor left to apply for a grant of probate. In that situation, the entitlement to deal with the estate passes to the people who benefit under the will, in the order set by the Non-Contentious Probate Rules 1987. Those people would apply for a grant of letters of administration with will annexed rather than a grant of probate. The practical authority is the same — the administrator can deal with the estate — but the process is different, and it is usually sensible to make the beneficiaries aware of your decision promptly so they can take the necessary steps.

What happens after you renounce

The effect on the estate

Your renunciation removes you from the administration entirely. Any remaining executors named in the will can proceed with the probate application without you. If there are no remaining executors, or if they also renounce, a residuary beneficiary (or other entitled person under the Non-Contentious Probate Rules 1987) will need to apply for letters of administration with will annexed.

The estate itself is not affected by your renunciation. The assets, debts, and beneficiaries remain the same. What changes is only who is responsible for administering the estate and applying for the grant.

Your position as a beneficiary

If you are also a beneficiary under the will, you continue to be entitled to your legacy or share of the estate. Whoever does administer the estate is legally obliged to distribute it in accordance with the will's terms — your entitlement does not depend on your taking on the executor role.

Can the renunciation be undone?

Once PA15 has been accepted by the Probate Registry, the renunciation is treated as final. A court has a narrow residual discretion to permit a withdrawal in exceptional circumstances, but this is rarely granted and should not be planned for. The decision to sign PA15 should be made on the assumption that it cannot be reversed.

Fees

There is no fee attached to Form PA15 itself. The probate application fee — currently £300 for estates worth more than £5,000, and no fee for estates of £5,000 or less — is payable by the person who applies for the grant, not by the person renouncing. Extra certified copies of the grant cost £16 each. Check GOV.UK for the current fee amounts before submitting any probate paperwork, as fees are reviewed periodically.

If you need help with the probate fee, form EX160 allows an application for fee remission. Details are on the applying for probate fees page on GOV.UK.

Probate helpline

If you need guidance on completing Form PA15, the HMCTS Probate helpline is available on 0300 303 0648, Monday to Friday, 9am to 1pm (closed weekends and bank holidays). They can help with procedural questions about the form but cannot give legal advice.

Last reviewed: June 2026 · Next review due: June 2027 or on legislative change.