Another day, another bill lands on the doormat of families already struggling to get by. From this morning, updated court and tribunal fees are in force across England and Wales. The probate application fee has climbed to £526 for estates above the exemption threshold. Most other charges rose by around 2.6 per cent.
That is the reality under the current government. What ministers call cost recovery looks more like another layer of tax on people trying to wind up a loved one's affairs or fight a possession claim. Twenty-seven fees jumped by an average of 34 per cent on top of the inflation adjustment. The issue fee for possession claims is now £415, up from £404. In family proceedings, the fee for an injunction application has gone from £377 to £387.
These are not abstract figures. They hit at the exact moment people need the system most. Probate, divorce-related applications, child arrangements, landlord-tenant battles. The justice system was never cheap. Now it is noticeably dearer for the ordinary taxpayer who funds it twice over, once through taxes and again at the counter.
An exemption has been carved out for local authorities making applications under Jade’s Law in the family court. That is section 18 of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024. Fair enough for those cases. Yet it leaves private citizens and small businesses to shoulder the extra load without similar relief. The Ministry of Justice says the changes strengthen cost recovery and keep access fair. The numbers tell a different story.
Some adjustments do ease pressure in niche areas. The charge for a concurrent copy of a probate document dropped from £16 to £2. In the Property Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal, certain rent increase appeals saw fees cut by £47 with the hearing fee waived. Pitch fee appeals fell by £23 on the same basis. No fee now applies to urgent building safety cases. These tweaks are welcome but feel like small concessions amid broader increases.
The bulk of the schedule still pushes costs upward. Around 170 fees rose with inflation for 2024/25. Others were restructured into tiered bands of £200 or £300, or £114 or £227 for most residential property cases. The pattern is clear. Administrative expansion continues while the bill is passed to users of the service.
