Probate postcode lottery can see loved ones wait 10 times longer to settle affairs from one county to the next

Average waiting times to complete probate vary by a factor of as much as 10, from just two weeks in Limerick to 20 weeks in other parts of the country.

Probate is the legal process to allow for a transfer of a person’s assets after they have died. It is a legal necessity in many cases, where the deceased had property or other assets in their name.

Research by Royal London, which provides pensions and life insurance/protection products, found it can take up to 10 times longer to settle the affairs of a deceased person depending on where in Ireland they lived, or how probate is applied for.

Nationally, 11 weeks was the average probate processing time last year, Royal London found, but the waiting times vary significantly.

A probate application can be made by a solicitor or an individual to a probate office or district probate registry covering the area where the deceased lived at the time of their death.

In addition, a national online eProbate option opened in 2023 and has now been launched nationally.

Royal London said the Cavan office (which also covers Longford) is the quickest place for probate applications to be completed overall, with an average waiting time of four weeks regardless of whether the application is made by an individual or solicitor.

Clonmel and Castlebar offices had the longest average wait times – up to 20 weeks.

In a number of probate offices, the average time to complete the process differed, depending on whether a solicitor or an individual “lay person” put in the application, for no clear reason.

In the Waterford office, the average processing time was two weeks for personal applications but 10 weeks if the required forms were submitted by solicitors.

In Limerick, average wait times for an application from a solicitor was two weeks, but the average wait for personal applications was six weeks.

The average wait time in the Dublin Probate Office, which covers Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow and is by far the country’s busiest, is between seven and eight weeks for probate applications received from solicitors and 10 to 12 weeks for personal applications.

Royal London Ireland’s Joe Charles said there are myriad reasons why probate can be delayed, such as a complex estate, a large number of beneficiaries and difficulties locating wills, but that location can also have a significant bearing, which can put a strain on heirs and executors.

Irish Independent 30^th of June 2026