Time limits for contesting a will

Last reviewed 18 August 2026

In these disputes the calendar is often decisive. Some claims die on a fixed date whether or not their merits are sound, so the first task is always to know which clock is running.

The key deadlines

An Inheritance Act 1975 claim must generally be brought within six months of the grant of probate — the strictest and most commonly missed. Challenges to a will’s validity have no such short statutory limit, but delay is punished in practice: evidence fades, the estate is distributed, and the court is less sympathetic. Claims to recover from an estate after distribution generally run to twelve years.

Act before the grant

Because so much turns on the grant being issued, the practical move is to enter a caveat early, which stops the clock on distribution and gives you the six-month window to investigate. Once assets are paid out, recovery is far harder.

Sources. Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 (six-month limit); Limitation Act 1980 (recovery periods).