Learn about probate
Free guides in plain words, checked against Ontario's official sources. No email wall, no tricks — take what you need.
Probate in Ontario: a plain-words guide
What probate is, when Ontario estates need it, what it costs, and the steps from application to certificate — explained simply and sourced.
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Ontario probate forms: the complete free list
Every court form for an Ontario probate application, what each one is for, and where to download them free — no purchase needed.
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Ontario's Estate Administration Tax, explained
How Ontario's Estate Administration Tax works: the exact math, the round-up rule, what counts in the estate value, and the return you file after.
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How to probate a will in Ontario, step by step
The full sequence for probating a will yourself in Ontario: documents, forms, who must be notified, how to file, and what happens after.
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Certificate of Appointment of Estate Trustee
Ontario's official name for probate: what the certificate does, who needs one, the kinds courts issue, and the path to getting it.
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Small estates in Ontario: the $150,000 process
Ontario's simpler probate stream for estates of $150,000 or less: who qualifies, the 30-day rule, the forms, and what the certificate covers.
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Executor duties in Ontario, in plain words
The estate trustee's job from the day of death to the final distribution: securing assets, probate, debts, taxes, accounts, and the duties people miss.
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How long does probate take in Ontario?
Honest timelines for Ontario probate: what's fast, what's slow, why applications bounce, and the parts of the wait you can actually control.
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Why probate applications get sent back
Why Ontario court staff return probate applications — name mismatches, tax math, service proof, the original will — and the fix for each.
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Form 74.1A explained, in plain words
What Ontario's Form 74.1A asks, part by part — the sworn small estate probate application for estates of $150,000 or less.
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Form 74.1B explained, in plain words
What Ontario court Form 74.1B does in a small estate probate application: who signs it, the 30-day wait, and the mistakes that get it sent back.
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Form 74.1C explained, in plain words
What Ontario's Form 74.1C (Small Estate Certificate) is, who signs it, what goes in each part, and the mistakes that get probate applications sent back.
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Form 74A explained, in plain words
Form 74A starts a standard Ontario probate application. What each part asks, who signs before a commissioner, and the mistakes that get it sent back.
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Form 74C: Ontario's probate certificate, in plain words
Form 74C is the certificate the court signs to grant Ontario probate. What each part asks, who signs it, and the mistakes that get it sent back.
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Form 74D explained, in plain words
Ontario's Form 74D (Affidavit of Execution) in plain words: who swears it, what each part asks, and the mistakes that get probate applications sent back.
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Form 74G explained, in plain words
What Ontario's Form 74G does in a probate application: giving up the executor job, consenting to an applicant, and bond consents — plus common mistakes.
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When is probate required in Ontario?
When Ontario probate is needed and when it isn't — banks, land, joint assets, named beneficiaries, and the honest first step: ask the asset holder.
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How much does probate cost in Ontario?
Ontario probate costs in plain words: the estate tax formula with worked math, what filing costs, and what lawyers and software charge.
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Form 74B: Ontario's affidavit of service, in plain words
Form 74B is the affidavit of service in an Ontario probate application: who swears it, what the two tables mean, and the mistakes that get it sent back.
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Ontario's Estate Information Return, explained
Ontario's Estate Information Return: who must send it, the 180-day deadline, the 60-day fix rule, and the real penalties for missing it — in plain words.
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Survivorship applications in Ontario, in plain words
A survivorship application moves a jointly owned Ontario home to the surviving owner without probate. What it is, who registers it, and what it costs.
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Letters of administration in Ontario: probate with no will
'Letters of administration' is Ontario's old name for no-will probate. The current name, who can apply first, the bond rule, forms, and who inherits.
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How to get a death certificate in Ontario
Who can order an Ontario death certificate, what it costs, how long it takes, and why the funeral home's proof-of-death papers come first.
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Executor fees in Ontario: what is fair pay, and how it is taxed
What an Ontario executor can be paid: the fair and reasonable rule, the usual percentages, who must agree, and how CRA taxes the fee.
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Do you need a lawyer to probate a will in Ontario?
What Ontario's own probate pages say about applying with or without a lawyer, when a lawyer is truly the right help, and three honest ways to file.
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Can you apply for probate online in Ontario?
Ontario probate filing is by email, not a website. The email rules, both size limits, why the original will travels on paper, and what comes back by email.
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How Ontario probate rules changed, year by year
Ontario probate rules changed in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, and 2025. What changed each year — and why an old form can get your filing sent back.
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The documents you need for probate in Ontario
Five things to gather before you start an Ontario probate application: the original will, proof of death, day-of-death values, and who inherits.
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Looking for your courthouse? See our checked list of Ontario probate courthouses — addresses, filing emails, and the email size rules.