Probate Advance is not a lender and does not provide loans. We specialize exclusively in inheritance funding, which is a financial option for heirs awaiting their inheritance. Inheritance funding is not a loan—there are no monthly payments, no interest charges, and no payment is required unless you receive your inheritance. If for any reason your inheritance is not received, you owe us nothing.
Inheritance Advance for Canadian Heirs — Get Your Money Before Probate Closes
Losing a loved one is hard enough without also being told your inheritance is tied up for months, sometimes years, while the courts work through it. Whether the estate is going through a Grant of Probate in British Columbia, a Certificate of Appointment of Estate Trustee in Ontario, or a Verification of a Will in Quebec, the outcome for heirs is the same everywhere in Canada: nothing gets released until the process is finished.
Probate Advance gives Canadian heirs and beneficiaries a way around that wait. If you’re named in a will — or entitled to a share of an estate under intestacy rules — you can receive an inheritance advance on your expected inheritance, in Canadian dollars, without waiting for probate to close.
- This is not a loan
- There’s no credit check
- No income verification
- No interest
- No monthly payments
You’re not borrowing against your inheritance — you’re selling a portion of it now for cash. If the estate is delayed, reduced, or for any reason never pays out, you don’t owe anything back. The risk sits with us, not with you.
Get a Free, No-Obligation Quote
Speak with a funding specialist: (866) 229-9836
Why Heirs Choose Probate Advance
- Non-recourse, always. If your inheritance doesn’t come through, you keep the funding and owe nothing further.
- No credit check, no income requirements. Approval is based on the estate — not your personal financial history.
- Funds in as little as 24–48 hours once your application is approved.
- No monthly payments, no interest. You pay nothing out of pocket, ever. Payment comes directly from the estate when it settles.
- We coordinate directly with your executor or estate lawyer, so you don’t have to manage the paperwork alone.
What Is an Inheritance Advance?
An inheritance advance lets an heir access part of an inheritance before an estate finishes probate. Unlike a loan, you’re selling a portion of your future inheritance for a lump sum today — repaid directly from your share once the estate settles.
- No payments
- No interest
- Nothing out of pocket while you wait
That’s different from a loan secured against an expected inheritance, which still comes with a credit check, monthly payments, and interest that keeps accruing no matter how long probate takes. If the estate turns out smaller than expected, you’re still on the hook for the full loan balance. With an inheritance advance, what you owe is tied entirely to what the estate actually pays out — nothing more.
How Probate Works in Canada
Probate isn’t one national process — it’s ten provincial systems and three territorial ones, each with its own court, its own paperwork, and often its own name for the same basic step. A few terms you’ll run into, depending on where the estate is located:
Grant of Probate
The most common term across Canada outside Ontario and Quebec. It’s the court order confirming a will is valid and formally naming who has legal authority to act for the estate — typically the executor named in the will.
Certificate of Appointment of Estate Trustee
Ontario’s version of the same thing. Same purpose, different name, issued by the Superior Court of Justice.
Letters Probate / Letters of Administration
Used in several provinces, including Saskatchewan and British Columbia, to describe the court’s authorization — “Letters Probate” when there’s a valid will, “Letters of Administration” when there isn’t.
Verification of a Will
Quebec’s process. Notably, a will prepared by a Quebec notary generally skips this step entirely — one of several ways Quebec’s civil-law system diverges from the rest of Canada’s common-law provinces.
Estate Certificate
A streamlined, lower-cost version of the full probate process that Ontario offers for smaller estates.
Whatever the local name, the effect on heirs is identical everywhere: none of the estate’s assets — bank accounts, real estate, investments — can be legally distributed until the applicable court process is complete. Depending on the province, the size of the estate, and whether anyone contests the will, that can take anywhere from a few months to well over a year. An inheritance advance exists specifically to close that gap.
Probate Across Canada — Find Your Province
Probate In Ontario
Ontario calls its probate process a Certificate of Appointment of Estate Trustee. In Ontario, the estate pays an Estate Administration Tax of roughly 1.5% above the first $50,000 — about $6,750 on a $500,000 estate. Smaller Ontario estates may qualify for the province’s faster Small Estate Certificate process.
British Columbia Probate
British Columbia uses a Grant of Probate (or Grant of Administration without a valid will), issued by the BC Supreme Court. Fees in British Columbia are tiered above $25,000, plus a $200 filing fee — roughly $11,280 total on an $845,000 estate.
Probate In Alberta
Alberta has some of the lowest probate costs in Canada. An Alberta Grant of Probate or Grant of Administration carries a flat, tiered filing fee capped at $525, regardless of estate size. Quebec
Quebec runs on civil law, so the process is called Verification of a Will. In Quebec, notarial wills generally skip verification entirely; witnessed or holograph wills carry a modest court fee of roughly $100–$120.
Manitoba Probate
Manitoba’s Grant of Probate process is generally considered one of the more cost-effective in Canada, and Manitoba does not use a percentage-based fee structure.
Probate In Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan uses Letters Probate or Letters of Administration, with a flat fee in Saskatchewan commonly cited around 0.7% of estate value.
Probate In Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador, and Prince Edward Island
Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador, and Prince Edward Island each issue a Grant of Probate through their own courts. Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador, and Prince Edward Island each set tiered fee schedules by estate value. [Contact us] for current details on an estate in any Atlantic province.
Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon
Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon each maintain their own probate registries. The Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon all use tiered, capped fee schedules.
Contact us for guidance on an estate in any territory.
How It Works
- Tell us about the estate. A short online form or a quick call covering where the estate is located, your relationship to the deceased, and your expected share of the inheritance. This takes a few minutes.
- We review your file — no credit check involved. Approval is based on the estate itself, not your income, employment, or credit history. We can work speak directly with the estate’s executor or lawyer to verify the details, so you don’t have to chase down paperwork on your own.
- You receive a clear, upfront offer. No hidden fees, no fine print you need a lawyer to decode. You’ll know exactly how much you’re receiving and what the estate will repay once it settles.
- Funds are sent — often within in as little as 24 to 48 hours once approved. Once you accept and the paperwork is signed, funds are typically can be deposited within one to two business days .after approval.
Inheritance Advance vs. a Loan
Heirs searching for a way to access money before probate closes often come across the terms “probate loan” or “inheritance loan.” In most cases, what’s actually being offered is an inheritance advance — not a loan in the traditional sense. The distinction matters:
With a loan, you’re personally on the hook to repay it — plus interest — no matter what ultimately happens with the estate. If probate drags on for two years instead of six months, the interest keeps compounding the entire time. With an inheritance advance, none of that risk falls on you. You receive your funds, and repayment happens automatically out of your share of the estate when it’s finally distributed. If your share turns out to be smaller than expected, or the estate can’t pay at all, you keep what you were advanced and owe nothing further.
What Can the Funds Be Used For?
There’s no restriction on how you use an inheritance advance, and you don’t need to justify or document your spending to receive one. Heirs most commonly use their funding to:
- Cover funeral, memorial, or estate-related costs
- Pay off existing debt before interest adds up further
- Catch up on rent or mortgage payments
- Cover medical bills or day-to-day living expenses
- Handle legal or accounting fees tied to settling the estate
- Simply have breathing room while the courts do their work
Whatever you’re facing, the money is yours to use as needed — there’s no application form asking what it’s for.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an inheritance advance?
An inheritance advance gives you a portion of your expected inheritance in cash quickly, in exchange for a share of the payout once the estate settles. It is not a loan — there’s no interest, no credit check, and no monthly payments.
Is an inheritance advance available across all of Canada?
Yes! Probate Advance proudly offers inheritance advances across all of Canada’s ten Provinces and three territories.
How is this different from a probate loan?
A probate loan (or “inheritance loan”) is a traditional lending product: it requires a credit check, charges interest, and must be repaid in full regardless of what happens with the estate. An inheritance advance is repaid only from your share of the estate. If the estate doesn’t pay out as expected, you don’t owe the difference.
How much can I receive?
The amount depends on the size of the estate and your share of it. There’s no cost or obligation to get a free quote, so you can see your options before deciding anything.
Do I need a lawyer to apply?
No — though if the estate already has one, we’re glad to work directly with them (or with the executor) to speed up the process and reduce the paperwork on your end.
How long does probate take in Canada?
It depends heavily on the province and the complexity of the estate, but a common range is several months to over a year. Contested wills, multiple heirs, and estates with real property tend to take longer. See the province-by-province breakdown above for specifics.
What happens if the estate is worth less than I expected?
Because an inheritance advance is non-recourse, you’re never responsible for repaying more than what the estate can actually cover. If the estate does not pays out less than anticipated — or not at all — you keep the funds you were provided.
What’s the difference between “probate,” a “Grant of Probate,” and a “Certificate of Appointment of Estate Trustee”?
They all refer to the same basic legal step: a court confirming a will is valid and authorizing someone to act on behalf of the estate. “Grant of Probate” is the term used in most provinces; Ontario calls it a Certificate of Appointment of Estate Trustee; Quebec calls it Verification of a Will. The paperwork and court differ by province, but the underlying purpose is the same everywhere.
Does a Power of Attorney affect my ability to get an inheritance advance?
A Power of Attorney (POA) only has legal authority while the person who granted it is alive — it ends automatically at death and has no bearing on your inheritance or on qualifying for an advance. If you’re currently acting as POA for a living family member and have separate questions about that role, provincial rules on POA differ, so it’s worth speaking with an estate lawyer in your province.
What is an estate account, and do I need one?
An estate account is a bank account opened by the executor specifically to hold and manage the deceased’s assets while the estate is being settled — separate from the executor’s personal accounts. You don’t need to open or manage an estate account yourself to receive an inheritance advance; that’s handled by the executor as part of estate administration.
Get Started Today
If you’re waiting on an inheritance anywhere in Canada and need access to funds before probate closes, Probate Advance can help — with a process built around Canadian provincial rules, in Canadian dollars, and without a single monthly payment or credit check standing in your way.
Get a Free, No-Obligation Quote Or call (866) 229-9836
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