How this works

doineedprobate.ca is built to give you a calm, clear starting point — not to replace a lawyer. Here is exactly how it reaches an answer.

The questions

The checker asks about the things that actually decide whether probate is needed: where the person lived, whether there was a will, the value of assets held in their name alone, whether they owned real estate, and whether assets were held jointly or had a named beneficiary. It also asks about a few situations — minor beneficiaries, a disputed estate, an insolvent estate — that can change what is required.

The rules

For each province and territory we keep a separate ruleset: whether solely-owned real estate forces probate, whether a simplified small-estate process exists and its threshold, the relevant forms, and the fee structure. Every figure is taken from official government and court sources, which are listed on each province page. We do not rely on memory or guesswork — anything we cannot confirm is flagged for review rather than published as fact.

The determination

A single, transparent rule set turns your answers into a result. In short: solely-owned real estate almost always requires probate; assets held jointly or with a named beneficiary normally pass outside the estate; and the value of assets held in the deceased's name alone is compared against your province's small-estate threshold, if it has one. Quebec uses a civil-law system and is handled separately.

Reviewed by a lawyer

The rulesets and content are reviewed by a practising Canadian lawyer before they are published. Even so, this tool gives general information only. Probate law changes, and every estate is different — please confirm your situation with a lawyer.

Your privacy

The checker runs entirely in your browser. Your answers are not sent to a server, not saved, and not linked to you. See our privacy policy.