Is Your STEP Certificate More Than 6 Years Old? The CLC's 24-Month Concession Explained
If your STEP Advanced Certificates are more than six years old, you may still be able to use the CLC Advanced Probate Exemption. Certificates older than six years have always been accepted with evidence of current STEP membership. If you can't show that, a temporary CLC concession now accepts certificates up to 24 months beyond the six-year limit, until 31 December 2028, provided you complete your practical experience and apply for your licence before your extension runs out.
What is the CLC Advanced Probate Exemption?
The CLC Advanced Probate Exemption is a short route to a Licensed Probate Practitioner licence for holders of STEP Advanced Certificates. It is set by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC).
- Will Preparation plus Administration of Estates or Trusts: you complete one CLC Level 6 unit, Managing Client and Office Accounts (Probate).
- Administration of Estates or Trusts only: you also complete the Level 6 unit Wills, Succession and Grants of Representation.
Add at least 1,200 hours of supervised practical experience and you can apply to the CLC for your licence, which makes you an Authorised Person under the Legal Services Act 2007.
Why does the age of my STEP certificate matter?
The CLC has an Aged Qualifications Policy, so that the qualifications people rely on for exemptions still reflect current knowledge. For the Advanced Probate Exemption, your STEP Advanced Certificates must normally:
- have been awarded within the last six years; or
- if older, come with evidence of current STEP membership, showing you have kept your professional standing up to date.
So the age limit mainly affects people who have let their STEP membership lapse, or who gained their certificates and then moved into a different role.
What does the 24-month concession change?
Because the route is so new, the CLC has agreed a transitional extension. Until 31 December 2028, STEP certificates that exceed the normal age limit by no more than 24 months may still be accepted for the Advanced Probate Exemption. Here is where that leaves you:
| Your STEP certificates | Can you use the exemption? |
|---|---|
| Awarded within the last six years | Yes, under the normal rules |
| Over six years old, and you are a current STEP member | Yes, under the normal rules, with evidence of membership |
| Six to eight years old, not a current STEP member | Yes, under the concession, if you apply for your licence before your 24-month extension ends |
| More than eight years old, not a current STEP member | Not under the concession; talk to us about your options |
The concession applies only to the Advanced Probate Exemption. It does not change the aged qualification rules for any other CLC exemption.
Managing Client and Office Accounts
The one CLC unit everyone on this route completes, covering the Accounts Code and client money. Online and self-paced.
How do I work out my deadline under the concession?
Take the date your STEP certificate was awarded, add six years to find when it passed the normal limit, then add 24 months. Your licence application must go in before that date.
| Certificate awarded | Six-year limit passed | Apply for your licence before |
|---|---|---|
| 1 March 2019 | 1 March 2025 | 1 March 2027 |
| 1 September 2019 | 1 September 2025 | 1 September 2027 |
| 1 March 2020 | 1 March 2026 | 1 March 2028 |
Two dates to watch. Your own 24-month extension, and the concession's closing date of 31 December 2028. If your extension would run beyond the closing date, check with us before you enrol.
What do I need to do before my deadline?
- Send us copies of your STEP certificates. As your approved centre, we check that they fall within the 24-month concession period and confirm your deadline.
- Complete your CLC unit or units. Managing Client and Office Accounts, plus Wills, Succession and Grants of Representation if you don't hold the Will Preparation certificate. Both are certificated as standalone units, as the CLC requires.
- Evidence your practical experience. You need at least 1,200 hours of supervised experience within the 36 months before you apply. It can be recorded retrospectively if it was properly supervised and verified by a qualifying Authorised Person.
- Apply to the CLC for your licence before your extension ends.
Wills, Succession and Grants of Representation
The CLC Level 6 unit that stands in for the STEP Advanced Certificate in Will Preparation.
Can I realistically finish in time?
For most experienced probate professionals, yes, as long as you start early. The academic side is usually a single unit, studied online at your own pace. The practical experience requirement is often a retrospective formality: your line manager, Head of Legal Practice, Compliance Officer for Legal Practice or an ICAEW Probate Practitioner verifies the work you already do. If you changed roles during the period, you can submit more than one Statement of Practical Experience.
The risk is leaving it too late. If your certificate passed six years in 2025, your extension could end in 2027, so the time to plan is now. See our guide to the CLC practical experience requirements for what counts.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a STEP certificate that is more than six years old?
Yes, if you can show current STEP membership. If you cannot, the CLC's transitional concession accepts certificates up to 24 months beyond the six-year limit until 31 December 2028, provided you apply for your licence before your 24-month extension ends.
When does the CLC aged qualifications concession end?
The concession is available until 31 December 2028. After that, the CLC's standard Aged Qualifications Policy applies to the Advanced Probate Exemption.
Does the concession apply to other CLC exemptions?
No. It applies only to the Advanced Probate Exemption route.
What do I need to give my training provider?
Copies of the STEP certificates you are relying on. Your approved centre must check that they fall within the additional 24-month period and make sure you know your licence application deadline.
How many units will I need to study?
One, Managing Client and Office Accounts (Probate), if you hold the Will Preparation certificate plus Administration of Estates or Trusts. Two if you hold only Administration of Estates or Trusts, adding Wills, Succession and Grants of Representation.
Related reading: the full CLC Advanced Probate Exemption guide · Transferring from conveyancing to probate
Don't let your extension run out
Send us your STEP certificates and we will confirm your units and your deadline.
Check my certificates Read the full guideSource: CLC, Advanced Probate Exemption.