Probate costs and services

We offer a range of services aimed to provide you with as much assistance as you need at a very difficult time in your life, and you face the task of winding up the affairs of a loved one or someone who has placed a great deal of trust in you as their executor.  

Our lawyers and probate clerks have substantial number of years, professional qualifications and a fully regulated professional body behind them which allows us to provide you with a sympathetic and expert service at whatever level you need.

We provide a range of services both at Fixed Fees details of which are set out below or a bespoke service in which we tailor the work to the estate and the outcome to be achieved. MOST importantly we start all our instructions with a fee interview and advice on how to proceed during which we can discuss the best service for you and unlikely many Probate Practices if we are acting for you as the Executor then we only charge for the work we do. We DO NOT Uplift our fees by charging a percentage of the estate. 

COME AND TALK TO US. We have a lot of experience and can really help you solve a lot of problems in a difficult time.

PLEASE JUST ASK AND WE CAN GIVE YOU AN ESTIMATE.

Applying for the grant, collecting and distributing the assets (Full administration of Estate)

The price of administering an estate is based on the hourly rate of the fee earner who has conduct of the matter. On average, an administration can take between 12 to 24 hours to complete. This amounts to costs in region of £3,000 to £6,000 based on an hourly charging rate of £250.

The exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances of the matter. For example, if there is one beneficiary and no property, costs will be at the lower end of the range. If there are multiple beneficiaries, a property and multiple bank accounts, costs will be at the higher end.

We will handle the full process for you. This quote is for estates where:

• There is a valid will
• There is no more than one property
• There are no more than 5 bank or building society accounts with different institutions
• There are 1-3 beneficiaries
• There are no disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs
• There is no inheritance tax payable and the executors do not need to submit a full account to HMRC
• There are no claims made against the estate
• The executor is not a partner in the firm

Disbursements in addition to this fee:

• Probate application fee of £155, any additional copies of the grant cost £1.50 each (1 per asset usually).
• Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches (£2 per beneficiary)
• £87.84 - Post in The London Gazette – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors.

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

Potential additional costs

• If there is no will, the estate consists of any shareholdings (stocks and bonds) or is subject to inheritance tax, there are likely to be additional costs. We can give you a more accurate quote once we have more information.
• Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included. This will be charged as a separate fee.

How long will this take?

On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 6-12months (depending on whether Trustee Notices are placed (2 months) and whether the executors protect themselves from claims from unknown beneficiaries (6 months from the date the Grant of Probate is issued). Typically, obtaining the Grant of Probate takes 12-18 weeks. Collecting assets then follows, which can take between 6-12 weeks. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which normally takes 4-6 weeks.

Our fixed fee services

• OBTAINING A GRANT OF PROBATE OR LETTERS OF ADMINISTRATION ON INTESTACY 
• GRANTS ONLY (Where there is no Inheritance Tax (IHT) liability)

Providing you are able to let us have all of the detail of the estate and values at the date of death we can obtain a grant on your behalf for £525.00 plus VAT and the probate Court fee of £155. 

The Probate Court fee if we make the application as a regulated Practice is reduced from £215 to £155 saving you £60 and we are registered with direct portal access to the Probate Registry all of which saves you time and stress.

GRANTS ONLY (where an IHT return is required because of a previous gift in the last 7 years or it fails to qualify as an excepted estate but only has one asset eg a house)  

Providing you are able to let us have all of the detail of the estate and values at the date of death and we can obtain the Grant and complete the IHT form on your behalf for £950 plus vat and the Court Fee of £155

GRANTS ONLY (Where an IHT return is required because the estate is not excepted from IHT or there have been more than one previous gifts or we need to bring forward un used allowances for an earlier death)  

Providing you are able to let us have all of the detail of the estate and values at the date of death we can obtain a grant and complete the IHT form on your behalf for on average £2250 plus vat and the Court fee of £155 but this will be confirmed in the fee appointment. 

PLEASE NOTE THAT IN THE ABOVE FIXED FEE SCENARIOS WE WILL NOT BE COLLECTING OR TRANSFERRING THE ASSETS FOR YOU ONCE THE GRANT HAS BEEN ISSUED. 

If, however, you need assistance with the placing of statutory advertisements, paying the funeral account, transfer of property or collection of assets or completion of tax forms or a dispute with the DWP regarding lifetime benefit payments, reclaiming nursing home fees or varying the terms of the Will or tax planning we can then assist you to undertake such matters and provide you with relevant advice on a time cost or further fixed fee basis. 

Probate

We can help you through this difficult process by obtaining the Grant of Probate on your behalf. This will be under a limited retainer where we are instructed to obtain the Grant of Probate only.

How much does this service cost?

No Inheritance tax payable/simple estate (IHT205) - Fixed fee of £475 + VAT

IHT chargeable or more complex estate (IHT400) - Fixed fee of £950 - £2250 + VAT (to be confirmed in fee apppointment) 

This includes preparing the paperwork to obtain the grant.

Breakdown of costs

Legal fees - £475 (simple estate) or £850 - £2250 (more complex estate)

VAT on legal fees - £95.00 (simple estate) or £170- £450 (more complex estate)

Disbursements:

• Probate application fee of £155, any additional copies of the grant cost £1.50 each (1 per asset usually)
• Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches (£2 per beneficiary)
• £87.84 + VAT - Post in The London Gazette – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors.

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

As part of our fixed fee, we will:

• Provide you with a dedicated and experienced probate solicitor to work on your matter
• Identify the legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries
• Accurately identify the type of Probate application you will require
• Complete the Probate Application and the relevant HMRC forms
• Draft a statement of truth for you to swear
• Make the application to the Probate Court on your behalf
• Obtain the Probate and send copies to you

On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 1-3 months or 3-6 months if an IHT account is required.  Typically, obtaining the Grant of Probate from the Probate Registry takes 8-12 weeks.