Our Probate Solicitors offer a friendly service and efficient service and will carry out all work involved in the winding up of estates. This includes any conveyancing work required.

If a person dies leaving an estate worth more than £15,000 it is necessary to obtain a Grant to shut down their assets. If there is a will, this is called Grant of Probate and must be applied for by the Executor. If there is no will, it is called Grant of Letters of Administration and must be applied for by the next of kin.

If a person dies without making a will, we can provide advice on how the estate will be divided. We will instruct tracing agents to establish the family tree and locate beneficiaries where required.

OUR FEES AND RANGE OF CHARGES

PROBATE

We set out below a general guide to our charging rates for assisting you with probate work including the option of a fixed fee. This is provided as a guide only and we always provide clients with detailed and personalised fee information

Grant of Probate only– estimated fixed fee: £800 plus VAT (Inc. VAT £960).

This is where you need advice and assistance in obtaining the Grant of Probate or letters of administration but wish to administer the estate without help from us

Types of cases included in this fixed fee:-

• Where there is no more than one property

• Where there is no more than 4 bank or building society accounts

• Where there are no other intangible assets

• Where there are no more than 4 beneficiaries

• Where there is no dispute between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs
• Where you are able to provide all the information regarding the assets and liabilities of the estate as at the date of death
• Where there is no inheritance tax to pay or inheritance tax accounts required

In addition to our bill there are costs known as disbursements which are the same for all solicitors. Disbursements are costs related to your case that are payable to third parties. We handle the payment of the disbursement on your behalf to ensure a smoother process and would normally be

• Probate application fee of £158
• £20 for swearing of the oath for two executors
• £10 fee for copy title of the property

Occasionally there can be additional disbursements and if these arose we would let you know before incurring the cost

We would carry out the following work for this fixed fee:

• Compile the list of assets and liabilities and use this information to complete the IHT205 and any supporting information
• Prepare oath for executors or administrators to swear and send these to you to check, sign, swear and return to us.
• Apply to the District Probate Registry for the Grant of Probate and letters of Administration
• Send you the Grant once received from the Probate registry and deal with any associated queries.
• Our involvement then ends.

Grant of Probate if you would like us to obtain date of death information and valuations – estimated fixed fee £950 plus VAT (Inc. £1140)

Types of cases included in this fixed fee:

• Where there is no more than one property

• Where there is no more than 4 bank or building society accounts

• Where there are no other intangible assets

• Where there are no more than 4 beneficiaries

• Where there is no dispute between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs

• Where you are able to provide all the information regarding the assets and liabilities of the estate as at the date of death

• Where there is no Inheritance tax to pay or inheritance tax accounts required 

We would carry out the following work for this fixed fee:- 

• Write to all known assets and liabilities holders and request date of death valuations
• Compile the list of assets and liabilities and use this information to complete the IHT205 and any supporting information
• Prepare oath for executors or administrators to swear and send these to you to check, sign, swear and return to us.
• Apply to the District Probate Registry for the Grant of Probate and letters of Administration
• Send you the Grant once received from the Probate registry and deal with any associated queries.
• Our involvement then ends

Disbursement are additional costs to the fixed fee and would normally be :-

• Probate application fee of £158
• £20 for swearing of the oath for two executors
• £10 fee for copy title of the property

Occasionally there can be additional disbursements and if these arose we would let you know before incurring the cost

• Grant of Probate where Inheritance Tax Accounts is required £1,200 plus VAT (Inc. £1,440)

Type of cases included in this fixed fee:-

Where the estate is over the Inheritance Tax threshold

We would carry out the following work for this fixed fee:-

• Write to all known assets and liabilities holders and request date of death valuations
• Compile the list of assets and liabilities and use this information to complete the IHT400, Schedules, any supporting information, liaise with clients and the bank to pay any inheritance tax due on the estate
• Prepare oath for executors or administrators to swear and send these to you to check, sign, swear and return to us.
• Apply to the District Probate Registry for the Grant of Probate and letters of Administration
• Send you the Grant once received from the Probate registry and deal with any associated queries.
• Our involvement then ends

Disbursement are additional costs to the fixed fee and would normally be :-

• Probate application fee of £158
• £20 for swearing of the oath for two executors
• £10 fee for copy title of each property

Occasionally there can be additional disbursements and if these arose we would let you know before incurring the cost

The timescale to obtain the grant will usually be between 6weeks to 8weeks from the date of receiving full instructions.

All work in the department is supervised by Jane Morel, Head of Department. Jane is supported by a team of experienced paralegals

Full Administration estimated fee range £3000 to £6000 plus VAT

Dealing with probate can be a complex and daunting task. Often you may want your solicitor to deal with all aspects of probate.

Type of cases included in this fixed fee:-

This is the situation where you want us to deal with everything for you by obtaining the Grant of Probate and then undertaking the collection and distribution of assets

We will provide an estimate at the lower end of this fee range where estates are simple:-

• There is no more than one property

• There is no more than 4 bank or building society accounts

• There are no other intangible assets

• There are no more than 4 beneficiaries

• There is no dispute between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs

• You are able to provide all the information regarding the assets and liabilities of the estate as at the date of death
• there is no inheritance tax to pay or inheritance tax accounts required

We would carry out the following work for this fixed fee:-

We will handle the full process for you including:

• Contacting all assets and liabilities holders and obtaining date of death valuations,
• Compile the list of assets and liabilities and use the information to complete the IHT400, Schedules, any required supporting information, liaise with clients and the bank to pay any inheritance tax due on the estate
• Prepare oath for executors or administrators to swear and send these to you to check, sign, swear and return to us.
• Apply to the District Probate Registry for the Grant of Probate and letters of Administration
• Collecting in all known assets and paying liabilities
• Producing estate accounts for approval and making distributions to the eventual beneficiary/ or beneficiariies of the estate.Generally concluding the administration of the estate.

Disbursements are additional costs to the fixed fee and would normally be:-

• Probate application fee of £158
• £20 for swearing of the oath for two executors
• £10 fee for copy title of each property

Occasionally there can be additional disbursements and if these arose we would let you know before incurring the cost

Where the estate is not simple then this will increase the cost. This is something we would discuss with you so that we could then provide you with detailed personalised information about your case. Where the estate is complicated, for example there are multiple accounts, investment portfolios, properties and multiple beneficiaries, then the cost of administering the estate is likely to be at the higher end of the range  and could exceed this range for the most complicated cases

The timescale to fully administer these estates is estimated at between 1 – 2years. The majority of the work will normally be carried out by experienced solicitors or legal executives of not less than two years post qualifications experience under the supervision of the Head of the Department or other senior solicitors or legal executives of not less than 5years post qualification experience in this area of work.

Complex estates – Hourly rate of £150 plus VAT to £250 plus VAT depending on the experience of the solicitor, legal executive and paralegals working on your case

Type of cases included in this hourly rate fee:-

There are a number of situations where it may be necessary to agree to act on an hourly rate rather than a fixed fee. Situations would include where the estate is complex or complicated by other factors for example, there are disputing executors and/or beneficiaries on the division of the estate assets or dealings with estate assets, there are problems with the Will and extra work needed to be carried out before it is admitted to Probate, the deceased had many businesses/business interests or complex financial arrangements/personal circumstances, many creditors or beneficiaries needed to be traced, the costs of administering such an estate could be substantially higher than the above estimate. Where this is the case, our work will be charged by the hour based on our hourly rates for all those that will deal with your case. This will be confirmed to you our personalised information letter to you based the particular circumstances of your case.

The timescale for the administration of these types of estate ranges from 2 to 3 years and possibly more especially if it became a contentious matter or it takes a long time to locate missing beneficiaries or executors.

Disbursements are additional costs to the hourly rate and would normally be:-

• Probate application fee of £158
• £20 for swearing of the oath for two executors
• £10 fee for copy title of each property

Occasionally there can be additional disbursements and if these arose we would let you know before incurring the cost

The eventual costs and timescale for the administration of any particular estate depends largely on the circumstance of your case so the timescales and cost estimates given here are for guidance only. We will give you a more precise and personalised cost estimates and timescale at the outset of your matter.

Larger estates – alternative charging option – We can also agree a fixed charge of 1.5% of the gross estate plus disbursements  

Sometimes clients prefer to agree a fee based on the value of the estate and we would discuss this with you in more detail if the estate falls into this category and you wanted more inforation about it

Type of cases included in this fixed fee:-

• • Estates over £400,00
  • Any level of complexity

We would carry out the following work for this fixed fee:-

We will handle the full process for you including:

• Contacting all assets and liabilities holders and obtaining date of death valuations,

• Compile the list of assets and liabilities and use the information to complete the IHT400, Schedules, any required supporting information, liaise with clients and the bank to pay any inheritance tax due on the estate
• Prepare oath for executors or administrators to swear and send these to you to check, sign, swear and return to us.
• Apply to the District Probate Registry for the Grant of Probate and letters of Administration
• Collecting in all known assets and paying liabilities
• Producing estate accounts for approval and making distributions to the eventual beneficiary (ies) of the estate.
• Generally concluding the administration of the estate.

Disbursements are additional costs and would normally be:-

• Probate application fee of £158
• £20 for swearing of the oath for two executors
• £10 fee for copy title of each property

Occasionally there can be additional disbursements and if these arose we would let you know before incurring the cost

Call our specialist Wills & Probate Solicitors now on 0844 800 9860 for a free telephone consultation or request a call back through this website.