Probate and the Administration of Estates

Probate

Probate is the formal proving of someone’s Will by a Court.  The Court order is called a grant of probate and this gives legal authority to the executors to administer the Estate.

Estate Administration Service

We offer a three tiered pricing structure for fixed price probate work so you can see which tier applies to your circumstances and what is included for that price.  Some estates will not fall into the fixed price structure and we will give you a specific quote.  Where a range of fees is given we will give you a specific quote based on the nature of assets and number and type of beneficiaries.

Disbursements not included in our fee:

• Probate application fee of £273.00
• £7.00 Swearing of the oath (per executor)
• Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches (£2.00 per beneficiary)
• Post in The London Gazette £77.80 – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors.
• Post in a Local Newspaper, costs vary but we estimate £150-£300 depending on newspaper – This also helps to protect against unexpected claims.
  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 or the estate consists of any share holdings (stocks and bonds) there is likely to be additional costs that could range significantly depending on the estate and how it is to be dealt with. We can give you a more accurate quote once we have more information.
• If any additional copies of the grant are required, they will cost £1.50 (1 per asset usually).
• Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included.
  How long will this take?
  On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 6-8 months. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 3-6 months. Collecting assets then follows, which can take between 4–8 weeks. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which normally takes 2-4 weeks. (Please note that all estimates are based on lower scale estates. Timescales can vary significantly the more complex an estate becomes.)
  Any inheritance tax payable is classed as a disbursement and will be due from the estate. You can find HMRC’s inheritance tax calculator here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/hmrc-tools-and-calculators

Tier 1

Basic Estate Administration

Price: £840 + VAT

Tier 2

Estates under £300,000
One property
8 bank accounts or less
No IHT400 needed

Price: £1,560 - £2,300 + VAT

Tier 3

Estate over £300,000
One or more properties
Multiple bank accounts
No IHT400 needed.  Excludes farms and foreign assets

Price: £2,480 - £5,000 + VAT

Please see details of what is included in each tier below;

What is included?

	Tier 1 £840	Tier 2 £1,560	Tier 3 £2,480	Bespoke (Get a Quote)
Identifying who can administer the estate	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Obtaining the Will	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Collecting information in on the value of the estate	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Arranging payment of funeral costs	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Checking and putting in place house insurance	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Liaising with all utility companies, council tax, TV licence, creditors, store card and club memberships	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Transfer of Inheritance Tax nil rate band if required	No	No	Yes	Yes
Short form inheritance tax forms	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Obtaining the grant of probate	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Collecting in assets. Payment of known debts and liabilities	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Administration of shareholdings, investment portfolios, insurance or pension policies	No	No	Yes	Yes
Placing creditor notices	No	No	Yes	Yes
Reclaim of income tax (only if the deceased was NOT a self assessed tax payer)	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Reclaim of capital gains tax	No	No	No	Yes
Payment of all monetary gifts	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Preparation of an estate account	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Distribution of the estate between the beneficiaries and obtaining receipt for payment	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Estates where the deceased was domiciled abroad	No	No	No	Yes
Undertaking a search for a Will	No	No	No	Yes
Identifying beneficiaries of the estate	No	No	No	Yes
All expenses and probate fees	No	No	No	No
Conduct of the matter where a dispute between the party arises	No	No	No	Yes
Conveyancing involved in transfer or sale of property	No	No	No	No
Long inheritance tax return	No	No	No	Yes
Intestate Estates	No	No	No	Yes

 

If your matter is more complex you might be charged an hourly rate, which we will inform you of. Hourly rates vary based on the experience of the lawyer and range up to £325.