We can help you with any part of the probate process, whether that would be dealing with only the technical matters such as obtaining the Grant of Probate and Inheritance tax accounts or everything from registering the death to the final distribution.
We will review the circumstances and the level of support you require at the initial meeting. We will provide you with the estimate of costs so that you may consider and choose the most suitable service for you.
Our experts
Our specialist lawyers have been working in this field for the last 20 years and bring a wealth of experience as well as compassion to guide you through the most difficult times. You will have direct access to our experts who provide the personal service in the way that suits you.
Claire Trueman – page link
Donata Crossfield – page link
Pricing
Our fees are calculated based on the hourly rate of £300+VAT. VAT is payable at a rate of 20%.
*Expenses to third parties may change from time to time and if so, we will provide you with the necessary details.
Fees
Estates values up to £2M or up to £3M where the estate passes to spouse or charity
Grant of Probate application as above
From £1400 +VAT (£1680) to £6650+VAT (£7980)
Plus administration
Closing accounts (banks, savings, shares, investments etc.) -£525+VAT (£630) per institution
Paying liabilities and debts – £525+VAT (£630) per debtor
Preparing estate accounts – from £2100+VAT (£2,520) for estates up to £1M or £4200+VAT (£5040) or estate values £1M-£2M
Distribution to beneficiaries – £350+VAT (£420) per person/institution
Expenses to third party
- Court fees£300 for application
- £16.00 per copy of the grant
- ID checks £9.60 per person
- Land title check £8.80 each
- Bankruptcy checks £7.80 per person
- Bank transfer charges £49+VAT (£58.80) each
- Certainty Will search if necessary £126
- Will retrieval costs if necessary of around £50
- Creditor notices approximately – s27 £110.64 and local paper £288
- Any overseas beneficiary/executor checks – quote of services will be provided when necessary
What is included
- Initial meeting.
- Preparing a schedule of assets and liabilities of the estate based on the information provided by you.
- Preparing Inheritance Tax account and submitting the same to HMRC
- Calculating tax due and arranging for payment to HMRC
- Obtaining the necessary permission from HMRC to proceed to probate
- Preparing the appropriate probate application documents
- Applying for and obtaining The Grant of Representation.
- Closing accounts
- Settling liabilities
- Preparing estate accounts
- Distributing funds to beneficiaries in accordance with the Will or Rules of Intestacy
- All correspondence, telephone calls, meetings etc.
Fees
Estates valued £2M to £3M for taxable estates
Hourly rate of £350+VAT (£420) for the work carried out in administering the estate. Plus a charge equal to 0.5% of the value of the estate will be applied
An estimate of costs will be provided based on the complexity of the matter and the level of work and time required – minimum cost £15000+VAT (£18,000)
Expenses to third party
- Court fees
- £300 for application
- £16.00 per copy of the grant
- ID checks £9.60 per person
- Land title check £8.80 each
- Bankruptcy checks £7.80 per person
- Bank transfer charges £49+VAT (£58.80) each
- Certainty Will search if necessary £140
- Will retrieval costs if necessary of around £50
- Creditor notices approximately – s27 £110.64 and local paper £288
- Any overseas beneficiary/executor checks – quote of services will be provided when necessary
What is included
- IInitial meeting.
- Preparing a schedule of assets and liabilities of the estate based on the information provided by you.
- Preparing Inheritance Tax account and submitting the same to HMRC
- Calculating tax due and arranging for payment to HMRC
- Obtaining the necessary permission from HMRC to proceed to probate
- Preparing the appropriate probate application documents
- Applying for and obtaining The Grant of Representation.
- Closing accounts
- Settling liabilities
- Preparing estate accounts
- Distributing funds to beneficiaries in accordance with the Will or Rules of Intestacy
- All correspondence, telephone calls, meetings etc.
How long will this take?
Each estate is different so the time it takes to deal with it differs in each case. Typically, collating information about the estate can take 4-8 weeks. Creating and submitting documents to HMRC takes around 2-4 weeks. HMRC takes up to 5 weeks to process the documents and issue permission to apply for the Grant of Probate. The Probate Registry can takes up to 12 weeks to issue the Grant where there is a Will, but can be longer if there is no Will. Collecting assets then follows, which can take between 4-6 weeks and if a property needs to be sold, then it will take longer. If the estate has to submit an income tax return, this can take 8-12 weeks to process. Once this has been done, we can pay liabilities, complete estate accounts and distribute the assets, which normally takes 4-6 weeks. On average, it can take up to 6 months to deal with a simple estate and 12 months or longer if the estate has properties and tax liabilities.
Example of estate costs
Estate up to the value of £650,000
Grant of Probate application with no tax, one surviving beneficiary
- Obtaining grant of probate – £1400.00
- Closing bank accounts with 2 banks – £1050.00
- Closing investments with 2 companies – £1050.00
- Dealing with 2 debts/liabilities – £1050.00
- Estate Accounts £2100.00
- Distributing balance to beneficiary – £350.00
Total legal costs – £7000.00 plus VAT (£8400.00)
Plus disbursements necessary for every transaction:
- Court fees £300.00
- Copies of grant £16.00 per copy
- ID checks £9.60 per person
- Land Registry checks – £8.80 each
- Bankruptcy checks – £7.80 each
- Bank transfer admin fee – £49 plus VAT (£58.80) for every transaction
- Total disbursements – £386.50
- Total costs – £8786.50
- Plus disbursements only if required depending on the circumstances of the case:
- Creditor notices approximately – s27 London Gazette £110.64 and local paper £288
- Will search – £126
- Will retrieval from storage approximately – £50
- Asset search approximately – £258
- Mail forwarding approximately – £100.32
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, therefore these may change from time to time. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.
What is not included
This service does not include the following:
- Dealing with Department of Works and Pensions (DWP) investigations – additional costs charged at an hourly rate would be applied to deal with the enquiries raised
- Dealing with income and capital gains taxes of the deceased or the estate – we can refer you to the appropriate service
- Varying the terms of the Will or Intestacy – this service can be provided separately as part of the estate planning for beneficiaries, so please ask about this service
- Dealing with claims against the estate – we can refer you to an appropriate service
- Locating missing beneficiaries – we can refer you to an appropriate service
- Transferring or selling property – a conveyancing service will be required. We can refer you to a trusted service provider.
- Establishing or managing a trust under a Will – this service can be provided for post estate management, so please ask about this service
- Searching for unknown assets – we can refer you to an appropriate service
