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Probate

Fees

Our charges for probate services

Executors of a Will, or the persons otherwise entitled to administer the estate of a deceased individual, have a legal responsibility to administer the estate according to the law.  To ensure that they do so, they are entitled to use the services of a professional and the cost of doing so is considered a testamentary expense.  This means that the cost of these services is payable as an expense from the estate before the estate is distributed to the beneficiaries.

Our charges for probate services are based on the time spent dealing with the matter which will include meetings, reading and drafting documents, travelling, reading and writing emails and letters and making and receiving telephone or video calls.  All work is charged for in units of 1/10th of an hour (i.e. 6 minutes).

We will inform you of the hourly fee rates of the people working on your matter.  The hourly rates charged are based on the experience that each individual in the team has and are currently as follows:

Role/Level Hourly Rate (+VAT at 20%)
Partner / Senior Associate £260 to £325
Associate Solicitor / Chartered Legal Executive £230
Solicitor / Chartered Legal Executive £175
Paralegal / Trainee Solicitor £120 to £150
Paralegal / Trainee Solicitor £120

We normally review these rates in September and/or April in each year and we will inform you of any changes.  The hourly rates are subject to VAT, which is currently 20%.

The key stages of an estate administration will usually be as follows:

  • Making enquiries of asset holders, creditors and income providers to ascertain the date of death value of the estate.
  • Preparation of the Inheritance Tax Return (if required) and arranging payment of the Inheritance Tax due.
  • Preparation of the application for the Grant of Representation and submitting this to the Probate Registry.
  • Once the Grant has been issued, collecting in the assets and arranging payment of the liabilities.
  • Arranging payment of any legacies and making interim distributions to the residuary beneficiaries.
  • Finalising the Inheritance Tax position (if required) and dealing with the income tax position for the period of administration.
  • Preparation of Estate Accounts for approval by the Executors/Administrators.
  • Providing a copy of the approved Estate Accounts to the residuary beneficiaries and arranging final distributions.

The Probate Registry takes an average of 16 weeks to issue a Grant of Representation, so we anticipate that it will take approximately 6 months to obtain a Grant on an estate where an Inheritance Tax Account is not required, and 6 to 12 months to obtain a Grant where an Inheritance Tax Account is required.  Once the Grant has been issued, it will usually take between 6 to 18 months to finalise the administration of the estate, but this will of course depend on the nature and complexity of the assets within the estate and whether there are assets that need to be sold as part of the estate administration.

It is difficult to estimate how much work will be required to administer an estate from the outset as this will depend on the size of the estate, the nature and number of assets, creditors and beneficiaries of the estate as well as other factors including whether the estate is subject to Inheritance Tax.

Administration of a simple estate

A simple estate would be an estate where an Inheritance Tax Account is not required and might include a modest residential property and a range of straightforward assets such as bank accounts or life assurance policies.  A simple estate would not be subject to Inheritance Tax or require a full Inheritance Tax Account to be completed to obtain the Grant of Representation.

A simple estate may take in the region of 20 to 60 hours to deal with.  Our fee to administer a simple estate would usually fall between £5,000 and £15,000 plus VAT at 20% and disbursements.

Administration of a complex estate

A complex estate would usually be subject to Inheritance Tax or require an Inheritance Tax Account to be completed to claim the Inheritance Tax exemptions and reliefs available.  The estate may include numerous or high value assets including properties, business or agricultural assets, trusts or large share portfolios. 

A complex estate may take in the region of 60 to 200 hours to deal with.  Our fee to administer a complex estate would usually fall between £15,000 to £50,000 plus VAT at 20% and disbursements.  

Work that is not included as part of the estate administration

Our probate services fee estimates would not include work relating to the following issues:

  • Disputes, claims and litigation relating to the estate
  • Work relating to overseas assets or issues
  • Complex tax issues and tax planning advice
  • Deeds of Variation
  • Trusts
  • Property sales or transfers
  • Advice relating to business or agricultural matters
  • Any other advice outside of the key stages of an estate administration referenced above

If advice is required in relation to any of these matters, a separate quote will be provided by the relevant department.

Grant only service

We can provide a Grant application only service.  Again, our fees will be charged for on a time spent basis.  This service is provided on the basis that you will make the necessary enquiries to establish the value of the estate, and we will prepare the Inheritance Tax Account (if required) and application for the Grant of Representation using the figures that you have provided. 

Our fee for a Grant only service on an excepted estate i.e. an estate where an Inheritance Tax Account is not required, will usually take in the region of 5 to 10 hours to deal with.  Our fees would usually fall between £1,500 to £3,000 plus VAT at 20% and disbursements.

Our fee for a Grant only service on an estate where an Inheritance Tax Account is required will usually take in the region of 15 to 30 hours to deal with. Our fees would usually fall between £4,000 to £8,000 plus VAT at 20% and disbursements.

Disbursements (fees payable to third parties)

These are fees that are payable to third parties, in addition to our legal fees, and can include the items listed below.

These are typical disbursements however, every estate is unique and therefore not all fees will necessarily apply or others may be needed.  We will let you know as soon as possible in advance of any additional disbursements that are required.

Disbursements Estimated Cost
Third party valuations (property, jewellery etc) £250 - £2,500 plus VAT at 20%
Probate Court Fee £300
Copies of the Grant £1.50 per copy
Statutory advertisement for creditors (if required) £250 - £350 plus VAT at 20%
Land Registry Search £3 - £6 per title
Certainty Will Search (if required) £126 including VAT
Asset Search (if required) £195 plus VAT at 20%
UK Bankruptcy search fee £2 per beneficiary, per payment
Foreign Bankruptcy search fee Quote to be obtained
CHAPS fee £30 plus VAT at 20% per payment

We have taken all reasonable steps to ensure the price information set out on our website provides an accurate and realistic indication of the costs that are likely to be incurred, but we may update the information at any time in the future.

Whilst we hope this information is helpful as an initial guide, we will provide you with a specific fee proposal and a copy of our standard terms of business when you instruct us to undertake work on your behalf.  

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